Process

Exposition

You might say: backstory, info-dump, incluing

How the reader learns background facts. Jo Walton’s “incluing” scatters small pieces through the text instead of one info-dump.

What it does

Gives the reader what they need to understand, without stopping the story.

Ask

Does the reader need this now, and can they pick it up from action?

Trouble

Pages of history before the story starts, or characters telling each other what they both know.

What to look for

1. Facts picked up from action
2. Background arriving without stopping the story

Connections

• See also: Pacing

Sources

1. Jo Walton, SF Reading Protocols, section on infodump and incluingincluing, scattering pieces of information seamlessly through the text to add up to a big picture.

Use it on your project

teardown-apply: hold "Exposition" (exposition) from the teardown at https://teardownatlas.com/fiction-writing/ against my project

Paste it into a coding agent that has the teardown skills.

An AI agent wrote this map with the teardown skill. It can contain errors: check the sources before you rely on a part. About and legal