Ammunition

Recently, Brandon Sneed posted a quote from writing guru Robert McKee on his website: "Convert exposition to ammunition."

This is tremendous advice. Here's what I think it means: Every story contains a certain amount of background information that somehow has to be worked in. Too often, writers do this in terribly unimaginative ways. Such as starting a section of the story this way: "John Quincy Smith was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on July 11, 1947…."

Right about then, I throw the magazine on the floor and fall asleep. In the middle of the night I get up to visit the restroom, slip on said magazine, bruise my sternum, suffer acute mental anguish, and sue the writer for damages.

Anyway,…