World Building with Info Dumps

I think you may be making the mistake of thinking that all info dumps are bad info dumps. That is not true, there is a such thing as a 'good' info dump.

I define good info dumps as info dumps that are almost invisible to the reader. They are harmonious with the story, interlaced brilliantly between the action and dialogue. With proper word choice and a look out for the right opportunities, a writer can dump large amounts of info onto the reader.

I find that info dumps can be made invisible when the info dump relates to the scene at hand thereby enhancing what is happening.

One technique that the reader will not notice is to weave one paragraph of info dump in between two paragraphs of active narrative, action, or dialogue.

Lets say the MC is about to storm the fortress.

You describe the MC approaching the fortress, you write it in a way that leads into a natural info dump on the fortress then the last part of the info dump ties back into what the MC is about to do.

This is akin to sneaking in some medicine in between two bites of food.

have the mythology already written (it was just for my use to understand the world). However, I am unsure as to how I can reveal more about the world without the inevitable info dump. My protagonist knows of the two worlds and their histories, but is trying to pass in the human world. There really isn't a good way to have him sit down and explain the differences through dialogue.

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I would think that everytime your MC saw something in one world it would provide an opportunity for him to compare it to the other world.

Lets say he sees a crime occur and the criminal is caught. He can easily compare the laws of 'this' world to 'his' world giving you the opportunity to dump a bit of info onto the reader.

I would think there'd be enough opportunities throughout the book to sneak little bite sized chunks of info to the reader without the reader even knowing you are doing it. In fact, it should be pretty interesting to compare and contrast the key features of the respective worlds. By the middle of the book, the reader should have an organic understanding of the other world even though they've never been there.

Also, another technique that the reader doesn't mind is to just open a few chapters with a quick few paragraphs of info dumps. Of course, the info dumps should be as active as possible and 'enhance' the chapter....

hmmm....

I'm starting to babble.

In a nutshell, info dumps aren't automatically bad. There is a right and wrong way to impart info to the reader such that the reader can infer all that is happening. Here are some links that give some examples of doing that. Each link takes about 10 minutes to read in their entirety

Writers story
Info dumps

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1670047#post1670047


as you know bob info dump

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1358914#post1358914


tuxedo info dump link

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1348838#post1348838

Also, there should be a lot of threads on info dumps so try the search feature

good luck

Mel...

info dumps are a bad thing. In every respect.

anything more than a line or two at a time needs to be cut.

Weave the backstory and world building in as you go, not all at once.

dgiharris said:

I think you may be making the mistake of thinking that all info dumps are bad info dumps. That is not true, there is a such thing as a 'good' info dump.

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Info-dump is a derogatory term for poorly done exposition (or world-building). There is no such thing as a 'good' info-dump; it's creating an excuse for poor writing.

Exposition is necessary to understanding and enjoying a novel. The only exposition you need is enough to set up the world and conflicts so that the reader understands the story.

The exposition in Brave New World is quite good. The majority of it is done as a professor taking his students to a lab and explaining the key scientific elements of the novel, such as the brainwashing of infants to establish their caste and relationship with other castes and the fact that there are no 'mothers' and 'fathers'. It's enough to get you interested and intrigued as to what happens in a society like that.

Exposition is therefore best done early. Some parts can be clarified later when they actually occur, or to change pace (if you have a lot of fight scenes and wish to slow things down, or explain some of it) but most of it can be conveyed near the beginning.

A lot of writers create an uninformed character- one who is unfamiliar with the story world- which gives you an excuse to talk about elements of the world. As long as the character is fully-fleshed and it's done in an interesting way, it's a good option.

Other options are to give him an active interest in the mythology, such as him being a researcher, writer or scientist. Make your protagonist an inquisitive person and the reader will go along with being fed chunks of information.

IMHO, the only time an info dump works is when the characters would, in that situation, also be getting an info dump -- the first day at the new school, the intro to the training simulator, etc. And even then, you have to keep it emotional and engaging, not purely a laundry list of info. In your case, introducing more info bit by bit early in the story would probably be the way to go. (Guideline: The most important it is, the earlier you should try to get it in.)

I think it depends on the genre, doesn't it?

A lot of people who read sci fi/fantasy are in it for the world building - they might be more interested in that than they are in your characters and plot!

I think the original term 'info dump' referred to a big block of information all at once, not to including details in exposition throughout the text. I agree that things have to be worked in, but I personally would rather read a little pure exposition than have to read a lot of the 'anti-info-dump' techniques that a lot of people are suggesting. I mean, I'm not saying that these techniques couldn't be used well, but if they're not part of the author's natural style, they probably wouldn't be. If you're writing a fast-paced action novel, the characters wouldn't take time to formally teach a somehow-ignorant character about the details of their world - they probably wouldn't even know which details would NEED to be explained, unless they are also somehow familiar with ours. And I'm going to disagree about the technique in Brave New World - to me, it felt clunky and added on. I'd rather have the author explain something than go through an elaborate ploy to have the author avoid explaining something.

It's like the TV trope (and, no, I won't link!) where reviewers add "he exposited" as the dialogue tag for characters who are explaining things for the benefit of the audience, not for the advancement of the plot or characterization. It feels clunky on TV, but at least they have the excuse of not really having much of a choice. In novels, we have a choice, and I think we should use it.

I'm not arguing in favour of explaining every aspect of your world in one big block of text, but I think that going too far in the opposite direction is at least as distracting. I'd say we should avoid Info Dump by not 'dumping' huge amounts of information all at once, but we shouldn't be afraid of a little exposition - sometimes, it's effective!

I've read good sci-fi novels published within the past year that have what would be considered info dumps. One in particular was five pages long, and it didn't bother me in the slightest.

The key is to keep the tension there, despite the necessary explanation. Tension is what keeps a reader turning pages.

ETA: Claudia gave some good advice in her comment.

You're probably going to wind up with a combination of the two techniques. Perhaps a short informational paragraph at or near the beginning, plus a lot of stuff like, "Not again! What was with these humans, anyway-- here was another one wearing black! And she was smiling! Dinist thought he'd never get used to it."

If your character is not a native of the human world, the differences between it and the other one will certainly occur to him. But for how they're connected, you'll probably have to give a few sentences of exposition, preferably from a non-human point of view. "The elves had always known humans existed, but it wasn't until the Parker-Solis effect was fully exploited by the humans that the two realms, elf and human, came into daily contact."

Kate_Sherwood said:

And I'm going to disagree about the technique in Brave New World - to me, it felt clunky and added on. I'd rather have the author explain something than go through an elaborate ploy to have the author avoid explaining something.

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It's not that elaborate a ploy and I would be far more bored if there was just big long paragraphs. It shows how the children are all being brainwashed and taught concepts which we would totally disagree with (the encouragement of sexualisation in childhood, for example). Seeing as the book is all about science and its possible downfalls, why not start in a laboratory? Long-winded exposition is one of the main reasons I avoid fantasy and sci-fi.

Lady Ice, sorry you disapprove of my term 'good info dump' but I find that is a more effective way of thinking about it. Doesn't matter what you call it, the fact is you are dumping information and there are two ways to do so: a good way or a bad way .

Throughout a book, there are plenty of opportunities for the writer to give the reader a bite sized info dump. BUt there are some rules that will help it be a 'good' info dump.

#1, it needs to relate to the scene at hand
#2, it should never be done in such a way that it interupts the natural flow of a scene ESPECIALLY an action scene
#3, it should be harmonious with the pacing of the scene
#4, it should not feel long winded
#5, it needs to be written in as active/engaging a way as possible
#6, it should take advantage of all situations and opportunities

I'd like to talk about #6 briefly. I think a lot of writers miss the opportunity to do good info dumps. It can be a short as one word.

Jess was a city girl.
Jess was a New Yorker.

Notice the difference in the second sentence. That one little change gives the reader more info.

anyways, throughout the story, there are tons of opportunities to sneak in bite sized info dumps to the reader. Conversely, there will be opportunities when the reader will be in the right frame of mind to tolerate a page of exposition. Usually, when you have a major scene change, the reader will not mind a page or so orienting them to the new scene.

As far as the fish out of water or newbie characters...

Sure, they are great opportunities to dump info onto the reader, but not every story will have these characters or situations.

Peter F. Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction is a six book epic Space Opera.

He does a brilliant job of world building while at the same time giving us a great story.

Anyways, grab a few of your favorite books and look at how those authors deal with it.

Lastly, I will say that the biggest info dump mistake I see is authors giving us details that just aren't germaine to the scene at hand. Or worse, is information the reader just doesn't need at all.

my links have examples of good and bad info dumps.

good luck

Mel...

Lydia Sharp said:

I've read good sci-fi novels published within the past year that have what would be considered info dumps. One in particular was five pages long, and it didn't bother me in the slightest.
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Just because they exist does not mean that they are good, and it does not give a writer an excuse to use them,

shaldna said:

Just because they exist does not mean that they are good, and it does not give a writer an excuse to use them,

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I didn't say that they simply exist, and I never said there aren't any bad example out there. I said that I've seen it done well enough that it didn't jar me as a reader. So your comment is essentially saying that my opinion as both a writer and a reader doesn't count. Thanks.

"Good" is subjective, by the way.

I don't have a problem with exposition (and/or backstory) so long as it doesn't hit the reader like a big old block of text existing only to be skipped over. I prefer the kind fed in bite-sized morsels because that's a lot easier to digest. But if I get a full meal of it at once, I'll eat it if it's tasty and the author's made me hungry for more.