Day 12: The Bare Necessities
The Beast:
Today I have attempted avoid info-dumping as though it was a rabid dog. I've tried to find various ways to incorporate the info without overwhelming the reader, but none worked quite so well as what follows. Behold! I give you knowledge of info-dumping!
The Knowledge to Defeat Said Beast:
When I asked my friend to read something for me today, I followed with the question of whether or not I gave too much info at once. And his immediate response was, "Why MUST this info be HERE and not spread out elsewhere?"
I just gaped at the simplicity of the question. It was so obvious: the answer to my question was necessity. How much does the reader need to know in order to function in the world, and what can he pick up from more subtle clues, like religious rituals, sayings, landmarks, stories, and family heirlooms? That was the answer! And I could have run myself over with a bus for not seeing it.
What I Think Happened:
Sometimes XIII seems like an ocean and I seem like I'm drowning. Today was one of those times. The family relationships alone - blood, oath, adoption and fostering - combined with the politics of the world and the personalities of the characters sometimes tend to maul my umph to write. And, more to the point, I have the tremendously bad habit of getting so immersed in my world and characters that it looks like fun to get lost/drown, though finding/resuscitating me can sometimes be an ordeal. We're working on that...
After a few hours of editing here and there, something deliciously grand appeared on the page. It's nowhere near a finished draft, but I am actually very pleased with it.
So, Here's What We Learned Today:
Info Given Based on Necessity = Good Structure
Total Immersion Without Continuity Checks = Drowning in Plot
So say we all.
Bri
4 comments:
A novel is like a good sammich. ...not a sammich like the plain, dry, turkey and cheese affairs you make. you need to make a better sammich. >.> but back to the point..
There's multiple layers that need the proper distribution and proportions to make the right flavor. Too much of one layer, and you only taste that. Too little, and why was it there at all? So you have to strike that right balance.
I'm also of the opinion that you can have too much of a sammich as well. You know me and the Dark Tower.. it's a lovely book, I know.. but it's TOO MUCH book. Now, I'm not saying to cut down XIII into little bits, but in all honesty, dividing things up to where they LOOK smaller, even if there's still just as much there, can make people keep reading.
If a book has tons of long chapters, it feels long. If those same chapters were broken up into more, I get the illusion I'm not as swamped. That's me personally, but I can't be alone, right?
And all my best wishes over what happened today. /hugs
I will have to keep that in mind on my next story. I LOVE explaining things and too often get lost in the information myself to say nothing of the reader or listener.
I once read an interesting idea. Think of your backstory/info dump component as a mirror. Break it. You have many shards of various sizes, but all are much smaller than the whole mirror. Now slip those shards sparingly into your story as you write. In the end, you will likely find that you don't need all the shards, but by putting them into smaller pieces, you don't get that "info dump" overwhelming your story. Good luck!!
I find an excellent way to distribute information is through conversations.
Can your characters ask another questions? Can they point to an item and explain it? Can a character look it up in an old text?
Another way is through action. Why is someone fearful of a character or aggressive towards a character. Can the character use an item and have something unexpected happen? Could the character then work through what he/she did for that result?
They're slow, unobtrusive ways of introducing information. As for backstory, one paragraph should suffice, unless you need to write the book that came before this one.
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