it's an info-dump conversation that reveals some backstory that will be important later on.
Don't be surprised if your wording above scares people off from clicking or commenting. "Info-dump" is typically a bad thing, meaning too much info piled on the reader all at once instead of weaving it smoothly into the story. Ditto on the "backstory that will be important later on"--it seems to make chronological sense to put backstory early on, but you've got to hook readers with the present and tantalize them with present circumstances enough to make them want to read pages of backstory. If it's not important now, it'll probably come across as boring, possibly make your reader put the book down before she gets to the later section and goes, "Ohhh, that's why!"
Avoid all info-dumping. Trickle relevant past informations throughout your story in tiny sips. Use foreshadowing instead of a block of info that "will be important later." Tease your readers with current intrigue to make them want to hear that backstory that lead to it. Otherwise a huge chunk of info-dump in the past is really more like an author's notes to herself to include in the future, and that wouldn't be something polished enough to share and ask for criticism.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-08-19 10:23 pm (UTC)Don't be surprised if your wording above scares people off from clicking or commenting. "Info-dump" is typically a bad thing, meaning too much info piled on the reader all at once instead of weaving it smoothly into the story. Ditto on the "backstory that will be important later on"--it seems to make chronological sense to put backstory early on, but you've got to hook readers with the present and tantalize them with present circumstances enough to make them want to read pages of backstory. If it's not important now, it'll probably come across as boring, possibly make your reader put the book down before she gets to the later section and goes, "Ohhh, that's why!"
Avoid all info-dumping. Trickle relevant past informations throughout your story in tiny sips. Use foreshadowing instead of a block of info that "will be important later." Tease your readers with current intrigue to make them want to hear that backstory that lead to it.
Otherwise a huge chunk of info-dump in the past is really more like an author's notes to herself to include in the future, and that wouldn't be something polished enough to share and ask for criticism.