How would you exposit a setting you write non-linear episodic stories in?

[HHHawkeye]

I'm having a bit of a dilemma regarding the exposition in my setting. It takes place in a sort of fantasy setting that has various things the readers need to understand before the story can make sense and be properly enjoyed. The problem is that I don't plan on having a strict order these stories need to be read in, aside from chapters in individual tales. I can think of three options at the moment:

1: Re-introduce every concept in each new story as it comes up
2: Have an introductory page or so of information about the setting
3: Create a short story intended to be read before the reader reads any of the others, one which introduces the main important bits of the setting, and then have an author's note at the start of all subsequent stories asking the reader to read this one first.

I was wondering if any other writers had any insight about which of these options I should go for. Any thoughts?

 

[ElectricBlue]

How important is understand the setting to the story?

You don't need back story or exposition, you just need enough to tell the reader, this is off-world, elves, whatever. I would do 4: none of these things.

I have a sci-fi story about an alien angel and an astronaut, where you'd think you'd need these things, but I launch straight in and unfold the context as I go along. Readers are clever, they'll pick it up. Don't assume they need to be spoon fed up front, they don't.

Songs of Seduction - Fire and Ice

 

[Imstillfun]

I have a series of stories called ‘the wedding party’. there are 6 stories each revolving around different members of the wedding party. Each of the characters have there own story, plus interact with other members. They can be read in any order

the interactions show up in many of the stories. I just describe that interaction from the protagonists perspective. Some interactions show up in all 6 stories, so descriptions of the environment show up 6 times just from different perspectives.

they’re written first person past tense.

all of them have tens of thousands of readers and are rated over 4.5 even with the repetition. in the comments people said they liked the way all the stories tied in.

so, let the environment just unfold naturally as part of your story. It’s ok to repeat it in each story. .

 

[HarryHill]

I'm having a bit of a dilemma regarding the exposition in my setting. It takes place in a sort of fantasy setting that has various things the readers need to understand before the story can make sense and be properly enjoyed. The problem is that I don't plan on having a strict order these stories need to be read in, aside from chapters in individual tales. I can think of three options at the moment:

1: Re-introduce every concept in each new story as it comes up
2: Have an introductory page or so of information about the setting
3: Create a short story intended to be read before the reader reads any of the others, one which introduces the main important bits of the setting, and then have an author's note at the start of all subsequent stories asking the reader to read this one first.

I was wondering if any other writers had any insight about which of these options I should go for. Any thoughts?

Whut?
Seriously, an author's note as a preface should be all you need to address any option that may come up.

 

[HHHawkeye]

Whut?
Seriously, an author's note as a preface should be all you need to address any option that may come up.

It's about a fantasy race with some biological quirks that relate heavily to the erotic elements of the story.

 

[HarryHill]

It's about a fantasy race with some biological quirks that relate heavily to the erotic elements of the story.

So, sort of like the preface in this story.
Chosen Mate: Union

 

[SimonDoom]

The best way, IMO, if you can pull it off, is just to throw the reader into an action point in the story and reveal background details bit by bit as they become necessary to the story. Try to handle exposition through dialogue, if you can. A good example in a well-known fantasy story is The Fellowship of the Rings, which starts on a fairly small scale centered on hobbits but widens when Gandalf explains the ring to Frodo during a long dialogue. There was no getting around a long exposition in that story but dialogue makes it work better. The same technique was handled during the Council of Elrond chapter.

 

[HHHawkeye]

The best way, IMO, if you can pull it off, is just to throw the reader into an action point in the story and reveal background details bit by bit as they become necessary to the story. Try to handle exposition through dialogue, if you can. A good example in a well-known fantasy story is The Fellowship of the Rings, which starts on a fairly small scale centered on hobbits but widens when Gandalf explains the ring to Frodo during a long dialogue. There was no getting around a long exposition in that story but dialogue makes it work better. The same technique was handled during the Council of Elrond chapter.

Do you think readers of multiple stories in this setting will be annoyed at having things re-explained?

 

[SimonDoom]

Do you think readers of multiple stories in this setting will be annoyed at having things re-explained?

I don't quite know what you mean. If you write the story as a series of chapters, there's no need to repeat yourself.

If you write stories as standalone stories within a connected universe, then you may need to repeat exposition to some degree, but not much. Think of it as like watching a Star Trek episode. It's not a continuous narrative, but you don't have to repeat the background of all the categories in every episode.

 

[NotWise]

Do you think readers of multiple stories in this setting will be annoyed at having things re-explained?

Even if the readers don't get annoyed, you'll probably get pretty sick of the repeated explanation. I did that with one series of stories that didn't even need as much explanation as your case, and I got sick of finding new ways to get the same explanation into every story.

I have two stories in an anthology ("The Third Ring") that I hope to grow. With the first story I put a lot of effort into a one-paragraph description that set the stage for the entire anthology. I use it as an author's note at the beginning of both stories. In the site's new "Series" capability, that would go into the series introduction rather than being an author's note at the beginning of each story.

If you haven't looked into the Series (beta) capabilities yet, then you should. It may give you exactly what you need.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Do you think readers of multiple stories in this setting will be annoyed at having things re-explained?

My approach would be to not explain anything unless that particular story requires it, and even then, only to the point needed to make sense.

You're assuming readers will have some huge investment in each of your stories, which is, I suggest, a false assumption. Unless you bang out the stories every couple of days or so, you can probably assume a new set of readers for each story. True fans will become followers, but they'll be in the hundreds or low thousands, the rest will be drop ins who don't leave a trace.

Each story should be written as a stand-alone, I reckon, with whatever exposition is necessary for that story.

I suspect the world building might be more important to you than it is to the stories. Don't overthink stuff.

 

[Bazzle]

I am going to attempt to publish something similar. But my problem is my story has two beginnings. It doesn't matter which one you read. It should make sense!

 

[BobbyBrandt]

The best way, IMO, if you can pull it off, is just to throw the reader into an action point in the story and reveal background details bit by bit as they become necessary to the story. Try to handle exposition through dialogue, if you can. A good example in a well-known fantasy story is The Fellowship of the Rings, which starts on a fairly small scale centered on hobbits but widens when Gandalf explains the ring to Frodo during a long dialogue. There was no getting around a long exposition in that story but dialogue makes it work better. The same technique was handled during the Council of Elrond chapter.

Repeating setting details through dialogue from different characters' perspectives can minimize the redundancy factor as well as aid in providing deeper insight into the characters themselves. For example, the fact that one character views the setting positively while another views it negatively could help the inter-relationship dynamics.

 

[HHHawkeye]

After thinking about it more, I'm thinking I'll just put what amounts to a short back-cover teaser for the universe as a whole before every story set in this universe. That should be enough to set the context, and I can work from there with minimal awkward exposition.