LECTURING IS LETHAL TO FICTION:
You have spent a lot of time researching for your novel. Now you are loaded with information you would like to see figuring in your book. You have already dropped a few critical information and you are planning to stuff your novel with all the rest.
Stop that, right now!
A novel is designed to entertain, not to teach anything.
If your novel happens to teach anything, it is by accident.
I will repeat this. A novel is only entertainment.
If you want to teach, write a non-fiction manual.
Your reader is mostly interested in a person’s personal story: the main character and his story arc (feelings, conflicts, struggles), not in his profession or hobby.
Consider:
If your character is an herbalist and he happens to treat a patient for depression.
WRONG: The doctor asked the nurse to bring him a mug of coffee and said to the patient, “Okay, Ellie, drink this coffee. Do you know that if you drink four cups of coffee per day, you have a 20% less chance of getting depressed?” (Lecture)
RIGHT: The doctor asked the nurse to bring him a mug of coffee.
“Thanks, I needed something to pick me up.”
“So you like coffee, Ellie? Good. It’s supposed to be good for you.”
You should be asking yourself why your reader needs to know that Ellie likes coffee. Maybe she will start a coffee shop or she will invent a drug for depression using caffeine.
Everything in fiction needs to have a reason to be there.
Even when the information you give out is important to the plot, do not dump it on the reader.
Consider:
WRONG: Jill saw someone walk in stride with the coach.
“Hey, Jill Berk,” he exclaimed, hugging her.
“Wow! I can’t believe it’s you, Mike Smith. Are you still married to this beautiful blonde, Debbie and living in Manhattan and doing that terrific job? You know... doctor, if I remember well.” (Info dump)
RIGHT: The coach walked in with the medic on tow.
J: “Is Bradley fine, coach?”
C: “Yes, he’ll live”
J: "Thank God."
C: “Do you know Mike here, our new medic?”
J: “Sure, we did our residency together. How’s Debbie?”
(Less info, more natural)
You have spent a lot of time researching for your novel. Now you are loaded with information you would like to see figuring in your book. You have already dropped a few critical information and you are planning to stuff your novel with all the rest.
Stop that, right now!
A novel is designed to entertain, not to teach anything.
If your novel happens to teach anything, it is by accident.
I will repeat this. A novel is only entertainment.
If you want to teach, write a non-fiction manual.
Your reader is mostly interested in a person’s personal story: the main character and his story arc (feelings, conflicts, struggles), not in his profession or hobby.
Consider:
If your character is an herbalist and he happens to treat a patient for depression.
WRONG: The doctor asked the nurse to bring him a mug of coffee and said to the patient, “Okay, Ellie, drink this coffee. Do you know that if you drink four cups of coffee per day, you have a 20% less chance of getting depressed?” (Lecture)
RIGHT: The doctor asked the nurse to bring him a mug of coffee.
“Thanks, I needed something to pick me up.”
“So you like coffee, Ellie? Good. It’s supposed to be good for you.”
You should be asking yourself why your reader needs to know that Ellie likes coffee. Maybe she will start a coffee shop or she will invent a drug for depression using caffeine.
Everything in fiction needs to have a reason to be there.
Even when the information you give out is important to the plot, do not dump it on the reader.
Consider:
WRONG: Jill saw someone walk in stride with the coach.
“Hey, Jill Berk,” he exclaimed, hugging her.
“Wow! I can’t believe it’s you, Mike Smith. Are you still married to this beautiful blonde, Debbie and living in Manhattan and doing that terrific job? You know... doctor, if I remember well.” (Info dump)
RIGHT: The coach walked in with the medic on tow.
J: “Is Bradley fine, coach?”
C: “Yes, he’ll live”
J: "Thank God."
C: “Do you know Mike here, our new medic?”
J: “Sure, we did our residency together. How’s Debbie?”
(Less info, more natural)