Avoiding info dumps

[Garthanield]

Hello! I've been writing for about two years now as a hobby.
I am a regular blogger and my blogs have gained a cult following among my school.
However, I have one massive problem, which probably stems from my blogging habits.
In my book, I need to give an information dump very early on, which I want to avoid. However, I can't think of many ways to do this without changing a few essential writing quirks:
i. The closest character to the information dump needs to be distanced from the reader.
ii. He will have no oppurtunity to talk to anybody who he can dispense information to.
I can't think of any other way of dumping a lot of information at once.
Could anyone offer some suggestions of what to do?
Thank you.

 

[The Pelagic Argosy]

That's a hard question to answer without more information. What sort of information are you needing to get across? Is it information about the setting, some sort of technology, or what? And what are you envisioning for the early parts of this story in which this info will need to be incorporated?

 

[LloB1]

Hi Garthanield.

Its ok to use info dumps. ive looked around this site an other people have posted questions on infodumps and it seems infodumps carry a disease of some kind. Jokes aside there are nothing wrong with using them throughout a story. Infodumps add back bone to a story, they fill out a story and give it credibility. I see infodumps as a chance to convince the readers of what your characters are either thinking or bolster their character. For example if your protaganist is a doctor you may use infodumps to make your character seem more knowledgeable of the health profession. Most big novels use them but its the way you weave them into the narrative so they dont stand out that is the trick.

anyways good luck.

 

[JDawg2.0]

Write what you think you need to write. Later on, as you read your completed first draft, you can trim the fat. But for now, write everything on your mind, while keeping an eye on your style. Worry about the extra stuff later on.

 

[Sapheron]

an info dump can still be made interesting. Look at anything by Frederick Forsyth. He's a bestseller, and he has (in some of his books), more info dump than story.

 

[scalem X]

It depends how you define info dumps.
I think everyone will agree that they'd rather not get info dumped all over them at the beginning of a novel. After a while, you're advanced so far into the story that every piece of info answers another question and then a lot info isn't too bad.
I think this is the reason why novels use flashbacks. It lets you start right in the action and later on when the reader wants to know what's going on, you deliver it.

Also a lot of infodump is made out of unnecessary parts like names of people who do not matter, history of places that doesn't care or just plain explanation why something is working. A lot of things can be cut just be rereading.

 

[Daniel Hetberg]

Agree with Scalem X here... don't info dump the reader right away. If at the very beginning there's this unlikeable guy who doesn't talk to anyone, just start off by describing what he's doing (that possibly makes him unlikeable right away), or possibly describe the people that are going to be affected by his evil plot. Then, after you have established what's _happening_, you can explain why and how it's happening.

The distinction between plot and info doesn't have to be that clear cut, either... just make sure you don't drop a huge load of (a priori) not interesting details on your reader. You could also let them trickle in, a bit of info here and some more there, just when you need the reader to know the details.

 

[KyleAW]

It is so dependent on writing style; do you prefer to discuss the world in light brushstrokes, leaving the reader to ponder on the depths that you are not describing? Or would you rather detail minutia, making sure that the world and it's characters are set in the readers mind to your personal specifications.

I personally always feel that less is often more; why describe the details on how a boat works (has it got sails or a motor, what level of technology is this world?) if it is not going to be revisited as a theme and more importantly if the character wouldn't care? If you are following a character, then see the world from their angle.