You’ve filled pages and pages with notes on intricate world-building information for your next novel: region names, family lineages, new languages—enough to make Tolkien proud. You’re finally ready to sit down and write the opening chapter, and naturally, it all comes gushing out. You pile all that juicy info at your readers’ feet, hoping to make them care about your story as much as you do. 

The result, however, is usually the opposite. 

This tendency is known as info dumping: loading the reader down with lots of exposition all at once, typically at the beginning of a story. This information is necessary, but when delivered by telling, not showing, and at the expense of your characters, pacing, and plot, that information diminishes the magic of storytelling. 

How do you find the balance between sharing important information and unfolding your story naturally? Learn how to sprinkle your info instead of dumping with these four key strategies. 

Why info dumping doesn’t work

Almost every developing writer, at some point in the learning process, has been guilty of info dumping. It’s a common, honest mistake—and it stems from a place of logic. 

It’s reasonable to think that readers need all the info to understand your story. And that’s true, to an extent. Without a certain amount of context, like setting, time period, character motivation, etc., the reader will have a tough time following along. 

But the way you deliver this information—when, how much, and how often—impacts their reading experience significantly. It sets the story’s pace. It builds or breaks tension. If you think about it, the tactful revealing of information is the scaffolding for every story. 

So… dumping it all at your readers’ feet is kind of a letdown. 

Think back to the first time you read your favorite book: when you reached the climax and finally discovered that essential, foundation-shaking information the author had kept carefully hidden until this pivotal moment. You connected the traces of foreshadowing back to the beginning and realized the author planned this perfectly, revealing just enough without giving anything away to spoil the end.

It blew your mind, right? 

That one-of-a-kind reading experience is impossible with info dumping. Instead, I propose info sprinkling. Whether you want to think of it as an ice cream topping or a light rain shower, info sprinkling adds something essential to a story without drawing too much attention. It adds the perfect little crunch to every bite of sundae, or provides a gentle watering for spring flowers to bloom. 

Okay, before these analogies get away from me, let’s dive in. 

How to stop info dumping: 4 strategies

1. In medias res storytelling – One way to avoid the urge to info dump is by beginning your story in medias res: in the middle of things. Opening your story where the action is will immediately draw readers in—and you’ll often find that they don’t need that much info to know what’s going on. Throughout the action, you can sprinkle in your info to gradually reveal the greater workings of your characters and plot. Remember: readers are smart. They’ll figure things out.  

2. Vary your sprinkles – Chocolate sprinkles taste great, but rainbow sprinkles certainly have more visual appeal. The same goes for your info sprinkles. If you only reveal information in one way, say, in a paragraph of exposition, your story may start to taste, er, seem bland. Instead, vary your modes of info delivery by using mixtures of narration, dialogue, scenes, flashbacks, etc.

3. Think: What do the characters need to know? – Often when we’re writing, we’re thinking about the reader’s understanding. But aren’t stories really about the characters? For example, if your heroine is in the midst of battle, she probably doesn’t need an ancient history lesson—but she probably needs to find out the enemy’s secret strategy, quick. The reader’s joy comes from following a character’s journey, so they typically only needs to know what the character knows (unless you’re going for some dramatic irony, of course). 

4. Save your dumps (instead of killing your darlings): If your first draft is littered with info dumps, don’t hack it up—you don't have to part with them completely. Simply cut them and save them in a separate document or notebook. That way, if you realize later on that you do need that information somewhere, you can slot it back in, using the sprinkling tips above. 

Remember: writing info dumps isn’t inherently bad. It can actually be integral to your writing process. While your reader and characters don’t need to have all the info upfront, it’s important that you as the writer knows what’s happened, what’s going on, and what’s coming next. Writing dumps can help you figure all that good stuff out—and then save it for the perfect moment. 

About the author:

Lindsey is almost always writing, whether it’s a short story, copywriting project, Writer’s Workout blog post, or carefully crafted Instagram comment. With the spare time she digs out of the couch cushions, she’s usually crocheting, adventuring with her friends, or thinking about how she should be reading more. She splits her time between Upstate New York, where she grew up, and Boston, where she'll continue to grow.