The Infodump
What's an Infodump?
Authors love the world they’ve created and it’s very tempting to share it with the readers. Of course, this could amount to a ton of information that is presented all at once to a reader. Hence the term, infodump.
Let’s visualize the text of an entire story.
The Infodump
In this example, the exposition (or telling) is depicted in red and the gray parts refer to the parts that show (or dramatize) the story.
It’s not uncommon to see a large exposition at the beginning of a story to explain the situation and the characters’ backstories. Readers need to understand the entire context of the world before they can start reading the story, right?
The problem with infodumps
Too much explanation can be problematic at the beginning of a story because it doesn’t hook the reader. Readers aren’t yet invested in the characters or the world yet. Furthermore, front-loading all the information may overwhelm the readers, who may forget aspects of it because they have nothing to connect it with yet.
Infodumps are like giving a textbook to your readers, with the message “study this first.”
Making exposition more effective
Omit the Exposition
When you’re tempted to start with an infodump, ask yourself if the reader really needs to know this. Be brutally honest. Are you describing this world because you think it’s interesting? Does it serve the story? Will the reader be completely confused if this information is omitted?
Some mystery is okay. Consider the movie Groundhog Day. The movie never explains how the time loop works or why the main character is the only one stuck in it. We’re never told who is responsible for creating it. And despite not knowing, I would argue that the movie is still vey entertaining.
Delay your exposition
What if you were to start with the action first, without explaining who the characters were and what led up to their present circumstances?
Doing so creates questions in the readers’ minds. Their curiosity will drive them to read on and they will welcome the answers in a later exposition.
Minimize the exposition
As much as you may be tempted to describe a complete backstory, reduce it to a minimum. You don’t need to explain the entire royal family tree the first time the prince is introduced.
Keep infodumps small (less than one paragraph) so it doesn’t stop the action while you explain.
Infosprinkling
Sprinkle the exposition throughout your story, weaving it in and out of the showing. Wait to tell readers what they need to know when they need to know it. By keeping it short, the story maintains forward momentum and readers are not overwhelmed with information they need to remember.