Writing How to inform readers of worldbuilding without being infodumpy

Sabruness

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I have a story where some things need to be known by readers to avoid confusion but i cant take the path of having them learn through the characters learning because the information is, for the most part, common knowledge in-world.

The only way i've thought of so far is to do a mock chapter outside the story itself where i can put all this information for readers without burdening the story with big infodumps.

Anybody got any other ways i could potentially do it?
 

Llamadragon

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What kind of information is it, and how much does the reader actually need to know?

One approach I like to use is the 'learn about something else' method. Like, lets say all the characters know that a war happened between their nation and some other nation at some point in the past. One of them really likes art, so they go to a museum, and the museum guide says something like this:
"Here we have a contemporary depiction of the famous battle of 1641, when admiral Leeroy Jenkins rushed into the enemy forces while shouting his own name after being poisoned with narcotics, thus costing Nation A the victory in the chaos that followed his inevitably suicidal death. The topic of admiral Jenkins has once again begun to be popular in contemporary artworks, as asymbol for the rising dissent with the current government."

The reader learns about admiral Jenkins, that there was a now-famous war in 1641 that Nation A lost, that narcotics is a method of warfare in this world, and that there are people in the contemporary time who are dissatisfied with their government. The characters might know all of this already, but the reader learns it because the guide is talking about the art scene, not about the war.
 

Sabruness

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What kind of information is it, and how much does the reader actually need to know?

One approach I like to use is the 'learn about something else' method. Like, lets say all the characters know that a war happened between their nation and some other nation at some point in the past. One of them really likes art, so they go to a museum, and the museum guide says something like this:
"Here we have a contemporary depiction of the famous battle of 1641, when admiral Leeroy Jenkins rushed into the enemy forces while shouting his own name after being poisoned with narcotics, thus costing Nation A the victory in the chaos that followed his inevitably suicidal death. The topic of admiral Jenkins has once again begun to be popular in contemporary artworks, as asymbol for the rising dissent with the current government."

The reader learns about admiral Jenkins, that there was a now-famous war in 1641 that Nation A lost, that narcotics is a method of warfare in this world, and that there are people in the contemporary time who are dissatisfied with their government. The characters might know all of this already, but the reader learns it because the guide is talking about the art scene, not about the war.
See, that's why i was thinking about doing a mock chapter that's outside the story itself but is written like it's a book available in the world.
The information is, what i guess you could call, structural world building. It's background that the reader kinda needs so that they can understand the circumstances of the world-at-large within the story and that that is the norm for the world. That way, hopefully, they dont do unnecessary comparisons to the real world.
 

Kotohood

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You mean exposition?

You can either do it through folklore or stories, like what I do, or through political landscape changes and maybe even through the thoughts of the characters. Don't be afraid to sound unnatural as it's pretty normal for people to recall information regarding something.

There is also another question of is it truly necessary that the info dump be told? You can always make a separate chapter/glossary that doesn't interfere with the narrative. Or not even tell at all, and let readers piece the info one by one.

Worst come to worst, just find a good narrative place to break and do the exposition. There is nothing inherently bad about it. Like for example if you are fighting a super badass person and you feel that the readers need to know of said person then don't be afraid to break away to do said exposition of the said character. As long you don't overdo it and you don't use it too excessively it should be ok. I know Game of Thrones had to break away from the narrative for few times to do exposition.
 
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HURGMCGURG

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You could break it apart, like have it mentioned at a couple different points in the story at previous points while dropping a few facts from it. At least, that depends on how much you need to talk about.
 

Elateam

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I recommend Timothy Hickson's book On Writing and Worldbuilding. In there he talks about a lot of topics dealing with Worldbuilding and one of them is when to exposition. I'll try summing up the sections here but I would definitely recommend you to check that book out, it helped me a great deal with the story I'm writing right now. Beware, for there are spoilers lying in the light.

Mystery: An example of this is in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the prologue chapter. Mystery exposition here includes the fact that Lily and James are dead but their son survives.

Emotionalism: In A Dance With Dragons, when a skin-changer character called Varamyr is introduced in the prologue and the things about him like his personality, his traits, his desires and his motivations are revealed by R.R. Martin to the reader. This character isn't entirely off-putting to the entire story though, because as we learn more about his skin-changing ability we get to learn more about how that'll affect Bran who up until then hadn't really used his power as much and thus we knew almost nothing about it.

Techniques you go to perhaps not make exposition feel info-dumpy:

1) Narrative Perspective: Character not knowing something all the other characters already know. I use this technique in my first chapter when Bhagat asks Gahkhar why the Afraris were able to crush their rebellion so quickly. I do have to admit; however, that I hate that exchange and I do not recommend using this technique at all because it's pretty lazy unless under specific circumstances such as the character being forgetful or too tired to rationally think or maybe he's pretty drunk or high or other.

2) Narrative Payoff: You can see this in The Matrix as an example. Narrative payoff refers to the MC having to overcome obstacles to get to know information, usually the truth. Neo spends time trying to investigate a curious mystery while having to make an escape, having to be interrogated by agents and then having to get a tracker removed all in order for him to finally meet Morpheus. This usually gives the reader satisfaction that they finally have found the truth so it makes it feel less like an info-dump per say.

3) Pope in the Pool: Where dull information is delivered in a shocking, dramatic or humorous scene. I guess to hide the fact that otherwise, the information might turn off the reader.

4) Characterization: Really depends on the POV with this one. First-person or third-person limited will have a better time with characterisation to show the emotional state of a character. Third-person omniscient might have a harder time. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone does a great job of introducing characters in the first few chapters. This is especially true when Harry is first introduced to the reader.

5) Conflict: I use this in Chapters 5 and 7 when Bhagat fights Zander. You have to build up a fight scene or a sense of conflict between two characters and then plant some exposition during their interactions. For mine, it was when Zander called upon his Crest in the middle of the conflict to bash Bhagat into a tree.

6) Environmental: This is basically central to the idea of "show don't tell." Show what the character sees, not what the narrator says. An example of this is the movie Dunkirk when all those Allied troops are trying to flee the beach before getting killed by Germans.

7) Motivational: Used when we don't have much of a back-story for a character in the main narrative. An example is Zuko from The Last Airbender, where we see flashbacks to his banishment. This is pretty important because it gives us a clue as to why he wants to hunt down the Avatar so badly, it's a way for him to regain his honour.

As Kotohood mentioned, folktales can be a very good way of conveying exposition. In my story, there is an epic that legitimizes the system of Dharma that is so prevalent in the religions of the sub-continent and it's used to build conflict between the different religious groups as well as within a religious group. I also have several poems that I wrote to be sung by people in my story that conveys the geography of the sub-continent. That way it isn't the narrator blabbering, but the people in the story who are.

If there are things that are of knowledge to the people of your story but that it isn't something that the reader will have an easy time of understanding, you can make a glossary section on it. That's what I did at the recommendation of several users here on the forums. I made a section on religions where I gave enough information about a religion that otherwise would have been info-dumps in my story. Here's the link.
 
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awake1122

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Give tidbits during daily activities. Like lets say your character lives in a city. As they are walking to their destination, their attention is drawn to the large looming tower at the center of the city. Some discriptive words of the tower and the towers purpose placed here. Onward to important story bits.
 

BenJepheneT

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I was gonna write something but Elateam blew me out of the water.

Use his words. USE EM'.
 

Sonneillor

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Some characters discuss about x theme.

Listening to rumors, stories, information, in a tavern, market, university, plaza, boat, etc.

Some character remember events lived about something.

Most stories have someone who likes to talk a lot and they tell you some information.
 

Viator

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Try to practice "show don't tell" wherever possible. The more you can say without saying it directly, the better you will become at the art of writing. Practice patience, is the best advice I can give.
That said, a good way to drop needed information comes when you are describing the environment around your character's for a scene. Every detail can relate to a rule in the world that you don't have to expressly say. For example Culture, the way people dress, the way a city or town is built. All can give answers to how the world works without necessarily telling your readers directly, as culture is often a direct social response how people view the world. You can address common knowledge by descriptors, slowly sprinkled in, as your characters are observing the world very concisely without an info dump. Again I believe the key is simply patience. You don't have to give all of the information at once, even common knowledge. There are ways to build it in.
 
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Storymask

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Looks like Elateam has got this topic covered... but, I'd also like to add thanks for bringing this topic up. A lot of good helpful information to be found here. Much appreciated.
 

BenJepheneT

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The Glossary also exists.
I don't know about the Glossary. Seems like an easy exit point for most authors. Sure, it does help but it kinda defeats the purpose of a story.

Maybe I'm just traditional. The boomer who prefers his story's World-building to be done right between the chapters and not as a separate entity.
 

Sabruness

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Thanks for all the responses. This may be my most successful thread on SHF XD

This has actually been very helpful to my conundrum, especially the epically helpful and wonderful post by @Elateam

@Sonneillor also helped to point out something that could work in my story, that i had actually forgotten could be done in the circumstances.

I think i might go the route of having characters mention bits and pieces of info about the world, where appropriate. That way, hopefully, i can reveal world-building over time in a way that gets readers thinking and speculating.
 

YuriDoggo

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I don't know about the Glossary. Seems like an easy exit point for most authors. Sure, it does help but it kinda defeats the purpose of a story.

Maybe I'm just traditional. The boomer who prefers his story's World-building to be done right between the chapters and not as a separate entity.
I certainly don't recommend putting everything into the glossary, but other franchises and stuff have stuff like databooks and other information that just can't fit into the story, or isn't as relevant. but they still help make the world a bit more real.
 

LWFlouisa

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I certainly don't recommend putting everything into the glossary, but other franchises and stuff have stuff like databooks and other information that just can't fit into the story, or isn't as relevant. but they still help make the world a bit more real.

Ah got there before I did, thanks. Yea the only reason I did a glossary, and only on the version of my website, is I have specific terms unique to that specific setting that aren't relevant to the rest of my stories.

That seems to happen whenever you expand a short story into a novel, and the one you picked to expand is significantly further in the future than the rest of your sci-fi.
 

UltraRob

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Scaffold it. By which I mean, tell readers what they need to know when they need to know it in small bits. Just don't tell them more than they need to know at that point in the story and be concise. Readers will happily read background information, just so long as it's connected with characters and situations they find interesting. In fact, you can even make background information exciting by rewarding them for reading it later by having it connect with the action that takes place. That way they don't feel like it was something they were forced to read, but something that was there to help their enjoyment of the story.
 

Rellawing

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Think about it as though you were the character. The character doesn't know everything at once sometimes. Find creative ways to show the audience the world. Instead of saying this world is full of girls, show it. Write about it, and the reader comes to the conclusion themselves. It might help to have the character think about it or wonder about it too. If there are man-eating trees, write a scenario where the character fights it. If the city they go into is grand, describe the vista, how the light plays on the materials of the buildings, how clean or unclean the air or buildings are.

If it's about a character don't do blurbs like, "I'm a dude who couldn't ever do a thing right!". Write a backstory or three scenarios that demonstrate how hopeless the character is.

"I never lose, I'm an amazing acrobat!" Instead of that, write about how lucky they are, write about how they achieved their acrobatics prowess. Honestly the very act fuels your writing. Instead of wondering what to write about, you already know what you need to put across and the words come more easily. <3
 
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