No One Likes an Info-Dump. What They Are, How to Spot Them, And How to Fix Them, So Your Readers Keep Reading.
It’s safe to assume that anytime the word “dump” is used as a descriptor, the thing being described is likely undesirable – as in the ever-dreaded info-dump. Just like it sounds, an info-dump is when a writer delivers large chunks of information that read like a list of facts, feel disconnected from the scene, and inevitably pause the story's momentum.
Considered a cardinal sin in the writing world, editors, agents, and readers alike aren’t fans of the info-dump because it takes the reader out of the story, slows the pace, and bores the reader.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are watching the movie, Jason Bourne. During an action scene, where Jason hops over a barbed-wire fence, a narrator interrupts with a voice-over to inform the audience that Jason was trained by the CIA, and though he can’t remember his training, or his past life for that matter, his body remembers, and he’s a fighting machine…
A voice-over like that would be a disruption, an annoyance, and a distraction.
The same annoyances can happen with info-dumps in books. Blocks of information distract readers and pull them out of the immersive reading experience.
While it might sound challenging to cut info dumps and ration information throughout your story, it is doable. It just takes a few tips, tricks, and plenty of practice to do it skillfully.
What Does Info-Dumping Look Like?
· Info-dumping typically includes information in chunks of text longer than a single paragraph, with a paragraph being about three sentences.
· The information is delivered in a way that feels inorganic or detached from the primary scene.
· The information doesn’t feel relevant to the scene.
· The information comes across like a lecture or a monologue.
· The information lacks emotion and feels like reading a list of facts.
· The information does not increase tension or conflict.
· The information is delivered in an “as you know” approach, where two people are having an unnatural conversation for purposes of exposition.
Common Places Info-Dumping Occurs
All writers, across all genres, are guilty of info-dumping. However, sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction writers tend to struggle the most with info-dumps, as it can be tricky to orient readers to new and unfamiliar worlds.
Aside from particular genres, the beginning of any novel can be a place where one might find lots of info-dumps. Writers sometimes provide too much background or other information at the beginning to orient readers to the plot. But rather than orienting readers, too much set-up overwhelms and bores them.
Here are some other places where info-dumping might show up.
· Explanations of rules/laws of a country or world
· Introducing characters
· Beginning of chapters
· Character physical descriptions or personality traits
· Character backstory
· Technology descriptions
· Dialogue
· Sci-fi or fantasy creatures
· Cultural or societal expectations
· Worldbuilding in general
What’s Wrong with Info-Dumps?
Info-dumps slow the pace, they take the reader out of the story, and worst of all, too much information at once bores the reader.
Feeling fully immersed in a story is one of life’s greatest pleasures and forms of escape. When a reader is reading through an info-dump, they are immediately pulled out of that immersive experience.
The goal of any book is to keep readers engaged and turning the page. One long paragraph of extraneous information is all it takes for a reader to put your book down and move on to something else.
Info-dumping:
Slows the pace of the story. A reader is immersed in the protagonist’s internal or external world, so when the reader must pause during a scene to learn facts about someone or something, it slows the story's momentum.
Doesn’t achieve what you hope. Readers often skim over info-dumps and don’t retain anything meaningful. Too much information at once can also confuse and frustrate readers.
Leaves readers bored or uninterested. If there are too many info dumps, readers may become bored, confused, or annoyed and stop reading.
Assessing Your Info-Dumps
First, look at each scene and highlight any large chunks of text. Since info-dumps tend to happen during character introductions, at the beginning of the book, or at the start of chapters, examine these areas first.
Break down the info-dump by making a bullet point list of all the information you’re trying to convey in the scene. It might look something like this:
· Kate is an identical twin
· Kate’s twin looks older and more worn due to drugs and a harsh lifestyle
· Kate’s twin is always in trouble with the law and can’t be trusted
· Kate’s twin sister is missing
· Kate’s twin is a genius with computers
· Everyone in the small town has had a negative interaction with Kate’s twin sister
· Kate’s twin sister has been a handful since childhood
· Their parents have given up on Kate’s twin and only speak to Kate
· Kate hasn’t spoken to her twin sister in years
Looking at your bullet list, determine the necessary information for the scene so the reader understands what they need and can grasp the emotional implications. The rest of the information, if deemed essential, can be saved for another scene.
When considering what is essential, ask yourself: Is this information necessary for the character arc, character development, understanding the plot, or conveying the book's message? If the answer is no, reconsider its necessity.
Writers do a lot of work off-page, such as developing their characters' biographies and researching various topics to create these colorful fictional worlds. It can be challenging to resist the temptation to include some of these details because they feel important to the writer, but these details are likely superfluous to readers.
If you have a chunk of information and you’re uncertain if it’s an info-dump, try reading it aloud or have your computer read it aloud. If you find yourself distracted while listening, it’s probably an info-dump.
Fixing Info-Dumps
For the first draft, don’t worry about fixing info-dumps. The goal of a first draft is to finish your manuscript and develop a deeper understanding of your story and the characters. Fixing info-dumps occur during subsequent drafts and revisions.
Ideally, once the author has a good grasp of their story, they can drop breadcrumbs of necessary information in the right places. The goal is to sprinkle enough intrigue to keep the reader engaged and to impart enough information so readers understand what is happening.
When dissecting the necessity of the information dump, you will want to deliver enough information to anchor readers in the plot without so much information that they are confused and frustrated. Consider your story’s timeline and where the information will have the most significant impact, and insert it accordingly.
Weaving information throughout the story and putting it in the right place requires practice, patience, and a second pair of eyes to do it well. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Can the information be delivered in an existing scene?
Now that you have the pertinent information you want to convey, determine if there is an existing scene where you can insert it naturally.
If you struggle to find a scene where it belongs, this may mean that this additional information isn’t as necessary as you think.
If you’re well into subsequent drafts and your story structure is sound, inserting a new scene and making it fit requires a lot of work. Make sure your investment of time is worth the return.
If you do have to write a new scene to convey this information, make sure the placement feels organic to the story's flow. For example, if you’re writing a romance and are attempting to show a character who is mistrusting of love, you would want to provide the background about why she mistrusts before the “break-up” beat.
World building
Information overload often occurs when introducing readers to new and unusual worlds. Rather than explain the world through telling, it’s best to have the character interact with their setting to show the reader their world.
Consider the book, The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger. The author doesn’t describe the fashion world by telling readers about the pressure to be a size two, competitive co-workers, long hours, or strict bosses.
Instead, Weisberger shows workers eating lettuce for lunch, co-workers competing to attend the Paris show, the protagonist arguing with her boyfriend over her long hours at the office, and her boss issuing limitless and ridiculous demands.
Weisberger weaves the world of fashion into the story without giving readers an endless download on the fashion industry. Her characters interact with the world around them, and we subsequently learn about their world through them. This is a prime example of the show, don’t tell principle.
First-person narratives
Writing from a first-person point of view offers intimate insight into the protagonist’s world. However, without any other points of view, it can be tricky to relay all the necessary information. Here are a few helpful options for writers using the first person.
Recruit an exposition character to interact with your protagonist to share information naturally. An exposition character, as the name suggests, provides information to the reader, other characters, and the protagonist. Good examples of such characters are Hermione Granger from Harry Potter and Watson from Sherlock Holmes.
Have your protagonist interact with a window character. A window character differs from an exposition character in that they have access to the protagonist’s intimate thoughts, concerns, and desires. A window character is someone the character confides in.
A window character might be a mentor, a therapist, a priest, a pet, or even an inanimate object like a gravestone where the protagonist unleashes their deepest thoughts and feelings.
In the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, Wilson the volleyball, is a window character.
Dialogue
It’s a common misconception that placing all the necessary information into a conversation will automatically eliminate info-dumps. While dialogue is active, with characters acting and reacting to one another, it’s not always effective to slide the information into a conversation.
Dialogue can look like an info-dump if it comes across as unnatural, if there are large chunks of unbroken dialogue, and if there seems to be no reason for the characters to speak to one another or to discuss the topic at hand.
Once you determine which information is vital to the scene, make sure you break up your dialogue with body language, internal reactions, external reactions, characters in motion, or characters interacting with the setting. Without internal or external observations, reading unbroken dialogue would be like listening to a monologue, which is rarely interesting.
Internal dialogue can come across as an info dump if the character ruminates too much or dwells on a recurring issue without offering new insights or action. Trust your readers to grasp the characters’ struggles without having to shove those struggles down their throats.
Create tension with the information
Does this information cause misunderstandings or a jaded perception? What types of problems might this information cause?
Let’s say a character’s parents had a contentious divorce, but the protagonist is now an adult. How might you weave in the effects of a contentious divorce without providing a historic info-dump? Perhaps you could show your character shuddering after hearing the couple next door arguing or have your character stiffen when her friend tells her she’s thinking of leaving her husband.
If the information is vital to the character—if it affects them or their world—it will also matter to the reader.
Use the character’s personality to share the information
A character in action can share information through how they carry themselves, how they speak to others, their humor, and more.
For example, take a jovial, best-friend character. In your story, this chipper best friend and the main character have decades of history and a sisterly relationship. Without discussing the details of how they met, how many memories they share, or how close their families have become, you can show this close relationship through your character’s personality.
You could show the protagonist's best friend visiting and opening the door without knocking or announcing herself. You could show the best friend teasing her about the embarrassing dress mishap she had in college, or you could show the friends at a restaurant, and her friend ordering for her while she’s in the bathroom. All these examples convey a close friendship without having to provide endless details and timelines about how and why they are so close.
Use an object, an action, or an occasion to spark a memory
A good technique for weaving in backstory is to have a character remember something from the past. To spark a memory naturally, incorporate an object, an action, or an occasion as the catalyst for the character to think back in time.
Object: A character smells apple pie and is immediately brought back to images of her grandmother, who used to bake apple pie. This memory offers an organic opportunity to think about her grandmother and provide the necessary background information.
Action: A character who is sweeping their front porch might be reminded of how their abusive mother taught them how to sweep and how they got whacked with the broom when they swept incorrectly.
Occasion: A character who recently divorced might be reminded of all the fighting and arguments when their former wedding anniversary arrives, sparking natural thoughts about what went wrong, why she didn’t leave sooner, and other relevant background information.
Make sure the memory and the subsequent information are relevant to the scene.
Exceptions Where Info-Dumping Might Be Acceptable
Books for younger readers commonly open with an info-dump because it helps orient young readers who may not have enough life experience to understand character motivations, personality traits, or backstory.
Info-dumps infused with humor are sometimes acceptable. Bridget Jones’s Diary comes to mind as Bridget rattles off her weight, smoking, and drinking habits, and day-to-day life. Because she offers insight and humor along with these factoids, these details create context for understanding her larger struggles.
An omniscient narrator with a unique voice can be engaging if they offer a perspective different from the protagonist. On the TV show, Desperate Housewives, the narrator downloads the audience with lots of information, but she offers a unique perspective since she narrates from the afterlife.
Putting it all Together
There are countless ways to revise your work, but for those who feel unsure about where or how to start revising their info-dumps, here are some suggestions.
Highlight any areas you think might be an info-dump. Look carefully at your early chapters, character introductions, and the beginning of chapters. For now, simply identify them.
Now that you have located and identified your info-dumps, extrapolate the information and make a bullet point list. This allows you to see all the facts and helps you decide which facts are most relevant.
Once you have identified the most relevant information, go through the assessment process listed at the beginning of this article. Ask yourself, what purpose does this information serve? What do my readers need to know now, what information might entice them later, and what can I eliminate?
*You can move all your highlighted work to a different document so you can see everything in one place.
Begin altering the way in which the information is delivered. Do you want to show this information through action, personality, dialogue, or in some other way? If you aren’t sure, open another document and experiment.
To keep yourself accountable and on track, limit each experimental writing exercise to no more than forty-five minutes. Once you have decided to use dialogue or another element to deliver the information, make those changes.
Once you have polished these areas and have rid yourself of info-dumps, it’s helpful to make a visual diagram of where this new information is located. For example:
Identify the chapter number and what the nugget of information is, so that when you are finished, you have a road map of where your backstory, descriptions, and other details you extrapolated from your original info-dump are now located. This will help you determine if they are in the prime placement for adding tension, conflict, character development, plot development, and more.
Conclusion
Eliminating info-dumps takes work and creativity to integrate information in an engaging way that makes the story flow. With patience and practice, you will become nimble at spotting info-dumps and fixing them. Have patience with yourself and the process, and most importantly, keep on writing.
