5 Exposition Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Creative Writing (And How to Fix Them Fast)
Let’s talk about one of the biggest traps in genre fiction – exposition dumps.
Every fantasy, sci-fi, or horror story needs worldbuilding, lore, and backstory.
However, too much exposition kills momentum, weakens tension, and pulls readers out of the story. And the last thing you want is to bore your audience with an info dump.
So, let’s go over five smart ways to deliver your world’s backstory without slowing down the story.
What Is Exposition – And Why Does It Go Wrong?
Before we talk about how to avoid it, let’s break down what exposition is.
Exposition is background information that explains your story’s world, characters, or plot. You’ll see it most often in three forms:
- Narrative exposition – Long blocks of text explaining the world, history, science or magic system in excruciating detail.
- Dialogue exposition – Characters telling each other things they already know, or launching into overly long speeches that feel completely unnatural.
- Technical exposition – Heavy descriptions of how technology, magic, or even politics work, bogging down the pacing and usually boring the audience to tears.
Too much exposition stops the story cold. Instead of pulling the reader deeper, they yank them out. Nobody wants to read a novel that feels like a textbook.
Luckily, there are better ways. Let’s go over the top five.
Top 5 Exposition Mistakes
Let’s take a look at the worst mistakes that creative writers can make when it comes to the exposition in their writing.
1. Relying too heavily on “telling”
You’ve heard the adage, “Show, don’t tell,” and in literary fiction, this is good advice.
But genre fiction is a different beast – mainly because you’re creating entire new worlds or dimensions or technologies or magic systems or histories – and it requires a certain amount – sometimes even a large amount – of information to be presented to your audience so that they understand everything that’s happening.
One of the biggest pitfalls in genre fiction is relying too heavily on “telling”.
Writers who rely too much on telling risk losing reader immersion in long-winded explanations, while on the flipside, those who lean too much into showing can end up with vague, confusing worlds.
Over-explaining everything upfront can make your story feel like a textbook, while refusing to provide enough key details can leave audiences lost and disconnected.
That means rather than Show, don’t tell, the trick is to Show AND Tell. Readers need both – showing pulls them into the world, while telling fills in the gaps.
Example – Good:
Mad Max: Fury Road doesn’t start with a history lesson. It throws us into a desperate world where people fight over water.
We see the warlords, the chaos, the fear. It’s fast, visual, and effective.
Example – Bad:
The original theatrical cut of Blade Runner includes voiceover narration that explains things we already understand from the visuals.
It treats the audience like they can’t figure it out for themselves.
Pro Tip:
Balance is key. Use short telling moments to bridge gaps, but let the showing carry the weight.
When in doubt, ask: Am I showing this already? Then maybe I don’t need to tell it too.
2. Unnatural exposition dumps in dialogue
Dialogue is a great way to reveal information, but it has to feel natural.
There are a few major pitfalls to avoid: characters telling each other things they already know, dry technical explanations, and long-winded monologues instead of engaging conversation.
If two characters already understand a situation, they shouldn’t awkwardly restate it for the audience (“As you know, Commander, we’ve been at war for 500 years…”). That feels forced and unnatural.
Instead, focus on delivering exposition through conflict, misunderstandings, or hidden agendas – give the characters a reason to bring it up.
Another common mistake is overloading dialogue with pseudo-science, techno-babble, or magic system explanations.
Unless the details directly impact the scene, long-winded explanations can bore the reader. Instead of dumping technical jargon, reveal only what’s necessary through action or consequence.
Finally, be careful with expository monologues. One character delivering a long speech explaining everything can kill pacing and feel unrealistic.
Instead, break up exposition into natural exchanges between characters, revealing information gradually.
Avoid These Mistakes:
- “As you know…” lines. These are dead giveaways.
- Overloading with jargon or lore.
- Huge monologues that stop the story.
Instead, Try This:
Let your characters reveal things through internal and external conflict, misunderstandings, or curiosity. Give them a reason to talk about these things.
Example – Good:
In Blade Runner 2049, Officer K’s interrogation of Sapper Morton slowly reveals history and context.
It’s a tense, natural conversation – not a lecture.
Example – Bad:
In Inception, characters sometimes awkwardly explain the dream technology to each other.
The audience feels like it’s getting a classroom session rather than a story.
Pro Tip:
Use tension. When characters disagree, or when one is confused, that’s a natural moment to explain something.
You’re creating drama, rather than just giving information.
3. Use the World Itself
Why tell your readers something if they can see it for themselves?
Environmental storytelling means using your setting – locations, objects, and leftovers from the past – to reveal details.
What to Include:
- Abandoned cities
- Graffiti with hidden messages
- Damaged artifacts
- Clues from architecture or clothing
Example – Good:
The Last of Us game nails this.
You don’t get a lecture on the apocalypse – instead, you walk through broken towns, read old notes, and hear echoes of what happened. It feels real.
Example – Bad:
The Dark Tower (2017) spends too much time explaining lore in dialogue instead of letting the world speak for itself.
It ends up feeling flat, even with great visuals.
Pro Tip:
Ask yourself: If I removed all the dialogue, would my setting still tell a story?
If the answer is no, start adding those subtle, world-building details.
4. Let Action Deliver the Info
Exposition doesn’t have to be quiet. In fact, it’s better when it’s loud.
If you need to explain something, do it during action. Fight scenes, chase scenes, or escapes are perfect times to let your world’s rules come through naturally.
Why It Works:
- Keeps the pacing up
- Feels organic
- Builds tension and reveals info at the same time
Example – Good:
A Quiet Place shows us that sound is dangerous – not by saying it, but by showing what happens when someone makes noise.
A toy makes a sound, and a child dies. No one needs to explain anything after that.
Example – Bad:
In The Matrix Reloaded, the action comes to a halt so Neo can hear a dense speech from The Architect.
It’s packed with information that the audience needs, but it kills the story’s flow.
Pro Tip:
Look at your action scenes. Can they do double-duty?
Could a character’s choices or a surprising twist reveal some lore? If yes – go for it. Don’t pause the movie in your reader’s mind.
5. Trust Your Audience
Here’s the big one: stop over-explaining.
Your readers are smart. Let them figure things out. That mystery and confusion that they feel? It’s part of the fun!
When you spell out every rule or backstory, you remove discovery. You remove the magic.
Let the Reader Work a Little
- Drop hints.
- Leave things unexplained.
- Use unfamiliar terms and let them make sense in context.
Example – Good:
Dune throws you right into a world filled with strange terms and deep politics.
It doesn’t stop to explain everything. It trusts that you’ll figure it out – and you do.
Example – Bad:
Ghostbusters (2016 reboot) over-explains its ghost science and gadgets.
The 1984 original didn’t need to do this. The reboot didn’t trust the audience enough to just get it.
Pro Tip:
If you’re about to explain something, pause.
Ask yourself: Do they need this information right now? Or can they figure it out later from the story? Often, the answer is later.
Let the World Speak
Exposition isn’t bad – it’s how you use it that matters.
Too much, too fast, and your story can feel like a lecture. Not enough information, and your readers could get lost. The sweet spot is weaving it in smoothly – through action, dialogue, setting, and trust.
Here’s your checklist:
- ✅ Show key moments and support with small bits of telling.
- ✅ Make dialogue sound like real conversation.
- ✅ Use your setting to reveal history and rules.
- ✅ Let action scenes double as worldbuilding.
- ✅ Trust your audience to connect the dots.
When you stop telling everything and start showing just enough, your world becomes immersive. It feels real. And most importantly—it keeps readers hooked.
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