Craft Chat What's it called when...

[JoanUP]

Is there a term for when a writer is overly detailed, making it obvious they just want to work in factoids to the writing?
I'm rereading my WIP in prep for a beta read, and am finding sections where it's painfully obvious that I tried to make use of the historical research I did.
I've been marking these spots with "Ugh" but wondering if there is a more appropriate term to flag the sections.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Ugh sounds good to me.
But how about 'wordy' or 'infodump'?

 

[Sedayne]

I don't know if there's a term for it, but I call these things 'explainers.' I make it my mission to remove all my explainers and see if the story can stand up without them. It usually can.
But I like the term 'Ugh' too.

 

[JoanUP]

Ugh sounds good to me.
But how about 'wordy' or 'infodump'?

The thing with infodumps is that sometimes the actual information is needed, and just needs to be rewritten as dialog, or maybe presented later, not as backstory. In my case, it is all senseless crap. Or maybe it once had potential to be relevant, but as the story evolved, it wasn't used, so needs to be cut.

 

[E G Logan]

so needs to be cut.

I slash through my text for cutting out, if printed out, or highlight if onscreen, and write CUT in the margin, just so it's clear to me.

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm going with a Sir Terry Pratchett quote, "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."

We all dream of writing that perfect first draft, but the more books I write, I find it's impossible. I need multiple drafts until I've shaped that first draft for the reader's enjoyment. I'm hoping there's a bell curve to writing books and one day the first draft will need less shaping.

Be kind to yourself. Let yourself include those details. Your brain put them in for a reason, but it you can't find a way to shape them into the story, delete. But surely history buffs will love details about history? I hope you find a way to sprinkle them in.

I find working on another book while writing another gives me fresh eyes and I can often find ways to include details, but I can be ruthless and see what needs to go because the writing sucks for the reader's enjoyment. Have you rested it?

 

[JoanUP]

I'm going with a Sir Terry Pratchett quote, "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."

We all dream of writing that perfect first draft, but the more books I write, I find it's impossible. I need multiple drafts until I've shaped that first draft for the reader's enjoyment. I'm hoping there's a bell curve to writing books and one day the first draft will need less shaping.

Be kind to yourself. Let yourself include those details. Your brain put them in for a reason, but it you can't find a way to shape them into the story, delete. But surely history buffs will love details about history? I hope you find a way to sprinkle them in.

I find working on another book while writing another gives me fresh eyes and I can often find ways to include details, but I can be ruthless and see what needs to go because the writing sucks for the reader's enjoyment. Have you rested it?

I agree.
Plus, the first draft you have to see what "sticks". A minor detail might evolve into a theme.
I like the idea of working on something else to preserve fresh eyes. The thing is, this is 100k words and more than .. I think 3 years writing, so at this point, the beginning does seem fresh, and I'm trusting my inner cringe-o-meter.