Conveying information

Fiction writing is ultimately about giving readers information in a controlled fashion. That’s what words do – they convey information. “There’s a lion behind that rock.” “This person is likely to steal your diamond necklace.” “That route ends in a dead end.”

All the ways we break fiction down into parts have to do with what information the reader needs to know, when they need to know it, and how to give it to them most effectively. “Effective” usually means keeping the reader’s suspension of...