Writing Exercise: Make Exposition Interesting

[ljwrites]

loopy777 and I recently talked about Loopy's Retroactive and making exposition interesting. While it takes time and energy to work information organically into a story, I think it's worth the effort to get the the audience engaged and interested. This also goes to the basic adage of "show, don't tell." Static exposition resorts to telling the audience what's what, while a dynamic scene showcasing that same information lets the audience experience the facts of the world or story and doesn't feel like deliberate exposition.

On that note, this exercise is about taking a block of information and making it into a scene that is interesting in its own right and moves the story forward, without using obvious infodump tropes like As You Know dialogue. Think of it as a teaser that will leave people hankering to get the rest. Use dialogue, monologue, or whatever other device you think would make it fun. Heck, don't be constrained to novel format--use script format, article format, interview or whatever else you like.

Assignment: Construct a scene or exchange that gets across as much of the following information as possible in an entertaining way. Make up any additional details as necessary, including future plot developments if you want.

Exposition: In a high-profile environmental case, the small town of Alvarez has made a civil claim against a big chemical company, Big Chemical, alleging that its plant polluted the town's water supply and disrupted its local environment including a valuable waterbird reserve. Donnie is the lead attorney for the town, brought in by Eden, an environmental activist who is working with Alvarez.

Big Chemical has offered the town a $500,000 settlement which Donnie thinks can be negotiated up to $1 million. Eden disagrees, citing an assessment that shows the town's damage could be as much as $5 million. Donnie believes Eden is risking the town's chances just to prove a point.

In frustration Eden brings on another well-known trial lawyer, Frankie, who had been taking interest in the case and was in contact with Eden's environmental group. It turns out Frankie and Donnie used to be law partners and a married couple before personal and professional disagreements mounted and they went their separate ways. Frankie wanted a child and Donnie did not; Frankie thought Donnie was too focused on winning at the expense of clients' best interests, while Donnie thought Frankie pursued brinksmanship to the exclusion of good trial strategy.