Beware of the Deadly Info Dumps in Your Novel: 3 Signs to Watch For
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Countless writing books, articles, and workshops tell us to avoid the deadly “info dumps” and flashbacks when writing a novel. Even if you’re writing literary fiction, remember that it’s not an excuse to meander in back story.
When I read literary novels, I’m more patient. I don’t expect a fast pace or surprising twists. I enjoy the writing itself, the nuances of the characters, the difficult themes, and the uncertainty of the plot. I can even tolerate a depressing ending. However, I draw the line when I encounter staggering background information. It’s boring.
What’s Info Dump?
As a novelist, I struggle with info dumps and flashbacks myself. We all have the desire to tell the entire back story at once, otherwise the reader might not appreciate our brilliant characters or theme or plot or whatever it is we consider brilliant.
If you’re writing a novel, beware of such tendency. To avoid info dumps, watch out for these signs:
#1 Explanations of a character’s behavior through endless flashbacks and recollections. Instead of “telling,” show how the character behaves at present and reflect his or her background through actions. Weave recollections and thoughts in small increments throughout the story.
#2 “Lectures” in history, foreign cultures, and traditions or too much world-building. This is prevalent in stories set in the past or the future or those set in exotic places. Likewise, if you’re writing science fiction, fantasy, or speculative fiction, watch out for any tendency to overdo your world-building. My historical novel, MY MACARTHUR, required years of research. It was set during the Great Depression. I initially succumbed to info-dumping all the fascinating facts I learned about life in the 1930s. I cured myself of the disease during multiple rewrites. After it was acquired, my editor required even more cuts of unnecessary historical facts.
#3 Use of diaries, letters, and dreams to relay background information. Most of the time, these mechanisms are contrived. Epistolary novels are an exception. Maria Semple’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” (2012) is an example of a great epistolary novel—hilarious, witty, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Rare Exceptions
Donna Tartt’s Puliter Prize-winning novel, “The Goldfinch,” is a hefty book with 784 pages. It has a massive back story, which I found trying in the beginning. But the compelling characters helped the story sail through the info dumps.
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mocking Bird” is another exception. The novel begins this way: “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” Talk about back story! The entire novel is a recollection by the narrator, Scout, about her family, hometown, and her experiences when she was around eight years old.
While a grownup Scout narrates the story, she presents her childhood point of view. She doesn’t impose her thoughts and values as an adult. Lee pulled it off because of her powerful voice.
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Photo credit: Keoni Cabral via Visual Hunt / CC BY