Session Design Diary - part 04A

So I am starting to put together a couple loose notes for the next game session (about a month away due to scheduling) and I find myself in a little bind.

I have a very rough mental outline of certain meta-plot events. The outline is continuously being altered based on PC actions, and they are burning through it faster than I expected (mostly because when I try to make up too many NPC conversations at once, I end up saying too much ). But long story short, they are at a point where I am hoping to have a certain important part of the meta-plot revealed in the next session or two.

Due to the nature of this campaign's style so far, I want to make this as much of a player-discovered revelation as possible, rather than just an NPC approaching them and giving them exposition out of the blue.

I have had one concept in mind, but it would involve a certain PC doing a certain something (my players may read this so I can't specify in case I do find a way to use it in some form). And, after a couple sessions, I realize that particular PC won't be in the situation to have it all "fall in to place." So this idea won't work well as imagined.

I have a couple back-up ideas, but they aren't nearly as fleshed out nor as clean as the initial idea. But I'll have to fidget them to make them work, maybe I'll eventually figure out a way to twist the initial idea with the back up ideas to make it all even more awesome

What are some ways other DMs reveal important plot points without resorting to an NPC just telling them (which is a valid method in its own right, I just didn't want that for this particular part) ?

On another session design topic, as I see the story play out, ...

I am regretting one aspect of the meta plot already, something that would have played out in a subsequent story arc after the current one the PCs are resolving.

I would just drop that now-regretted part of the story since the PCs are not actively involved in it yet, and instead expand the current story arc to carry further. However, I have already seeded and foreshadowed that other arc too much to just drop it, making its absence be too noticeable. And, also, since it was part of my initial concept, a lot of things make more sense when that other arc is included. So, I'll keep it in but will try and minimize the time spent on it. Or, who knows, my opinion of that other arc may change by the time the PCs get to it.