Your Words Are Dead to Me: Infodumps Through Dialog

Dialog is great, because it's usually fast-paced and grabs attention. But it can also contain the dreaded infodump-as-dialog. It has its place in a story from time to time, so how can you tell when you're writing something that can get you rejected, or something that the story needs?


If the information is for the reader's benefit, chances are you can get rid of it.

If the information is for the character's benefit (or detriment), chances are it's fine.

This should solve most of your "should I cut it or not?" questions about info and dialog. But let's delve a little deeper, shall we?



You could easily say all the information in a book is stuff you want the reader to know, and you'd be right. We're telling the tale to the reader after all. But it's also easy to slip into tell mode and start explaining, and that's where the problem lies. Often, that need to explain happens when you're not sure you've done a good enough job dramatizing something and want to make sure the reader gets it. Trust the reader and leave it out.

Of course, there is a flip side to this. (Isn't there always?). What if it's foreshadowing? You want to slip in a detail but don't want the character to pick up on it. Then it's probably okay, because when you think about it, isn't that info the character probably really does want to know to make their life easier? If they noticed that bit, wouldn't they avoid something horrible you have planned for them? So technically, the rule of thumb still works.

But what about pointless dialog? Those little bits that feel natural because people really do talk that way. A little here and there is fine, as it does indeed make the dialog flow more naturally. Keep an eye out for when it's delaying a scene or drawing attention to something that's already been shown or explained.

Characters catching each other up on what happened is a common spot for pointless dialog, especially if it was a recent scene and fresh in the reader's mind. Answering questions is another one, though this is something that happens and sometimes you can't avoid it. But you can try to add more info or give the reader something new so it doesn't feel so repetitive. Maybe the speaker/listener realizes or remembers something new, or they gloss over aspects for a personal reason. With a little creative thinking, you can find ways to add an interesting layer to a conversation that repeats information.

When in doubt, try reading the scene with it and without it. You'd be surprised how often a scene reads better once you trim it down some.