What's your take on expository world building?

[VertisGuguChalimoth]

How much people on here enjoy reading expositions relating to worldbuilding? Are they the minority or majority here?

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I only like it when it doesn't distract from whatever is happening. I don't want random exposition unrelated to whatever is around the character POV. It has to be a kind of discovery world building. As the characters discover, then I will discover.

 

[Daydreamers]

I need to invest in a story before I care; if it's too early I might not read it

 

[Fairemont]

There's good times and bad times for it. The more relevant to the immediate story/action through better it is.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I'm not a huge fan of worldbuilding dumps, double if it's something I've already seen. It doesn't matter how in-depth generic fantasy medievil world №6412341, I will be bored. However, if you give something new and fresh, I can even enjoy it. For example, you infodump worldbuilding of a world that resembles middle east. That would be interesting.

 

[VertisGuguChalimoth]

I only like it when it doesn't distract from whatever is happening. I don't want random exposition unrelated to whatever is around the character POV. It has to be a kind of discovery world building. As the characters discover, then I will discover.

What if ,【no correlation】, the character is an idiot? Would it be better to have it be multiple POV's?

I need to invest in a story before I care; if it's too early I might not read it

So around chapter 11 or?

There's good times and bad times for it. The more relevant to the immediate story/action through better it is.

I'm guessing doing expositions during a fight scene is one of those bad times? When would be a good time?

I'm not a huge fan of worldbuilding dumps, double if it's something I've already seen. It doesn't matter how in-depth generic fantasy medievil world №6412341, I will be bored. However, if you give something new and fresh, I can even enjoy it. For example, you infodump worldbuilding of a world that resembles middle east. That would be interesting.

That can be arranged.

Thank You for your responses. ❢

 

[Daydreamers]

So around chapter 11 or?

Yes

 

[Fairemont]

What if ,【no correlation】, the character is an idiot? Would it be better to have it be multiple POV's?

So around chapter 11 or?

I'm guessing doing expositions during a fight scene is one of those bad times? When would be a good time?

That can be arranged.

Thank You for your responses. ❢

If you are interrupting an action scene for exposition you are either going to need to dump some really interesting content or be a fantastic author capable of getting away with it somehow. I'd suggest avoiding it.

Best times tend to be conversations between characters. Traveling, down time, studying, strategizing, basically anywhere such content would organically come up.

 

[Justhetip...]

How much people on here enjoy reading expositions relating to worldbuilding? Are they the minority or majority here?

Most things in writing and storytelling is based on execution. Exposition exists so the reader won't be confused by what is happening, give too much, and the reader's attention is diverted to digesting it rather than the story itself, give too little, and it might not be enough to carry them along the course of the story.

I don't think there's anyone who doesn't enjoy exposition relating to world building when it's done right, giving the readers just enough to understand what's going on, and sometimes, giving hints so as to leave a little room for their imagination and some expectation for what's to come.

 

[VertisGuguChalimoth]

If you are interrupting an action scene for exposition you are either going to need to dump some really interesting content or be a fantastic author capable of getting away with it somehow. I'd suggest avoiding it.

Best times tend to be conversations between characters. Traveling, down time, studying, strategizing, basically anywhere such content would organically come up.

Okay, I can do that.

Most things in writing and storytelling is based on execution. Exposition exists so the reader won't be confused by what is happening, give too much, and the reader's attention is diverted to digesting it rather than the story itself, give too little, and it might not be enough to carry them along the course of the story.

I don't think there's anyone who doesn't enjoy exposition relating to world building when it's done right, giving the readers just enough to understand what's going on, and sometimes, giving hints so as to leave a little room for their imagination and some expectation for what's to come.

Understood.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Exposition is only good when the reader wants to hear it. You need a reader to have some sort of investment in the narrative before you do a lore dump. But if they’re invested said lore dump can be just as enjoyable as any other part of the story

 

[HisDivineShadow]

I like when world-building is presented organically, in context. Otherwise, it becomes exhausting.

 

[Daitengu]

I'm only for it in extras. Like the Dune factions book. It's more of a glossary and appendix of the world and doesn't need to be read to enjoy the story.

World building should be drip fed, not clustered into exposition.

 

[VertisGuguChalimoth]

I see, thank you.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Instant reject.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

What if ,【no correlation】, the character is an idiot? Would it be better to have it be multiple POV's?

The author has to convince me that whatever they're doing works. If I tune out or get bored repeatedly with exposition, I'll stop reading whatever it is

 

[naosu]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by expository world building, as compared to how that's special or different from just world building in general?

I think world building helps build logic in the story and make it seem more real. Ultimately your goal is to get people to see the story as their... '2nd Life'. Or themselves as if they were in another world.

 

[Placeholder]

> expositions relating to worldbuilding

Exposition kills dramatic tension and pacing. Keeper of Totality is a bit hard to read for that, for example.

Consider "is this sentence really necessary?". Because every sentence has an opportunity cost - it's a sentence that isn't serving mood or dramatic tension.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

It beats suppository world building.

 

[Tegeli]

Best worldbuilding happens in the head of the audience. Stories are merely a weaponised memetic vector to make someone hallucinate fairy castles and whatnot.