Five Tips for Avoiding Disorientation in Your Opening Hook
While readers are sorting out what you're saying, they can't appreciate your story.
Latest in Exposition & Information
Which Descriptive Details Are Excessive to Readers?
Don't describe scenes as though you're taking a photograph.
How to Teach World Terms Without Confusing Readers
Confusing new terms can make readers feel jarred and overwhelmed.
Episode 311: Delivering Information in Stories
Readers need to know things to understand your story.
How & Why You Should Consolidate Your Story
Merging and reusing elements makes for a more streamlined story.
Lessons From the Exposition of Crescent City
Confusing info dumps and lack of plot focus make this a disorienting opening.
Judging What Backstory to Keep and What to Let Go
If you include too much history, your story will be an overburdened mess.
Taming Your Exposition
Skilled use of exposition is a matter of balance: not too much, not too little.
Planning Your Story’s Opening Passages
Readers have a lot to learn during an opening, and somehow they have to learn it while being entertained.
Lessons From the Rushed Writing of The Blade Itself
Confusing description and a lack of context bog down an action-packed opening.
Liberating Over-Burdened Stories
Signs your story might be sluggish—and how to make it into a smooth, exciting read.
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