Exposition: What is the best way to handle it?

[RavenstarRHJF]

So we all know the standby of "show, don't tell," and most authors try to convey as much as possible through characterization and dialogue.  But sometimes, especially in SF and Fantasy, there's just too much information critical to the reader's understanding of the world to go those routes.  Maybe it would just take too long to have the characters talk about it, or maybe it would be out of character for them to talk about things in their world that they would have grown up knowing.

So my question is: At what point does an info dump become acceptable, and what is the best way to insert it in the main narrative?

[Reaves]

Never. Its more fun to keep the readers guessing as long as possible   

And I do mean that seriously. Have you ever read the DRESDEN FILES by Jim Butcher? I'm on book three, and I still know very little about his world and even his magic system. He explains things only at the very last minute, once they absolutely need to be explained.

Also it gives you a lot of leeway. You don't lock yourself into certain rules and you can introduce new elements without it seeing contrived.

[ryos]

Track down a copy of How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card. You should be able to get it from your local library. I read it nearly ten years ago, but I still remember that it has an excellent section on handling exposition. Using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature, it looks like the section you want is Chapter 4.

[maxonennis]

And I do mean that seriously. Have you ever read the DRESDEN FILES by Jim Butcher? I'm on book three, and I still know very little about his world and even his magic system. He explains things only at the very last minute, once they absolutely need to be explained.

That, inconstant magic rules and cussing are the reasons I've never made it past book four. But I'm getting off topic.

I've always said just write the first draft and don't worry about info dumping. Those things can be cleaned up in the second draft. One person I asked told me that he wrote his whole first draft without explaining anything to see if alpha readers could figure it out on their own, or if he need to go in and provide information. I think that is a good system too.

[Reaves]

BTW, info dumping was mentioned in this weeks podcast.  http://www.writingexcuses.com/

[RavenstarRHJF]

BTW, info dumping was mentioned in this weeks podcast.  http://www.writingexcuses.com/

So it was!  I just listened to it... to me, being an amateur writer just starting out and having just joined her first writing group, it was... depressing.

Track down a copy of How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card. You should be able to get it from your local library. I read it nearly ten years ago, but I still remember that it has an excellent section on handling exposition. Using Amazon's "Look Inside" feature, it looks like the section you want is Chapter 4.

I will pick up a copy of that in the near future, thanks!  I like that it's just over $10...

Never. Its more fun to keep the readers guessing as long as possible   

I'm actually not a fan of this.  It's pretty much a major turn-off for me in a book.  Do you have to explain everything right away?  No, of course not, BUT, especially in SF and Fantasy, there are certain things about worlds that are crucial to the plot which need explanation.  You do too much of the above, and to me it feels like the author needed something to happen in a certain way and *poof!* there it is, with no foreshadowing and no "method behind the madness" if you will.  Now, in first drafts it probably doesn't matter so much, because you can fix it in revision, but still.

[Renoard]

Rigney/Jordan has an interesting way of dealing with the "info dump" in some places he uses it to seguey from one character's POV to the next.  Dialogue cuts out he continues with stream of consciousness that merges into narration then back to stream and finally internal dialogue on the next character. Heh, ignore the syntax in the previous please.

I seem to remember most of the old guard: Bova, McCaffery, Eddings- -all using a similar device.  It doesn't have to be a kludge or a dump if the voice shifts to accommodate the shifts in perspective.  Also breaking it up into separate direct observations by various characters could work.  Getting the info out there without interrupting the flow of the story or the plot is the main thing.  Of course a first person narrative can solve that too but their tricky.

How about a First Person narrative where the character of the narrator is one of the characters of the book, but who like to write in shifting POV limited...  It's called Name of the Wind...

[maxonennis]

I'm actually not a fan of this.  It's pretty much a major turn-off for me in a book.  Do you have to explain everything right away?  No, of course not, BUT, especially in SF and Fantasy, there are certain things about worlds that are crucial to the plot which need explanation.  You do too much of the above, and to me it feels like the author needed something to happen in a certain way and *poof!* there it is, with no foreshadowing and no "method behind the madness" if you will.  Now, in first drafts it probably doesn't matter so much, because you can fix it in revision, but still.

Foreshadowing has nothing to do with info dumping. It's the rule: "show, don't tell". The reader gets an idea of what's going on if you show, for instance, a magic system in action rather than having the narrator think about it. If the acts of the magic (and characters) can't stand on their own without the writer having to have a sit down with the reader to explain everything, then it’s a bad book, with the exception of stories where magic isn’t used to solve problems.

[Bookstore Guy]

I would just add that the way you handle it can vary depending on if you go with 1st person or 3rd person. The reality is that in 1st person you get away with a lot of telling due to the narration style. So, when discussing this, treat 1st and 3rd person as different beasts. As for Butcher, to me his world was very clear from the get-go. His magic was strength/energy based using Latin. Sure he introduces more and more layers, but the actually gets better as you move along (I am rather pissed that they released Small Favor in the over-sized mass-market paperback, but that's neither here nor there).

Regardless, the fact is, you will have info-dumps at times. Like has already been mentioned, getting the writing down on paper first, and revise it later. Alpha readers will tell you of something is too much of an info-dump, or if it is fine.

[Shaggy]

In terms of describing your characters, I've often found it difficult to decide where to place my descriptions of people. When I try and fail miserably (making it sound awkward), I try to fit it in and spread it out through a certain number of pages. For example, if a character is introduced for the first time, and you want to describe him, instead of finding an awkward spot to fit in a description, break it down and fit it in over time. 'Jake hurtled towards the ground, his dark auburn hair whipping around his face.' 'Jake leaped into the air, his long arms and legs giving him sufficient reach to… [blah blah]' So where you have normal sentences that do not necessarily require descriptions, fit them in. Just my two cents.

[maxonennis]

In terms of describing your characters, I've often found it difficult to decide where to place my descriptions of people. When I try and fail miserably (making it sound awkward), I try to fit it in and spread it out through a certain number of pages. For example, if a character is introduced for the first time, and you want to describe him, instead of finding an awkward spot to fit in a description, break it down and fit it in over time. 'Jake hurtled towards the ground, his dark auburn hair whipping around his face.' 'Jake leaped into the air, his long arms and legs giving him sufficient reach to… [blah blah]' So where you have normal sentences that do not necessarily require descriptions, fit them in. Just my two cents.

I think this is the "show don't tell" thing. Having a paragraph describing a character is blatant telling. Revealing what they look like through the story is telling.

[PW]

I have always favored trying to include exposition in the dialogue.  It may be a cliche, but if one character is naive about something, he can ask the same type of questions the readers would.  The danger I would think would be to have a "Why?" question posed by a character followed by a 2,000 word answer.  Info dump is still info dump if framed in the context of Q&A.