How much should I reveal of how the world functions in fiction?
I am currently working on a fiction novel. The way the world (magic, technology, government, species etc) works is extremely complicated.
Basically, the idea is to reveal the mechanics bit by bit . The problem is how much should I reveal? If I reveal too much the tension would be gone and there wouldn't be the unknown factor. On the other hand if I reveal too little no one would understand what is happening.
I am scared of not revealing enough, because I know how it works and it would seem to me that a given portion of information is enough although it isn't.
I am sorry for any mistakes in the question, English is not my mother tongue, if any clarifications are needed, pleas say so. [:
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This is one of those things you can't always determine on your own. Give your finished story to several people to read and ask them to tell you if they felt like they understood how the world worked or if they needed more information.
(and your English is fine. :) )
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This will always be a matter of preference, but I'd err on the side on little exposition. As a reader, I get bored by an info dump and usually stop reading. The only exception is humour, like the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
Hannu Rajaniemi is an author who explains very little, yet his books are very successful. Some of the things/terms he uses throughout his books are only explained somewhere near the end of the book. This gets him a few angry readers, but most people like it. For me, it is fun re-reading the book to understand all that I had missed the first time.
So only reveal as much is required. Let the rest come out through the story.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/6559. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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