
Description:
Don't publish the infodump!
It's easy to infodump even when you don't mean to, which is why editors and critique partners are so important before publishing.
While infodumping is part of the normal drafting process, authors should take care not to let it bog down the final draft.
Listen
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, Episode 164.
I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Today's episode is the next in our Literary Sins series, all about those things authors do (or don't do) that drive readers nuts, and how to avoid them (or not).
What is Infodumping?
This literary sin is about is infodumping. And before you click to the next episode, I'm talking about infodumping in the final, published draft - NOT the first draft or however many drafts it takes you to actually finish the story.
The main reason infodumping in a published book is a literary sin is because the author has decided to use the valuable pages of the book to tell the reader why the story is happening rather than weaving that information through the setting, dialogue, character interactions, plot, and more.
Examples of Infodumping
Infodumping is having your main characters all sit at the breakfast table while the mentor-type figure tells them all about how they got to that point in history, or explaining things that should be shown through storytelling, like magic systems or small town politics.
And yes, I'm using myself as an example here, since that's exactly what I did in the first draft of my first book before Halie bonked me over the head with editing.
Why Infodumping in Drafts is Okay
The reason infodumping is not bad in a first or nth draft is because it lets you get the info out of your brain and onto the pages. I used that huge infodumping scene from my first draft as the repository of information that I then wove through the rewrites in much more engaging ways.
Avoiding Infodumping in Your Writing
Are you worried your draft is turning into an infodump? Not to fear! The 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge helps you focus on what really matters in your story, so you can avoid overwhelming readers and keep them engaged. Check out the link in the description to learn more.
Why Infodumping in Published Books is a Problem
When infodumping happens in a published book, usually it's dry, not exciting, delivered in a contrived manner, difficult to get through, and hard for the reader to retain.
Sometimes authors will infodump in a way that seems clever at first, but ultimately is still infodumping and still falls into the issues listed above. The example that comes to mind is in Fourth Wing, where the main character Violet supposedly recites history facts to herself to keep herself from freaking out while crossing a thin bridge really high up in the air, so that she doesn't fall off and die. Which would end the book practically in the first few chapters. In any case, the author used that character trait to infodump world history on the reader before we had a chance to understand basically anything about what was happening enough to even care about the world history. And as such, I couldn't tell you what any of that history was, even if the author thought it was important for the rest of the book.
Different Types of Infodumping
Infodumping isn't limited to worldbuilding and history. It's also when an author introduces a character with paragraphs of visual description and personality traits instead of letting the reader uncover that as they follow the main character through the pages of the book.
It's also having a chapter where a lot of stuff is happening or a lot of information is being thrown at the reader, even if it's all seemingly woven together. When you have too much "information", and I have air quotes around that, in a scene, it creates problems for the readers to keep track of it all, even if it's all important. And that can be solved by spacing things out, even if by a chapter or two.
And yes, I did this too with my 3rd book, 3rd draft, 2nd chapter. And it's still top of mind because I just had to fix it.
How to Identify and Address Infodumping
Sometimes it can be hard to identify when you're infodumping versus not, and that's where editors and critique partners come in. Having someone else read what you wrote and provide honest feedback about it will ultimately be what tells you if you're infodumping. I honestly didn't think chapter 2 of book 3 was infodumping until it went through the 3rd round of developmental edits.
Why Authors Tend to Infodump
I think as authors, we have this overwhelming desire for readers to love the story and the world as much as we do, and so we feel like we need to include all the rich history and detail of the world right up front (or in the middle or at the end; infodumping is location-agnostic), but in the process of doing that we overwhelm readers with things that are not as important to the plot as we think.
First Drafts are for Infodumping
Again, this is not a polemic against any and all infodumping -- we encourage you to do just that in your first draft if just for the sole reason to get it out of your head and for you to not get stuck in the weeds trying to write a perfect first draft.
Modern Attention Spans and Infodumping
Modern humans have the attention span of a goldfish, which is about 3-11 seconds depending on who you ask, and those are precious seconds wasted when authors start infodumping in an attempt to get readers to fall in love with their world just as much as they are.
The truth is that no reader will be as in love with your world or your book as you are, and that's okay.
Final Reminder
Just don't publish the infodump.
That's it for today's episode! Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
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