One of the first things they warn you against when writing your first novel is the evils of something called the “info dump” or the “plot dump.” This happens when you, as a newbie novelist, attempt to explain plot elements that happened before page 1 of the story. I am as guilty of this crime as the next writer. In my first novel, I attempted to explain the entire geopolitical situation of Southeast Asia on page 4 of my manuscript.
Thanks to kind critique partners, I’ve learned not to do this anymore. But it’s still a struggle for me, especially since my stories necessitate a lot of exposition. For example, in TSG, I’m inventing an entirely new country which means I need to introduce my readers to the sights and sounds of Darjikistan circa 2008. I have to describe the country’s economic status (poor), the weather (arid), the sights and sounds (blinding sun and Pashtu), and the smells (grilling meat and carbon monoxide). The trick, I’ve learned, is to reveal all this in bite-sized pieces throughout the course of the story and not all at once like Alias in the white room.
No one does this type of writing better than science fiction writers, and one of the masters is Vijaya Schartz. I read her story The Garrison: Lockdown and was impressed with the skill at which she unveiled the details of her new world, floor-by-floor and technology-by-technology. To this day I still use Lockdown as my template whenever I want to write a story involving mucho world-building.
Which I’m in the process of doing right now. And let me tell you, it’s hard. TSG takes place in a fictional country modeled after Afghanistan/Pakistan, and so while my fake country’s sights and sounds are pretty well set (thank you, writers of Culture Shock, Pakistan!), Darjikistan has its own set of fictional elements. Because of its location (bordering Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan), it’s caught smack in the middle of its more powerful neighbors who heavily influence the actions of the ruling King, who also happens to be the father of the heroine, which means all these geopolitical machinations have actual, direct effects on her life, which means I have to take the time to explain said geopolitical machinations.
But not too much. This is a love story after all and so I can’t be heavy-handed about the whole thing. The trick is to find the balance between explaining just the right amount and explaining way, way too much. I’m my worst reader after all. As in, when confronted with whole blocks of narrative text in a novel, my eyes tend to glaze over.
This weekend I’m going to re-read Suzanne Brockmann’s Flashpoint, still the most perfect, and perfectly constructed novel I’ve ever read. It contains every single element about a story I love—political intrigue, action/gunfights, guys-as-buddies, strong female heroines, and of course, hot sizzlin sex.
My page count from the weekend: not too good but at least it’s something.
The Spy Game: First Draft
Goal for tonight: 34K
Mood: Cautiously optimistic.
I recently deleted (though saved in a file) an entire chapter. I thought I was slick since it was Chapter 3, but it was all a backstory dump. I realized, just like you said, that it will be best to reveal the main character’s background along the way, intertwined with the story, and only as it will help to move the story along. Another struggle is determining what is really important to the story and what isn’t.
Great post.
I am having trouble coming up with the name for a fictional town — and you’ve gone and named a whole country! Show-off!
By: Amy Nathan on September 15, 2008
at 2:37 pm
*raising hand* Guilty as charged, too.
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with giving just enough of a glimpse into my heroine’s background to whet the appetite. If the reader is curious, then they’ll have to wait until the next chapter for more information. That way *fingers crossed* I’ve hooked them in to turning the page to chapter two.
PS. I’m LOVIN’ wordpress, too.
By: Marcia on September 15, 2008
at 4:09 pm
I just railed against too much exposition on my blog. The object of my wrath is Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. I started it today. Ugh. Laborious and painful. Awful.
By: hazel designs on September 16, 2008
at 3:10 am
It’s such a fine line. How much is too much? How little is too little? Some writers have done really well giving us a lot of background in the beginning and making it interesting and still keeping the flow. It really depends on the genre. In one literary fiction book, Never Let Me Go, little bits are given to you through first-person narrative of the world and the heroine’s place in it. It isn’t until near the end that you get a complete knowledge and understanding of her world and how she fits in. That wouldn’t fly with a paranormal, sci-fi, or suspense.
I tend to cut too much. That’s why you need good CPs to catch it and ask questions that you assume everyone already knows.
Oh, yeah, and I felt the same way about Twilight. I was starting to think I was the only one. Glad to hear I’m not alone.
By: jennifer on September 16, 2008
at 1:16 pm
Amy wrote: I am having trouble coming up with the name for a fictional town — and you’ve gone and named a whole country! Show-off!
My country’s name was sort of easy to figure out. Since it borders Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, I figured it too should end in “istan.” After that my sis and I played around with some prefixes and just picked what sounded good and made sure no real country was named that. Course it’s not set in stone. I might change it later on if I come across something that sounds better.
By: karmelajohnson on September 16, 2008
at 3:12 pm
Marcia wrote: If the reader is curious, then they’ll have to wait until the next chapter for more information.
Ah, the ultimate page-turner!
By: karmelajohnson on September 16, 2008
at 3:13 pm
Sis wrote: The object of my wrath is Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. I started it today. Ugh. Laborious and painful. Awful.
Are you going to finish the book? I might watch the movie when it comes out on HBO. It stars Cedric Diggory!
By: karmelajohnson on September 16, 2008
at 3:14 pm
J wrote: It’s such a fine line. How much is too much? How little is too little?
Even veteran writers stumble on this one. I remember reading a Silhouette Bombshell of a multipubbed author and thinking, wow. This is great. I told her so, and she emailed me the manuscript for the sequel. And I remember thinking, Wow. This is bad. And it was all because she did a major info dump right on page 3.
By: karmelajohnson on September 16, 2008
at 3:16 pm