How To Avoid Info Dumping 🙅♀️
Info dumping… ah, yes. It’s one of the reasons why writers are always talking about how you need to show, not tell. Info dumping is that dreaded telling that you might accidentally be doing in your novel.
Info dumping is when the author drenches the reader in a ton of information all at once in a big clump of text. Our first drafts are probably cluttered with info dumps here and there because we’re exploring our own world and still figuring things out— but when editing, it’s important not to let these chunks of information slip by.
Here are some ways to avoid info dumping:
1) Whenever you catch yourself in a lengthy description of backstory/worldbuilding, ask yourself this question:
“Does the reader really need to know all of this right now?”
Only write what your readers need to know for that specific scene. If your protagonist lands their spaceship onto a new planet, only tell the reader what they need to know for the scene to make sense— don’t start explaining the origin of everything on this new world. Not only does withholding extra information add suspense and intrigue, it balances the story.
2) Watch out for info dumping in dialogue. Dialogue is a great place to reveal world building and backstory, but make sure to break up your lengthy conversations with action. It can be very easy to spot an info dump when page after page is all solely dialogue. Scenes should have a mix of action, dialogue, introspection, etc.
I once read a book (and the info dump was so bad I still remember it clear as day) where a character was nonstop talking for literal pages. No actions nor dialogue tags, no thoughts of the character or anything. Just paragraphs upon paragraphs of them explaining the history of the war that was going on. It was interesting history but I KNEW I was reading an info dump and started to get tired. I felt kind of cheated… like it could’ve been done better.
The attention of the reader can and will drift if you have lengthy info dumps!
3) Don’t hold your readers hand. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of doing this and it’s something I need to fix. It can be tempting to overexplain or reveal tons of information because you’re afraid your audience won’t understand what’s happening otherwise. However, humans (especially readers) are very intellectual creatures and can figure things out on their own. Drop some hints and context clues, tell them only what they need to know and sprinkle the rest as it comes and you’ll be good.
4) Let yourself info dump in the first draft. Umm, bean, hello? You’re going against the title. Yes… well, your first draft will be messy. While you should find different ways to relay information, it’s okay to have some dumpage in the first draft. One of my favorite writing quotes is: “the first draft is just you telling yourself the story” and if you need to dump info to do that, then do it. Just make sure that you know you’re info dumping and put a note next to it that it needs to be fixed later.
5) Be extra careful at the beginning of your story. During your set up and introductions to your characters, it can be very easy to let information get out of control. This can be boring and annoying to a reader because they don’t yet care about your characters! So why would they care about all their backstory? Reveal it slowly over time. We want a drizzle, not a downpour.
6) If you need to reveal a lot of information, consider dedicating a full scene to it. Instead of dumping all the context out in dialogue or explanation, maybe find a way to reveal it through the actions of your characters. Instead of going into great detail about how “the cursed amulet poisons the wearer and has all these nasty side effects” show it happening to your character and then have your other characters react to this— thus spreading the info out in the form of action, dialogue and introspection.
7) Some backstory is best left untold. As the author, you know everything there is to know about your world. For some of us, this means days, weeks, even years of research and worldbuilding. Don’t try squeezing that all into your first book. I’m shivering just thinking about all the info dumps.
Think of an iceberg. The tip that you see above the water is your book and the massive underside that hides below the murky water? That is all your research that never gets to see the light of day. Without it your story wouldn’t function, but that doesn’t mean the reader needs to know it all (sadly). Your research will shine through regardless, giving your story structure and a backbone.
Pt. 2 — Coming Soon! (Because I refuse to info dump everything there is to know about info dumping 😂)
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