Exposition in Dialogue

Story is itself a way of conveying information, but it shouldn't simply be information.

Glenn Gers said it best on an interview with Film Courage, asking, "Do I want the character to say this, or does the character want to say this?"

Exposition is tough, and it's often the Achilles' heel of every author, who tells a story in scenes and not first-person essays regardless of medium.

Once you commit to not giving exposition in the paragraphs or in some inner monologue, then you realize it has to take place during scenes with dialogue, which depict characters doing things or experiencing events, and it can also be given in voice over at times.

Integrating the necessary plot details in dialogue isn’t easy, however, there are ways of getting away with it. If you find yourself feeling as though there are no other options than to give exposition through dialogue, then it can be done without violating the modern rules of storytelling or leave you feeling self-conscious about the potential of turning your story into a tutorial.

If the character has their own reasons, goals, and motivations, then they are playing a role that serves the plot of the story without making the story serve the plot. Those actions that character can carry out, which also convey exposition, can be expanded beyond these few on this list, but they certainly include to persuade, to justify, to intimidate, to mislead, to clarify, to brag, to help, to challenge, and to humor.