Writing Show, Not Tell In Dialogue

[Deleted member 58005]

I've noticed the amount of dialogues I put in each chapter I write has increased, much so that it'll even take up seventy percent of the word count. I read somewhere that if there's no way to get through a part that requires you dump info, the best way to do it would be to use a character's speech to help characterize each one. I make sure to add little quips and details from their personalities in order to not make it sound so bland.

My question is, how good is it as a tool to info dump? While each line of dialogue sounds more 'live' than just straight up writing it, I fear I'm doing a terrible job at hiding the fact that it's still what it is: a tool to hide entire paragraphs of info dumping. Does it sound like I have a problem with managing it?

 

[SailusGebel]

 

[BearlyAlive]

Info dumps are better done in dialogue instead of pure exposition but even better would be to show stuff like how X is dangerous instead of telling that X is dangerous.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

Tell is for something thats easier to said than done.

Show is for actions that may be more immersive in show than just tell.

Show and tell at the same time is the best for things your'e not confident with, especially with complicated scenes.

Doing both, It may sound redundant, but it's better than being unclear.

Babying your audience is always in your greatest interest.

The best eay to Put infodumps is by incorporating it into the PLOT, such as the whole filler process of registering into tournament and how the character actually claims the reward.

Boku No Hero Academia is pretty much a giant 200 chapter of World building and Infodump before the BIG PLOT actually starts.

If the infodump didn't affect the plot and the MC, usually it doesn't have to be fully told into the main story. Just keep it on the lore master reference book.

If You really want to show the infodump so bad that you cant hold it back, then explain it in side story instead of main story.

Like when a rule or info isnt that important for MC with their OP blessing, but its actually a matter of life and death and the Big Plot for another important character, Then make a story with their POV and how the infodump would actually affect them.

Its just like Toaru Majutsu no Index, where pretty much every lore and infodump has their place, as whnever there's one rule/lore that didnt matter for the main story, it would actually a fact of life for the side story POV.

 

[SailusGebel]

Yeah, you are still telling.

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

 

[RiaCorvidiva]

If your *character* needs to know some pertinent information and is learning about it in dialogue, that's fine. I often have chapters devoted to the characters researching or studying or otherwise learning things as part of the plot.

If your characters all know the information and you're just expositing for the sake of the reader, you can run into the 'As You Know, Bob' problem.

The problems with 'infodumping' arise when you are just expositing irrelevant backstory or other such information because you want the reader to know about all this 'super cool lore' that they just 'need' to know. I promise you, they don't need to know, and leaving an air of mystery and suspense gives you more opportunities to hook your readers into wanting to learn more over the long haul.

 

[John_Owl]

Babying your audience is always in your greatest interest.

I've always heard the opposite. "Trust your audience to not be complete morons. allow them the freedom to imagine. People read books because they don't want to be patronized. if they wanted a movie, they'd watch a movie."

 

[melchi]

I think it kinda depends if it is okay or not.

What kinds of novels are heavily dialogue?
Would you read a novel that is 70% dialogue?
What is the main thing, how is the focus being kept on that?

A certain passing user is right, never sacrifice clarity. Bringing the important things up again and again is good. No matter how clear a writer thinks they are being some readers will get the wrong message.

That being said, skipping to the action is okay.

For example: I'm reading a science fiction book about a space ship that aliens made that can punch through dimensions. However, 20% of the book passes before they do anything more than talk about it and hint of its existence. Forever dialogue is a thing.

 

[TsuruI_am_a_bot]

I've noticed the amount of dialogues I put in each chapter I write has increased, much so that it'll even take up seventy percent of the word count. I read somewhere that if there's no way to get through a part that requires you dump info, the best way to do it would be to use a character's speech to help characterize each one. I make sure to add little quips and details from their personalities in order to not make it sound so bland.

My question is, how good is it as a tool to info dump? While each line of dialogue sounds more 'live' than just straight up writing it, I fear I'm doing a terrible job at hiding the fact that it's still what it is: a tool to hide entire paragraphs of info dumping. Does it sound like I have a problem with managing it?

Read more Chinese novels
and less JP WNs

In fact. To see the enormous difference, check pixiv nsfw "novel" section
and compared to ero novels on po18.com

 

[SailusGebel]

Read more Chinese novels

No.

 

[J_Chemist]

All things must be balanced.

Dialogue for the short tidbits or if there isn't "time" to explain things. Pacing is important. Use Walls of Text for world building.

If you're explaining using Dialogue, you're losing an opportunity for more in-depth details because, in reality, an individual isn't going to actually spend 10 minutes describing something. Use it for short and quick details that get to the point.

When using Walls of Text, it's easier to get into the finer, broader details. However, drowning your reader should only be done when necessary. If it's useless and/or worthless information injected just because you want to spend 1,000 words describing scenery, it's going to get lost in translation.

Now for your question.

My question is, how good is it as a tool to info dump? While each line of dialogue sounds more 'live' than just straight up writing it, I fear I'm doing a terrible job at hiding the fact that it's still what it is: a tool to hide entire paragraphs of info dumping. Does it sound like I have a problem with managing it?

No. It does not. It's less management issue and more a skill issue. Learning when to use which tool is an experience thing and also an author quirk. Find what best suits your method/style of writing as well as the theme for your story that you want to focus on. If your story leans into the Walls of Text and your readers get off on that shit, then yes--infodump. But if your story is shorter in 'content' and doesn't regularly go into those finer, crisper details, then it's not necessarily something you need to focus on. Get the info to the reader that they need via dialogue, then move on and you'll be fine.

The balance comes in when you need to spoon feed your reader. Consider dialogue your reader easily opening their mouths and taking the baby food. While Walls of Text is you playing the "here comes the airplane~" game because they won't open their fucking mouth.

 

[AmeronWerschrux]

I've noticed the amount of dialogues I put in each chapter I write has increased, much so that it'll even take up seventy percent of the word count. I read somewhere that if there's no way to get through a part that requires you dump info, the best way to do it would be to use a character's speech to help characterize each one. I make sure to add little quips and details from their personalities in order to not make it sound so bland.

My question is, how good is it as a tool to info dump? While each line of dialogue sounds more 'live' than just straight up writing it, I fear I'm doing a terrible job at hiding the fact that it's still what it is: a tool to hide entire paragraphs of info dumping. Does it sound like I have a problem with managing it?

I believe in order to "show, not tell" in dialogue, is to describe roundabout about what you want to convey, not directly flat out telling what it is. Info dump is almost always a way to turn off people, you can use the perspective of a reader and you'd see that info dump is a chore to get through. Try to describe, add up, build up the feelings the words, to what you want to say, and more often than not, not say what the actual thing is, and the readers will figure it out. That's what I think at least.

 

[Corty]

Isn't this advice for scriptwriters?

 

[J_Chemist]

Isn't this advice for scriptwriters?

no.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

I've always heard the opposite. "Trust your audience to not be complete morons. allow them the freedom to imagine. People read books because they don't want to be patronized. if they wanted a movie, they'd watch a movie."

But in order to give them the freedom to imagine, you must first set up a sturdy framework. You are still trying to share your world with the readers after all, not force them to build a world with nothing but piecemeal bones or sparse hints. Leave some gaps, but avoid too many. Not everyone in your audience wants to, or should be expected to, put in the effort to imagine what immerses them.

I've always found that saying to be an excuse for laziness.

 

[SailusGebel]

I've always found that saying to be an excuse for laziness.

BRUH - Sound Button

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www.myinstants.com

 

[beast_regards]

If you read this, you are very likely an amateur writer.

You aren't supposed to know better. If you did, you would be professional.

If you are a professional writer and you do know better - something I can't rule out since this is a public site, after all - it doesn't mean your readers are.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I love dialogue!

I've always found that saying to be an excuse for laziness.

It is not laziness. It's a preference. As a reader, I want to imagine things without being told every detail. I do the same in writing.

 

[Gnosis]

"Trust your audience to not be complete morons. allow them the freedom to imagine. People read books because they don't want to be patronized. if they wanted a movie, they'd watch a movie."

I strongly agree with this.