Get Crafty: Infodumping

Everything you need to know + how to fix it

Imagine you’re settling into a novel. The opening scene is intriguing—maybe a tense conversation, a mysterious location, or a compelling internal voice. But just as you’re drawn in, the author slams on the brakes and hits you with three pages of backstory, world history, or a character’s life story from childhood to present day. That’s the literary equivalent of someone asking, “How are you?” and getting a 45-minute TED Talk on their life trauma.

That’s an infodump.

Infodumping is one of the most common issues in early drafts. It’s a trap writers fall into for understandable reasons—they’ve done the work of creating a vivid world, complex characters, and layered backstory, and they want the reader to know everything. But dumping all of that information up front (or all at once anywhere in the manuscript) stops the narrative cold and disrupts immersion.

Here’s the deeper issue: when a reader is being spoon-fed information, they become passive. They don't have to ask questions. They don't have to wonder why something is happening or what will happen next. They don't have to solve or interpret anything—which means they can easily tune out. The story becomes a lecture instead of an experience.

What keeps readers invested isn’t just receiving information—it’s working for it. When you sprinkle breadcrumbs instead of serving the whole loaf, the reader starts asking: Why is this happening? What are they hiding? What will they do next? Those questions keep the reader engaged. They’re now participating, mentally piecing the story together, becoming active in the narrative. And that’s where the magic happens

In this post, we’ll explore:

• What infodumping is and why it happens

• Why it’s problematic from a storytelling perspective

• The most common places it appears

• How to identify it in your own manuscript

• Practical techniques to revise and avoid infodumps

• What to do when the information is essential

By the end, you’ll know how to spot infodumps from a mile away—and more importantly, how to replace them with dynamic, organic storytelling.