Writing 101: How to Fix an Infodump

The latest post in our Writing 101 series is all about the dreaded infodump—when the author drops a landslide of information on the reader and the pace (and reader interest) grinds to a halt.

These big blocks of text often show up in early chapters when a writer wants to be sure they’ve explained everything clearly. They might cover a piece of the character’s backstory, an explanation of the world’s political history, or a user-manual description of how the magic system works.

How Infodumps Hurt Reader Engagement

At first blush, it seems like infodumps aren’t such a big deal. I mean, sharing information so readers know what’s happening in the story is a good thing, right? The problem is, as authors, we always think readers need more details than they actually do.

One of the issues with an infodump is that it never comes at a good time. If you start with it, you’re sharing information before the reader’s gotten a chance to know the character or get into the world. They recognize that the real story hasn’t started yet, and they start wondering when you’re going to get to the good stuff. Without knowing it, you’ve started a timer marking the reader’s dwindling patience and counting down to them giving up.

So maybe you don’t start with the infodump. Maybe you work hard in those first pages to introduce the protagonist, build reader engagement, create intrigue—all the things a strong opening needs. Then comes a story element you feel needs a little more explanation. So you drop the infodump there. And it kills that momentum. Readers recognize that the character’s story has been interrupted so certain information could be relayed, and they don’t appreciate it.

Timing aside, a more fundamental problem with infodumps lies in their makeup. Because they’re expository in nature, they lack conflict, tension, and interest. They’re simply a summary of something important we want the reader to know. The poor reader, who was happily engaged and immersed in the character’s story, has been kicked out of it and is now being talked at.

Regardless of when an infodump occurs, the result is the same: a slowed pace and decreased reader engagement. This isn’t the experience we want to give readers, so it’s best to avoid infodumps if at all possible.

Identifying the Dreaded Infodump

The first step is learning to identify infodumps in your writing so you can do something about them. They often show up in the first draft, which is fine, because drafting is all about getting the words on the page. Revision is when we examine those words to see how they can be refined and improved, so when you get to that stage, look for the following:

• Big blocks of exposition. Often, these paragraphs contain little dialogue, movement, or action and can be identified by their lack of white space.
• Lengthy passages of a character’s thoughts. Whether they’re remembering a backstory event or ruminating about the setting, remember that thoughts are passive. Nothing is happening in real story time, and too much of that will seriously mess with the pace.
• Paragraphs that read like encyclopedia entries or news articles. They may explain history, systems, or relationships, but if they’re not connected directly to what’s happening in the character’s current story, they’ll read as dry.
• Information that’s not relevant. Ask yourself: Is it crucial that the reader know this right now? If it’s not tied to what the character is doing, feeling, or choosing in the scene, it’s probably not necessary at this point in the story.
• Places where you’re tempted to skim. If you’re skipping or hurrying past passages, readers will be doing it, too.

Fixing an Infodump Kill Your Darlings

Many times, the information you’re desperate to include isn’t needed after all. In these cases, for the good of your story, they need to be cut. Try removing these bits and see if the story still works. If you have a hard time deleting those passages, keep the cut material in a separate file. Then you’ll have it in case you want to revise it and use it later in the story or even in another manuscript.

But what happens if your infodump really is necessary for clarity? You’ll want to reconfigure it so it’s delivered in a satisfactory way that doesn’t slow the pace.

Trim It Down

You’ve heard the old adage about how to eat an elephant? (One bite at a time.) The same principle applies to infodumps. Rather than explain everything at once, split the passage into manageable pieces. Leave the bare minimum that readers need to know right now, and save the rest to be doled out in bits and pieces later.

Deliver It Naturally

One of the reasons infodumps don’t work is because they’re boring. As authors, we tend to go on about the bits of worldbuilding or backstory we came up with and are super jazzed about. But it turns out readers aren’t as excited about the ancient feud that created a class inequity or the prevailing religious order’s creation myth. So if that information has to be shared, we’ve got to do it quickly and make it interesting. For instance, what if the character (instead of the author) provides a trimmed-down version of the info? If they do it themselves, in their own voice—using their word choices, comparisons, and worldview—it becomes part of the story instead of a disruption to it.

Don’t do this: The realm had been at war for centuries due to an age-old betrayal.

Do this: They say the war started over a broken treaty. But no one knows who did the breaking—only that we’ve been fighting ever since.

Connect It to Character Emotion or Motivation

If a detail matters to the character, it will matter to the reader. So make sure the details in your infodump matter in important ways. Use them to build tension, characterize, show the character’s fears or desires, or reveal why they’re struggling.

Don’t do this: Mira grew up in a strict household and a family with a long line of military fathers.

Do this: As the front door creaked open, Mira snapped upright, spine straight. It was pure muscle memory now, thanks to years living under the Colonel’s roof, where forgetting her father’s protocol meant rebukes, punishments, and an eidetic record of every wrongdoing.

Rewrite Passive Passages as Active Ones

Rewrite passive passages to include dialogue and action beats. This gives them a more active feel that keeps the pace snappy. It also seamlessly weaves information into what’s happening so the reader’s attention stays on the story, not on the infodump.

Don’t do this: The engine was powered by a plasma core that needed to be recharged every six hours.

Do this:

“How long until the next plasma core recharge?” Sarah asked, scanning the readouts.
Jin sighed. “It’s only been two hours. I’ll handle it before the six-hour mark.”
“Good. If this thing dies, we’ll be floating home.”
Jin didn’t bother saying he’d never let that happen. Two years in tight quarters with the universe’s biggest micromanager was long enough.

The truth is that while infodumps come from a good place (a desire for clarity), they also come with a lot of baggage (dragging the pace and pulling the reader out of the story). Instead of focusing on comprehension, aim for building curiosity, which only happens if you don’t explain everything. Layer in those important details as needed, as part of the story, and you’ll share what’s necessary without sacrificing reader engagement.

Other Posts in This Series

Dialogue Mechanics
Effective Dialogue Techniques
Semi-Colons and Other Tricky Punctuation Marks
Show-Don’t-Tell, Part 1
Show-Don’t-Tell, Part 2
Point of View Basics
Choosing the Right Details
Avoiding Purple Prose
Character Arc in a Nutshell

The post Writing 101: How to Fix an Infodump appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

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