The Pope in the Pool Technique

Burying Narrative Exposition Dynamically

In Save the Cat!, Blake Snyder describes the Pope in the Pool technique as a solution to one of every writer’s biggest problems: how to deliver background information, world-building rules, or character backstory (the so-called exposition) without boring the reader.

🏊 The Concept: Distraction and Entertainment

The name of the technique comes from a script where the detailed explanation of a Vatican conspiracy was delivered while characters spoke with the Pope who, in swimming trunks, swam laps back and forth in a pool. The audience is so entertained by the visual bizarreness of the scene that they absorb the exposition without noticing the effort of delivery.

Invisible Exposition: Complex or dry information is “buried” underneath an interesting action, a comedic conflict, or an unusual detail that holds the reader’s attention.
Parallel Action: Instead of having characters sit and calmly talk about the past, they perform an active, visual task.

✍️ How to Apply in a Short Story

Since short stories demand a fast pace, you cannot afford pages dedicated solely to describing the past. Use this technique to inject information dynamically.

1. Insert Exposition in the Middle of a Physical Task

Have characters reveal details of the past while performing a tense or unusual action.

Example: Two characters reveal how their previous heist went wrong while desperately trying to fix a burst pipe that is flooding the room.

2. Utilize Dialogue Conflict (Subtext)

Mix explanations with an active clash of immediate, conflicting interests. The reader will focus on the clash of egos but absorb the context.

Example: A couple arguing aggressively about who gets custody of the cat, revealing their secret finances and past betrayals in the process.

3. Create a Contrast of Tone

Deliver dark or dramatic details in an incongruous or lighthearted setting, generating irony.

Example: A scientist explaining the terrifying details of a global infection while helping to decorate birthday cupcakes.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls / What Not to Do

⚠️ “As You Know, Bob” Dialogue: Characters explaining things to each other that they should both already know perfectly, just to inform the reader. This immediately destroys verisimilitude.
⚠️ Disconnected Distraction: Creating a purely eccentric action that has no relation to the plot or characters’ personalities, making it look like a cheap authorial trick.
⚠️ Excess of Unnecessary Information: Trying to save exposition that shouldn’t even be in the short story. Before dressing up the delivery, evaluate if the information is truly essential to the climax.