This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).
Today I am going to identify and eliminate unnecessary infodumps, i.e., too much information in one place.
I mentioned in an earlier lesson that I spent a lot of time getting the first page of my document in good shape. There was a lot of information about the world I was building and why my protagonist had been sent there. I never considered it an infodump. Now that I have eliminated the majority of it, I wonder why I thought I needed it in the first place. I also mentioned earlier I wasn’t sure what to do with Chapter 30, which lacked conflict and tension. I have eliminated one paragraph of unnecessary info, but kept the rest, realizing I did have conflict and tension; it was just on a milder level. More importantly, the info moves the story forward.
Result: I am breathing easier now that I tackled a revision that worried me like a pulled loop in a sweater. Keeping my hands away from it did not make it go away.
Take-Away Value:
Don’t worry about infodumps when you write your first draft. That is what first drafts are for—to get down all the information you think is necessary at the time. The time to revise it is after your story is finished.
Do you agree or disagree? How do you do it?
See you on the next page.
We can become bogged-down in our first drafts if we are not careful. I recently read where you need to constantly push forward and not look back. In other words, don’t reread earlier scenes. If you do, you will start editing what you wrote and looking for holes that need to be filled or further explained.
First drafts are a chance to let go of any constraints or concerns. This allows your muse (your artistic spirit) to take over – creating worlds, scenes, situations and characters. A first draft is the fun part of writing because there are no rules or restrictions – no right or wrong ways to do it.
Thanks for your input Bruce. Yes, the first draft should be fun, like a day at the fair, full of exciting things to do. Sometimes it is difficult not to look back, but the more you can free your mind the more enjoyable the trip. You can go back later and retrace your route.