Tag: Revise & Refine

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How to write backstory without infodumping

Mandy Webster

Infodumping in novel writing refers to the excessive and often clumsy presentation of background information, context, or details all at once, usually in a way that disrupts the narrative flow. This can happen when an author tries to convey too much information in one go, often through long passages of exposition or dialogue, making it feel overwhelming or tedious for the reader.

Imagine how overwhelming it would be to have all this information dumped on you at once!

Writing backstory without resorting to infodumping involves weaving the information seamlessly into the narrative. Here are some techniques to help you do that:

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What is backstory in novel writing?

Mandy Webster

Backstory in novel writing refers to the history and events that shape the characters, settings, and plot before the main narrative begins. It provides context and depth to the characters and can help explain their motivations, conflicts, and relationships.

Effective backstory is blended into the flow of the narrative, keeping the reader engaged while providing necessary context.

Here are some key aspects of backstory:

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What is exposition in fiction writing? Is it the same as “telling?”

Mandy Webster

In fiction writing, “telling” and “exposition” are related but not exactly the same thing. Telling refers to the technique of stating facts or emotions directly, rather than letting the reader infer them through actions, dialogue, or sensory details. For example, saying, “She was angry,” is telling, whereas showing might involve describing her clenched fists or sharp tone. Exposition, on the other hand, is the presentation of background information, context, or explanation necessary for the story, such as the history of a world, character backstory, or details about a situation.

Exposition can be used to describe a novel’s setting. How would you describe this setting?

Exposition can be done through either telling or showing. In short, telling is a technique, while exposition is a type of content. Exposition can sometimes involve “telling” when the writer needs to explain things quickly, but it can also be shown through more gradual revelations or interactions within the narrative.

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What’s the difference between showing and telling in novel writing? | Revise and Refine

Mandy Webster

If you’ve ever taken a creative writing course, you have probably been admonished at least once to “show, don’t tell.” But, what does that even mean? What’s the difference between showing and telling, and why does it matter?

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining: show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
–Anton Chekov

Showing and telling are two different ways of conveying information in creative writing. Telling refers to when the author simply tells the reader what is happening or what a character is feeling, without showing it through actions, dialogue, or description. For example, “Tessa was angry” is a statement that tells the reader how Tessa is feeling without showing any evidence of her anger.

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How to use dialogue tags in your novel | Revise and Refine

Mandy Webster

Dialogue tags in fiction are phrases or words used to indicate which character is speaking and how they are speaking. Although the most effective strategy for helping the reader identify who is speaking is to give each character a unique voice, using distinct vocabulary, speech patterns, and pacing, the fact is that dialogue tags cannot always be avoided. In such cases, it is important to understand what dialogue tags are and how to use them effectively to enhance reader experience.

Dialogue in novel writing is the written conversation that occurs between two or more characters in a story.

The most common dialogue tag is “said,” but tags can include other verbs like “asked,” “replied,” “whispered,” or “shouted.” These tags help clarify who is speaking and can add emotional or tonal context to the dialogue. For example:

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Why is dialogue important in novel writing? | Revise and Refine

Mandy Webster

Dialogue is a key element of novel writing. In narrative writing, dialogue refers to the written conversation between characters. It helps reveal character personalities, relationships, and emotions through their words and interactions. Dialogue also advances the plot by conveying information, conflicts, or key events in a natural way. It breaks up descriptive passages and provides a sense of realism and immediacy to the story. Well-crafted dialogue can also enhance the tone, mood, and pacing of the narrative.

Dialogue in novel writing is the written conversation that occurs between two or more characters in a story.

Dialogue typically involves two or more characters taking turns speaking to each other. It may be presented in direct speech, where the characters’ exact words are written within quotation marks, or in indirect speech, where the gist of the conversation is conveyed without the exact words being spoken. Dialogue can be used for a variety of purposes in narrative writing, which I have outline below:

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How to fix point of view problems in your novel | Revise and Refine

Mandy Webster

Once you’ve learned how to spot POV shifts in your writing, it’s time to fix them. Let’s look at this short fictional story, courtesy of Chat GPT, that demonstrates how shifting the point of view (POV) too often can lead to confusion and disrupt the reader’s experience:

It can be difficult to spot POV shifts in your own novel manuscript!

The Picnic by the Lake

It was a beautiful day, and Emma spread the blanket on the grass by the lake. She smiled, looking at the calm water, imagining how perfect the afternoon would be with her friends. (At this point, the story appears to focus on Emma. Because we have insight into her imagination, we feel like we are seeing the story from her point of view).

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How to spot POV shifts when revising and refining your novel

Mandy Webster

Shifting points of view (POV) too frequently in a novel can be confusing and disorienting for the reader, making it difficult for them to engage with the story. However, it may be difficult for you to spot this problem on your own since you yourself are so fully immersed in the story. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to get outside feedback on your novel manuscript during the evaluation stage of the writing process.

It can be difficult to spot POV shifts in your own novel manuscript!

The first step you should take when revising and refining your manuscript with your attention turned to POV is to review the outside feedback that you have received to identify specific places in the story where your reviewer(s) noted that they were confused or where the story lost their attention. The following is a list of signs that the point of view in your story is shifting too much:

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The problem with inconsistent point of view | Revise and Refine

Mandy Webster

Inconsistent point of view (POV) in fiction can significantly affect the reader’s experience, often in a negative way if not handled with care. For example, readers often find William Faulkner’s novel, The Sound and the Fury, difficult to read because of its inconsistency in POV. Readers are forced to actively engage with the text, filling in gaps and reconciling differing perspectives.

Inconsistent point of view in a novel can disrupt the reader’s experience of the story as well as causing reader fatigue.

While this lack of consistency isn’t necessarily “wrong” when done with purpose, it is important for the writer to consider just how hard they want their reader to have to work to understand what they have written. You must consider your intended audience: do your readers prefer to read a novel that makes them work to tease out its meaning? Or does your target audience consist of readers who want to be fully immersed in a story without having to pause regularly to think outside of the story?

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The importance of maintaining a consistent point of view in fiction

Mandy Webster

Maintaining a consistent point of view (POV) is important in novel writing because it helps create a clear and immersive narrative for the reader. When a story’s POV changes frequently or unexpectedly, it can be jarring for the reader and disrupt their engagement with the story. POV is such an important element to tackle during the revise and refine stage of the novel writing process, you may find it useful to do a complete read-through of your manuscript with your attention focused solely on spotting POV shifts.

Revising for point of view is one of the most important tasks that you will complete when revising and refining your novel manuscript.

Below are a few reasons why it is so important to maintain consistent POV(s) in your novel:

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