Dump the Information Dump

When beginning a new story or novel, our first inclination is to give background. We want the reader to know everything about the character, what he or she looks like, how and why they arrived where the story opens, even describe the newly created world spinning in our mind.

Does all that make for interesting reading, though? Will the reader honestly care about all this minutiae?

We live in a “Gotta Have it Now!” world. Gone are the days of the Oliver Twist or The Count of Monte Cristo type novels where an author could write pages and pages of description and no real action. Readers simply don’t have the patience.

For instance, I could write: The four story mansion stood at the edge of a white-granite cliff overlooking a large, blue, freshwater lake; so large the far bank could not be seen. The mansion was build from a gray marble back in the 1500s by a count who made most of his money from slavery and war. It had three wings, fifty rooms, three kitchens each with a six-foot wide by four-foot high fireplace for cooking, a stable made of cedar and river rock and capable of housing twenty horses...

Okay, I’ll stop there. I’m getting bored.

You see how it doesn’t move the story along? If I were writing an historical piece on castles, that would be different. But for a short story or the beginning of a novel, I just wasted eighty-five words. Eighty-five words could very well determine whether I make or exceed the maximum word count of a contest or publication.

Here’s an example using some of that same information, but making it move the story along:

“Jacqueline.”

Jackie shivered from the sudden ice that filled old, musty library. Or maybe it came from the now familiar whispered voice behind her. She wanted to turn from the window overlooking the cliff and massive lake, but what would be the point? She wouldn’t see the man who spoke her name.

No. Not her name. Jacqueline’s name.

“Don’t ignore me, my child,” the man said, his deep, harsh voice now so close to her right ear she could feel his breath. Or was it imagined?

Jackie turned and fled the room. She sprinted down the long hallway, her sneakers slapping on the marble floors and echoing throughout the hushed and long-abandoned mansion.

The man followed. She could feel it.

But she kept on running, hoping she’d make it out the doors before the Count, now dead for over four hundred years, caught her and claimed her as his own.

Although not the best of all examples, this will still hold the reader’s attention longer than the first one. There’s intrigue, action, and above all, unanswered questions for which the reader will want answers.

However, information dumps are crucial, especially for first drafts. They are how the writer finds the way through the story and discovers the world and its characters. The writer needs to know the details in order for the story to make sense.

When the story is ready for the second draft, those dumps need to be removed. For the most part. What you need to ask is if the story makes less sense without it. If so, leave it or place that portion where it’s crucial for the reader and the character to know it. That information could come later, sometimes as late as the ending.

Be assured, though. The time spent writing all the background information on your world and characters is far from wasted.

Keep it all in a document, printout, or journal and close at hand when you’re writing. That way, if you forget the color of a character’s eyes or confuse the location of the stables with the guesthouse, you can go back and refresh your memory. Readers do pay attention to the details you give them, and they will notice if you mess up. Keeping all that information close at hand will make sure you’re consistent.

Remember, the reader doesn’t need to know everything. Give them only what’s necessary to grab and keep your readers' attention, alight their imagination, and leave them satisfied at the end.