There are basically two kinds of Info Dumps: relevant and irrelevant—both are bad, but one is worse. We’ll discuss both, then see if we can help you with the one you might actually be able to use. Don’t get me wrong here…information is important, but how you reveal it to your readers makes the difference between a satisfied reader and one who drops your book in frustration…never to pick it up again. Readers who never finish reading your book aren’t likely to mention it to any of their friends…at least not in a good light. Remember, you don’t have time to tell everyone how wonderful your book it…you have to depend on a few readers telling others who then go on to tell even more.
Irrelevant Info
A lot of research usually goes into just about any writing you do…even for a short story (though maybe not for Flash Fiction). The problem is that many authors, once they’ve found some interesting knowledge, want to share all of it with their readers, but that just won’t do. Most of the acquired facts may play a part in creating the story, but they aren’t part of the story. Those facts need to be left on the author’s desk…in the back corner…the far back corner.
One of the problems some authors have is in descriptions…extraneous descriptions. Do we really need to know what colour the walls of the kitchen are? Do we need to know what kind of shirt the MC is wearing? Do we care? That’s the first question you should ask yourself: Does the reader care about this info? If it’s only so you can picture the scene in your head, then it may not be important. Let the reader picture it the way he wants…as long as it fits into the story.
If those unimportant descriptions get to be pervasive, we call them Purple Prose, but even a smaller amount of description that doesn’t move the story along can be distracting, and you don’t want a distracted reader. Keep him interested, keep him involved, keep him reading…all the way to the end.
I’ve heard some authors of historical fiction complain that the info is needed…to set the time period. The problem often is that they make those details more important than the story itself. Overwhelming your readers with historical facts doesn’t make for happy readers.
Relevant Info
Description is necessary for the reader to visualise things, but just some…such as beginning each chapter by setting the scene—only enough info to get things going. If the chapter continues from the previous, then only a minimal reminder may be needed. Just make certain that the description is enriching the story…not leaving it in the dust, taking over, being more important. Remember that even if the details are important, you still can’t just dump them on the reader.
So how do you get these descriptions into the story…without dumping? We’ve all heard the rule to ‘sprinkle’ the info throughout the story. So how do you do that? Easy, just remember that the story is why the reader has even picked up your book, so keep it front and center. Keep the action going and let the description add to what’s happening.
Interrupting the flow, the action, the dialogue, with too much description can bring your story to a grinding halt, pulling the reader out. Instead of experiencing the story, they are now standing next to it, on the outside, looking in. That’s not saying to avoid description completely. The scenes do need to be set, the characters depicted, the action explained, but not instead of seeing the characters doing something.
A few authors have tried to avoid narrative interruption by having the characters talk about the action, explaining what’s happening. When characters break the fourth wall and start telling the reader anything, even indirectly, we call that As You Know, Bob. Another place where characters talk too much is when they tell the reader exactly what they’re thinking, known as On The Nose Writing. If the reader can’t figure out motivations from characters’ actions, then interrupting the story to tell certainly isn’t going to help.
Describe…But Judiciously
Use as much description as necessary…but no more. Avoid excess, especially if it doesn’t add. Don’t let the characters talk about anything they normally wouldn’t discuss. Keep the action going, keep the reader interested…and most especially, keep writing.