Infodump vs exposition

[Brian G Turner]

Thought this was an interesting post by Michael J Sullivan:
Author Michael J. Sullivan's Official Website: How to Avoid Nasty Thoughts

This passage especially made me laugh:

Authors, especially those who have yet to write their first full-length novel, don’t grasp the size of the playing field. They feel this need to present everything immediately. They are certain the reader will not enjoy the book if they don’t instantly know all the cool stuff that’s planned. The proclivity is similar to a child having a friend over for the first time and pointing out all the nifty things in their room, pushing on to the new game they got for the Wii only seconds after showing off the snake in the aquarium.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Heh, good analogy!

 

[Glitch]

I found the following passage made a good point.

I never explained the term “By Mar” in any of my novels, even though it was used often. I trusted that readers would figure it out, and I wasn’t concerned if they didn’t. In real life, people often say things we don’t understand, or make references to people or places we know nothing about, but we don’t always stop them and ask for clarification unless that point is crucial to the story.