Lots of folks – writers, mostly – seem to have a huge downer on what they term “Info Dumps”. Those not in the know might require a definition: the act of giving a lot of information out in a short space of time. It could be plot points; it could be character portraits; it could be descriptions of places or events; whatever. Fact is, it’s not thought to be a good idea. However, despite fully twelve minutes of cursory research, I’ve been unable to determine what it is that annoys people so much.
I have encountered info dumps (or, as some might call it “exposition”) in a number of great works and they cause me no problems whatsoever. In fact, I rather like them, particularly if they are funny or interesting and certainly, if they are well-written. It really doesn’t matter whether or not they move the story along as long as they are an enjoyable aside.
But some people are so hung up on structure and form and convention that they seem to let style get in the way of a good story and, unfortunately for me, they have the literary hegemony and run all the publishing houses in the cosmos.
But never mind. All things must pass, even modernism (which has died out in practically every other field of endeavour except, it seems, literature). Who knows; just as post-modernism breathes its last in the rest of the cultural world, literature may finally notice its existence and the narrator will come into his own, once more. I’m not holding my breath. No doubt I'll be bombarded with salient examples of post-modern literature but I shall stand my ground, however weighty the odds or indeed, the evidence. I will go down screaming that never are so many old-fashioned ideas so fashionable as they in the realms of modern literature.
Anyway, if you want to see an example of my very own info dump, I’ve posted it on this moth’s update of the Rothko Room page. Let me know what you think.
I have encountered info dumps (or, as some might call it “exposition”) in a number of great works and they cause me no problems whatsoever. In fact, I rather like them, particularly if they are funny or interesting and certainly, if they are well-written. It really doesn’t matter whether or not they move the story along as long as they are an enjoyable aside.
But some people are so hung up on structure and form and convention that they seem to let style get in the way of a good story and, unfortunately for me, they have the literary hegemony and run all the publishing houses in the cosmos.
But never mind. All things must pass, even modernism (which has died out in practically every other field of endeavour except, it seems, literature). Who knows; just as post-modernism breathes its last in the rest of the cultural world, literature may finally notice its existence and the narrator will come into his own, once more. I’m not holding my breath. No doubt I'll be bombarded with salient examples of post-modern literature but I shall stand my ground, however weighty the odds or indeed, the evidence. I will go down screaming that never are so many old-fashioned ideas so fashionable as they in the realms of modern literature.
Anyway, if you want to see an example of my very own info dump, I’ve posted it on this moth’s update of the Rothko Room page. Let me know what you think.
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