How to Spot an “Info-dump”
I got a great question in my Ask recently from someone wanting to know how to identify an info-dump in their writing. Here’s my response!
For those who don’t know, an info-dump refers to areas of a story where a writer gives a long expository description, either in narrative or in dialogue, where they are basically “dumping” a bunch of information on the reader all at once, as opposed to revealing it naturally throughout the story.
Signs of an info-dump:
Read your passage out loud. Do you get bored? You might be info-dumping.
Has
all conflict in your story come to a screeching halt while you spend
more than 1-2 paragraphs explaining something to the reader? You might
be info-dumping.
Are two characters telling each other things they already know for, like, a long time? You might be info-dumping.
If
invited to read your work publicly, would you definitely NOT read that
passage, because “nothing really happens” and you worry the audience
would get bored listening to it? It could be an info-dump.
Signs that you are probably not info-dumping:
Have you woven in necessary backstory and information in 1-3 sentence bursts throughout your story? Not an info dump.
Does
a character spend a short paragraph or two explaining something to
another character that they didn’t already know, for a good story
reason? Not an info dump.
Do you keep the story going and keep
conflict and tension alive while you gradually show your reader what’s
going on? Not an info dump.
Do you have just a few
sections where you spend 200-300 words or less explaining something to
the reader? As long as your story is on the longer side, you’re probably not doing too much info-dumping.Again,
these are just general guidelines. After you finish your story, though,
you might want to give it to a friend or fellow writer to give you
feedback and let you know if they spot any areas that are too thick with
exposition.Also keep in mind that whether or not a writer is info-dumping can be subjective
as well as genre-sensitive: Not everyone will agree about what makes a
passage an info-dump or not, and if you’re writing a complicated fantasy
with a lot of world-building and history, giving your reader a ton of
info can be necessary at some stages. Also, readers of fantasy tend to
be more tolerant of it because it comes with the territory sometimes. But these general guidelines should help.
