Is explaining too much a bad thing?

Blackout

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Sometimes, I feel the need to explain some things about a character I wrote since I'm scared that my reader will misundertand him/her if I didn't do it. However, I'm also scared that some readers might think that I'm dragging things out by telling them something they already know.

I was first worried about this when I told my friends about a joke about drunk Superman. One of my friend found it very funny and told some of our friends who were late to the gathering. My version were short and straight to the point, while the version he told was full of unnecessary(?) explanations. I found his version to be draggy.

Please tell me. How do you fellow writer approach this?
 

AliceShiki

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Generally speaking, the readers won't need to know even 1/3rd of everything you prepared for your novel. Character details, world-building, secret backstories... The deep details of those things are often unnecessary for the reader.

Think carefully about each individual element and try thinking if it is necessary for the reader to know it... If it's not, don't explain it, the reader doesn't need to know it, so don't tell them.
 

ArcadiaBlade

I'm a Lazy Writer, So What?
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When doing info dumping, only put the emphasis on the 'necessity' of how much information you need to put into. You can stretch it all you want, hell you can even put it as short as possible, the main idea is only when you know the 'necessity' and importance to the details you feel like describing.

Such as how detailed do you want your character to be? Only focus on what he only needs to have and slowly expand it to your hearts content since most readers likely would emphasize that necessity.
 

CupcakeNinja

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Sometimes, I feel the need to explain some things about a character I wrote since I'm scared that my reader will misundertand him/her if I didn't do it. However, I'm also scared that some readers might think that I'm dragging things out by telling them something they already know.

I was first worried about this when I told my friends about a joke about drunk Superman. One of my friend found it very funny and told some of our friends who were late to the gathering. My version were short and straight to the point, while the version he told was full of unnecessary(?) explanations. I found his version to be draggy.

Please tell me. How do you fellow writer approach this?
I write everything I want to say about the character first, then see how i can shorten it. I try to use just a sentence or two to give definitive glimpses into their character or values.

Its always long to begin with. That's why I look again and try to condense it down to the essence
 

Emi_the_Fairy

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You can also play into the potential for misunderstandings and dense information. Make a joke, or a comment of concern from another character to confirm to the audience the character's position and expectations. Some of my favorite moments to write have been the result of similar situations.

Also ambiguity isn't a bad thing. Part of the fun of reading is unfolding and interpreting the story after all.
 

Biggest-Kusa-Out-There

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First, who are you writing for? Your readers or yourself? Do you want to succeed as a writer first, then have fun with your story second? Or the other way around? If you write with your reader's interests first, you're going to implode because it's basically impossible to know what people want.

Always remember to respect your audiences' intellect. If your MC need to be educated, then you can info dump. Keep it in-story, as not everything is always explained unless the one explaining is omniscient.
If you want your audience to know something show it with the actions of your cast, instead of telling the reader.

For example:
If your MC is a pervert, don't tell your audience. Show them ogling people and doing something indecent. Readers will then understand they are a pervert.
If a character has trust issues, they shouldn't say "hey i have trust issues lmao", but show it through actions, reactions, and expressions.
If a character wants something, they should act accordingly instead of you exlpaining it in a paragraph.

This allows you to stretch the chapter in a way, while also inviting the readers to engage themselves with the story.
 

Southdog

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I second everything big kusa says but will also add on some of my own thinking.

The more alien and foreign a setting or character is, the more exposition you may need to communicate the who, what, when, where and why. Stories featuring normal humans in normal situations from the perspective of normal humans doesn't need to explain where Europe is or what a McDonald's is. Familiarity can be assumed. The more unfamiliar a work gets the more you need to explain. It's the.gaps between "set in Atlanta," vs "set in a fantasy world where heroes are often reincarnated to do battle" vs "set on a desert planet dominated by massive, divine worms whose life cycle produces the lifeblood of the galaxy, a drug allowing enhanced mental faculties and precognition."

With that out of the way, writing normal characters is easy. You don't need to explain why Bob from accounting has a cup of coffee every morning. It's just his habit. Conversely, you may need to explain why he works in a cubicle across from Za'hathoriana, elven witch, whose byzantine laws dictate that she has to file multiple expensive pieces of paperwork every time she wants to create a magic wand with the BATFE (Bureau of Arcanists, Theologists, Farseers, and Evokers). I don't neee to explain how and why my main characters are rednecks, since that's the only kind of protagonist I write. I can assume my readers know what one of those is or they have an equivalent in their country (please send me a hot bogan babe, any aussies reading this). I do have to explain why one of them is an engineering student, why one of them is able to use magic, or why the other is an AI construct used as a hacking tool by down on their luck junkies.

A good rule of thumb is to ask what's unfamiliar in your work, and explain/show that. Then ask if it's necessary to the story, and pare anything thet isn't down.

You don't need to tell your audience what an elf is since most of us have consumed fantasy literature recently. Pointy ears, long lived, usually talented with magic, quite androgyne.

You do need to tell us if they're sexually dimorphic with the males being short and the females being tall, with very strict gender roles.

You don't need to tell us about their gender/sexual politics in a mystery thriller about a murdered merchant and the cadre of suspects ranging from elves to orcs to a sentient suit of armor.

You do need to tell us how that sexual dimorphism plays into his elven friend's potential motive, being a freakishly tall and androgynous male elf shunned by his society for his looks. Maybe he was jealous of his friend's good fortune and wanted some for himself.
 

Toripuru-S

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My web novel is based on a card game with a functional ruleset, so I struggle quite a bit :s_eek: in wondering if I'm not explaining the card game aspect enough...

But then I get over it by remembering that my priority is to try to tell the best and most entertaining story I can. If readers are getting heavily invested in what's happening anyway, then they won't need me to slow down the story with boring and extremely technical game mechanic lessons, right? RIGHT??? :blobrofl:

Lol, I don't know...I sort of just follow my gut instinct if I feel I am not explaining anything well enough or too much already about my story in general :blob_hide:. Kind of like what others have said, I try to leave things to the imagination for readers. I usually trim more often than add, whether I am trimming too much is yet to be determined :blob_whistle: ...
 

Cipiteca396

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Better to stick to the most necessary information, and then you can answer questions if people have them. If the readers are rrreally confused, you can add more info later.
 

_oinkchan

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Sometimes, I feel the need to explain some things about a character I wrote since I'm scared that my reader will misundertand him/her if I didn't do it. However, I'm also scared that some readers might think that I'm dragging things out by telling them something they already know.

I was first worried about this when I told my friends about a joke about drunk Superman. One of my friend found it very funny and told some of our friends who were late to the gathering. My version were short and straight to the point, while the version he told was full of unnecessary(?) explanations. I found his version to be draggy.

Please tell me. How do you fellow writer approach this?
Unless it is important don't explain much, as a reader I skim through paragraphs that I think are too long or not important.
 
D

Deleted member 45782

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it honestly depends. a lot of others have made great comments about when to and when best to maybe not too.

There are some connected story ideas I've that are connected by a story background. Thinking of how to incorporate that but each of those story ideas is its own long story itself, so maybe will but it separate like novella or a short story? Idk. This is just all ideas for now.

I prefer show and tell but its may be easier said than done. Still will work on it, cause I want readers to get immersed into the story and not read a study guide on a story.
 

CheertheDead

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Sometimes, I feel the need to explain some things about a character I wrote since I'm scared that my reader will misundertand him/her if I didn't do it. However, I'm also scared that some readers might think that I'm dragging things out by telling them something they already know.

I was first worried about this when I told my friends about a joke about drunk Superman. One of my friend found it very funny and told some of our friends who were late to the gathering. My version were short and straight to the point, while the version he told was full of unnecessary(?) explanations. I found his version to be draggy.

Please tell me. How do you fellow writer approach this?

I see that a lot of people misunderstood this problem.

First of all, the amount of information you dump onto your audiences is irrelevant. There is absolutely no evidence that putting less or putting more is good.

As with anything the pacing and the way you deliver are the more important elements.

Take your study in school for example. No one tells you that you need to learn by heart the content of the entire semester in the first day. The knowledge is delivered pacing out a long period of time.

This is the exact way countless good writers used to dump info on their readers. Personally, if i have to for example explain how a system in system reincarnation works, i will go bit by bit.

First i explain for example what agility is. Then i let the characters experience it by getting them either being trashed by mons with higher agility or achieving easy victory when fighting a boss mons with inferior agility.

Then i let them lose later on when they fought mons that has lower agility than them but this mons has another stats like defense that lessen their damage. Then i explain how this defense thing works.

The same thing for everything. You throw thing at the audience bit by bit. Save the less necessary stuff later on. The importance isn't knowing what is necessary, it is to know what is necessary at the moment.

If two male characters made love you don't throw their entire bio at the audiences, you pick out only some portions that best explain the current situation. You save the rest for later chapters.

I myself know some author rely on info dump to add their word count and they are only succeed at it before they know how to save stuff for later.
 

Mysticant

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All I can say is show rather than tell. Info dump can work if you are trying to explain a certain complicated concept, but showing an example first is always a better choice if possible. In fact, hiding information can also help to develop a sense of suspense and mystery as long as you don't go too far with it. All in all, do what you feel is appropriate.
 

PrincessFelicie

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Imo, explaining as little as possible is the risk free option. You stick to the emotional beats of the story, you don't get bogged down by the details, plot holes become secondary to just making the story a good time.

But, choosing what to explain (and especially explaining it at the right time, don't frontload it into your story) can give your setting a lot more depth. It's one thing if your readers can get into the story, it's another equally great one when they can imagine themselves living in that world.

I think, instinctually, we all have an idea of how much is the right amount of explanation, at least in our mind, but it manifests mostly as hindsight. It's when we miss the mark that we then realize "next time, I should tell more/less". So experiment! Find your happy medium.
 

Iyana

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Umm...If ya r writing it, then its oky, as the readers dont remember every details, anyway~
 
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