Contrary to all I've ever read -

[farad]

"Info Dumps Aren't Evil".  Well, this author thinks so, and I have to admit, there are some good points here, as well as a delicate 'how to' section that includes advice like:

" Integrate them into your narrative as much as possible. Not all information needs to be given to the reader at one time. One mistake authors make is trying to do too much right at the beginning of the story. It's like trying to explain what "offensive holding" is in American football to someone who doesn't even understand the concept of a "touchdown." Start with the basics and then introduce new information along the way."

And

"The more your information dumps relate directly to a story element currently at play in your narrative, the easier it is to hold an audience's attention. In other words, if you want to wander off on tangents, more power to you, but make sure your tangents are interesting to other people, not just yourself."

Ah - yeah, well, I am certainly guilty of that last one . . . .

Comments

[adonnchaid]

I think the key to info dumps of any size is what he says about making sure they're relevant to the story.

I can remember reading a fanfic story that had many issues, but one of the most deadly dull parts was the author going on and on about the history of a hotel the characters were staying in, which had nothing to do with why they were staying in it or anything to do with the story itself. It was more of a "Look, I can haz research!!" thing, and it was pages long!

[farad]

Those are the worst kind of info dumps, where it's irrelevant to the story. I like the way he phrased that, too, about doing it in small, pertinent, pieces. I think we all do that at some point or another and it is a lot about making sure that it's very much 'on point'.