Thursday, March 3, 2011

Too Much Information


This is one of my writing problems, but it’s hard for me to notice. The read aloud helps but I think there are areas that are just too much exposition and that is ba-aad.

For one thing, it’s telling, not showing. I’m usually able to avoid that, but I have gluts of information (as some of you may have noticed) because it's hard for me to put myself in the reader's shoes and see that whoop! they don't need to know this/I'm reciting facts/just end the damn sentence already. To compound the problem, I tend to confuse "lengthy" with "lyrical." When I try to be smooth and poetic, it ends up reading blah.

I hope you learn from my mistakes. If you come to a scene in your own WIP that bores you, it needs further scrutiny. Also a good rule of thumb: read it aloud and if you can't get the sentence out in one breath, it's too long (now to go apply this to my own work...). 

Anyone have any more advice for spotting and removing information glut? How do you combat your writing flaws?

9 comments:

  1. I was messing around with an idea for "Paint it Purple" blogfest. I was writing in the style of the old Sam Spade novels, and came up with a paragraph that consisted of one sentence 48 words long. I think I know what you mean. Susan

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  2. LOL, this sounds exactly like me. Do you have someone you read aloud to, or just to yourself? My family already thinks I'm crazy, but if I were to read out loud with no one else around they might finally do something about it. :)

    However, I know how invaluable it is to do just that.

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  3. My critique partner is a goddess of pointing out info dumps. She always suggests that I sprinkle it throughout, but the I find that I already have and can just cut that whole chunk out. It's partially because I'm continuing to flesh out my character as I write. So, my rough draft is always really rough.

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  4. That is one of my biggest problems as well. When I read other things that are not my work I tend to get annoyed by the "overwriting" and then I do it to my own stuff without even realizing it. It's very hard to notice unless you read aloud, like you said.

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  5. I'm a data-dumper extraordinaire. (There should be a medal for that.) Unfortunately, I have a hard time fixing it. :(

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  6. Critique group. I have belonged to one for years. When you outgrow it, and you will because it takes too long once your published, then find more eyes to help you faster. We all have the same problems I think.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium

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  7. It is really tough to decent how much is too much information. Some people will get it right away and others will glaze over the information possibly missing a huge element in the story. I would say not include every detail, just the major components that are needed. :)

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  8. This is really tough to ferret out in one's own manuscript! I think with practice, ya get better. Can't beat the value of an eagle-eyed, "brutal" critique partner, either! Like you said, though, reading aloud REALLY helps. Because if you're reading along and get bored, your reader will too!

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  9. first, thanks for following my blog! I try to be ruthless with myself. Second the reading aloud approach. Try to hear myself when I'm just "throat clearing"--working my way up to writing/saying what really matters.

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Please validate me.