First Things First…What is Info Dumping?
Info dumping is when the author gives out excessive information to the reader all at once, leaving the story stagnant. Often times, it’s a bore to the reader, especially if it isn’t relevant to what is happening in the story at the moment.
Info dumping is a common mistake you will find newer writers doing, as they are most eager to share the world they’ve built in their imagination. Unfortunately, this mistake can make your writing read more like a history book than an actual story.
How to Avoid Info Dumping
If you’ve found yourself making the mistake of info dumping, then don’t beat yourself up! To fix this writing habit, you need to reveal information as the plot moves forward, which is no easy task. Here are tips to help you incorporate information in your story in a way that flows smoothly so it reads like a story instead of a history book.
1. Introduce Information as Necessary
It’s the golden rule of exposition: Make sure the exposition you give to your reader is relevant to what is going on right now in the story.
The reader doesn’t need to know intricate details about a war that took place 4000 years ago in your fantasy novel. Similarly, the reader doesn’t need to know every single detail about a character on the first page, no matter who it is. Typically speaking, exposition is most appropriate when it is referencing something or someone in the present scene.
Now of course there are some exceptions to this rule. There might be a time when spouting out a lot of information at once is necessary to your set-up. Just make sure it’s a strategical choice more so than an amateurish mistake because there are major consequences to your pacing when you info dump.
2. Write Scenes That Spark Curiosity
Before relaying the information you want to tell, you need to give the reader a reason to be interested in it.
One of the most appropriate times to give exposition is when you are answering a big question you created in your narrative. A great example of this is writing exposition right after a big twist. Plot twists are a perfect time to get a lot of information out because you owe your reader an explanation. Think about it. It is often after a big plot twist that we are eager to read on and find out what happened.
So start getting readers thinking, “how did this happen?” or “why did this happen?” to make them curious and eager to find the answer to their questions.
3. Hide the Info Dumping in Dialogue
Each character has multiple purposes, one of which can be to help the reader learn more about the world. There’s nothing wrong with creating a character with an additional purpose of giving exposition to the reader, as long as it’s hidden well enough.
Lots of stories are purposefully crafted in a way so that the characters give out exposition through dialogue in a way that flows naturally in the story. This can be anyone from a wise mentor to an apprentice who is learning things as the reader does. For example, in Inception, a good example of a mentor archetype is Cobb who teaches his new recruit how the world of dreams work. A good example of the apprentice archetype is Ariadne who is learning new information as the viewers do.
The key to making dialogue not sound like obvious info dumping is to make the dialogue sound natural. A character shouldn’t be relaying information to another character who already knows about the information they are talking about. This is why dialogue starting with “As you already know…” is usually a red flag.
You also don’t want to create a character with the SOLE purpose of revealing information. Expand on your characters to make them more than that.
4. Use Your Surroundings
Create surroundings in your story that will help you with exposition.
Is the house your character is staying in old and worn out? Well use that description to reveal that it was built thousands of years ago.Or maybe have your character observe a line of pictures hanging on the hallway walls. Use this to reveal that the owners of the house have a great family lineage that they take pride in.
Your main protagonist should be interacting with places of interest that will allow you to explain just about anything.
5. Include Flashbacks
Rather than skip over the mundane events in your story all together, why not use this time to reflect on the background of your character? Whether it’s the plane ride home, washing dishes, or taking a walk, think of memories that your character can reflect on during these mundane events that will give us more information on who they are as a person.
Did the main character lose someone very dear to them in their life. Well what lasting memories do they have of them that explains who they are as a person?
If All Else Fails…
Do what J.R.R Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings did, and info dump in the prologue.
Conclusion
If you notice you have already info-dumped, don’t immediately delete your writing. Look at it as a history book. Decide what parts of your little history book are necessary to share to the reader, and figure out where, when, and how to incorporate that information strategically.
Also think of what would make exposition easier. Should you include a character who’s just learning the basics alongside someone more knowledgeable? Create a formula that best suits the needs of your novel.
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