: Re: At what point does a POV character noting their surroundings go from showing/telling to an infodump? In a story I'm working on, at one point one of the main characters (also the POV character

@Ogunnowo420

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An info dump is a classification of a section of text with the characteristics that it imparts information that to the reader about a world/setting/occurance/thing that the reader might not otherwise understand. Info Dumps are neither malign nor benign, they just are info dumps.

The colloquial negative connotation comes from sections of text which are info-dumps and interrupt the plot or pacing of the novel or threaten to break the immersion of the reader in the story.

The point at which you've crossed the above line is the point at which your reader becomes distracted, bored, lost or confused in respect to the things that are happening. This is a subjective point that will vary by audience. A scientific audience is more likely to ride along with your character's description of the laws of the universe than middle-school grade level audience is.

Know your audience, and toggle accordingly. Some useful spectrum to consider would be: internal-external, active-passive, show-tell, exposition-acted or brief-comprehensive.

As a general rule, you want to tend towards brief & active info-dumps where the information is imparted in the general course of things happening. Show & Tell are weird targets as "Showing" something is expansive, but immersive; and seems to be the opposite of brief, where as "Telling" contracts story length. If you're looking at those "spectrums" and asking, "aren't some of those things the same thing?" the answer is yes, but they provide another angle.

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