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One of the biggest challenges fiction writers face is conveying information to the reader without it feeling like a lecture or a giant info dump.
You’ve built an entire world, developed complex characters with pasts and motivations, and imagined intricate plots full of twists and reveals.
But now you’re staring at the blank page asking, “How do I tell the reader what they need to know without slowing everything down?”
It’s a balancing act—and when it’s done well, your story flows naturally, keeps readers engaged, and lets them uncover the world and its characters with a sense of discovery. If done poorly, the reader can feel overwhelmed, bored, or talked down to.
Let’s talk about how to give readers the information they need, when they need it, and in a way that deepens their connection with your story.
Give Only What the Reader Needs Right Now
When writing a scene, ask yourself: What does the reader need to understand in this moment to follow what’s happening?
That’s your benchmark.
You don’t need to explain the entire history of your fantasy world in the opening chapter. You don’t have to drop your protagonist’s whole backstory in their first appearance. Just give the information that’s essential for the reader to stay grounded in the current action.
This helps you avoid info dumping—the tendency to frontload all your world-building or character details on the reader at once. If something isn’t relevant to the present action or emotional arc of the scene, save it for later. Trust that you’ll have opportunities to weave it in over time.
Make It Organic: Use Context and Subtext
Readers are smarter than we often give them credit for. They don’t need to be spoon-fed every detail. They like doing a little bit of the work.
Let them infer what's happening from the context rather than telling the reader what’s happening.
Here’s an example. Let’s say your character grew up in a strict religious household that still influences their decisions today. Instead of explaining their background in a paragraph of exposition, you could show them:
Hesitating before doing something rebellious
Reciting a prayer under their breath when they’re scared
Arguing with a friend about moral choices with more intensity than the situation seems to warrant
These small details create a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. You don’t need to explicitly say, “She was raised in a conservative religious home.” Let the reader feel it through the character's behavior.
Let Dialogue Do Some Heavy-lifting
Dialogue is one of your best tools for delivering information in a natural and engaging way—if it’s done well. And sometimes, it's done very poorly.
A cardinal rule is to avoid the “As you know, Bob” problem. That’s when characters tell each other things they both already know, just so the author can get the info to the reader. It sounds forced and artificial:
“As you know, Bob, we’ve been working at the CIA for ten years.”
Instead, think about what your characters would realistically say—and what they wouldn’t.
Great dialogue reveals character, builds tension, and gives readers just enough to stay curious.
For example, maybe two characters are arguing, and one brings up something from the past that hints at unresolved conflict. That’s the perfect place to let the reader learn a little backstory while keeping them emotionally invested.
Show, Then Tell (Strategically)
You’ve probably heard the writing advice “show, don’t tell” a million times. But in practice, it’s not always so simple. The key is knowing when to show and when to tell.
Showing tends to be more immersive, allowing readers to experience the story through the characters’ actions, thoughts, and senses. By contrast, telling condenses information; it can be useful for moving quickly through time or summarizing something the reader doesn’t need to see unfold in real time.
When it comes to giving information, a mix of showing and telling—used intentionally—is usually best.
For example:
Telling: Lena had always been afraid of heights.
Showing: Lena gripped the railing, her knuckles white as she stared down the 12-story drop.
Both are useful. You can even use them together: Lena had always been afraid of heights. Now, staring down twelve stories from the fire escape, her legs turned to rubber.
Telling is used to orient the reader quickly, and showing is used to draw them into a visceral experience.
Reveal Information in Layers
Good storytelling is like peeling an onion—or maybe more like assembling a puzzle. You don’t dump all the pieces on the reader at once. You give them little bits over time, letting them make connections and experience those satisfying “aha!” moments.
Try thinking of your information as a series of layers:
Surface layer: What the reader sees and hears in the moment
Emotional layer: What your characters are feeling, even if they’re not saying it
Contextual layer: Information that adds meaning to what’s happening—backstory, world details, motivations
Let the reader earn some of the deeper layers. Instead of announcing a character’s trauma in the first chapter, let readers sense it through their behavior. Let them notice contradictions. Let them have questions.
This builds tension and keeps them turning the pages.
Be Ruthless in Revision
The first draft is where you figure everything out. That includes figuring out what the reader needs to know and when they need to know it.
It’s okay if your first draft has info dumps, overwritten explanations, or clunky exposition. The key is to fix it in revision.
When you revise, go through each scene and ask:
Is this information necessary right now?
Is there a more natural way to reveal this?
Can I show this instead of telling it?
Is this something the reader could infer without me spelling it out?
Cut what doesn’t serve the moment. Tighten what’s too wordy. And always keep your reader’s experience in mind.
Want Help Figuring Out What to Tell Your Reader—and When?
If managing information in your story feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common struggles writers face, whether you’re writing a short story, novel, or memoir.
That’s exactly why I offer a free 30-minute Virtual Meetup through Inkling Creative Strategies.
This is a no-pressure conversation in which we’ll discuss your project, the challenges you’re facing, and how to help your story communicate clearly and powerfully.
Whether you’re stuck in your first draft or knee-deep in revision, I’ll give you actionable insights so you can move forward with confidence.
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