How do I fix expository dialogue?
- Expository dialogue makes characters state what they both already know.
- The classic tell is "As you know, Bob…"
- It exists to inform the reader, which feels artificial.
- Fix it by giving the information a reason to be spoken.
- Conflict, questions, and partial knowledge make exposition natural.
Fix expository dialogue by finding the lines where characters tell each other things they both already know — purely to inform the reader — and rewriting so the information has a genuine reason to be said. Put it inside conflict (an argument forces it out), give it to a character who actually does not know, or reveal it through action instead of speech. If both characters already know it, they would not say it; make the exchange serve the scene, not the reader's need for backstory.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Expository dialogue is one of the most common and noticeable amateur tells — readers immediately sense the artificiality of characters explaining their shared world to each other for the reader's benefit. It breaks immersion and flattens characters into information-delivery devices. Learning to spot it and re-deliver the information naturally — through conflict, real need, or action — keeps dialogue believable while still getting the reader what they need to know.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A scan for "as you know" shared-knowledge lines.
- Information given a real reason to be spoken.
- Exposition placed inside conflict.
- A character who genuinely does not know.
- Delivery through action where possible.
- Dialogue serving the scene, not the reader.
Chapter iii·Example
A writer flags: "As you know, Sarah, our father left the company to me." Both already know this. She rewrites it as conflict — Sarah challenges the will in a tense argument, forcing the fact out naturally — so the information arrives through a real clash instead of an artificial recap. The dialogue now serves the scene.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom's Edit studio helps you flag expository lines, so information reaches the reader through natural dialogue instead of recaps.
See the Edit studio