Needless Out-of-Universe Exposition

I love to do it, and I was wondering if anyone else did this.

Basically, here's an example:

—

Bob and Bobbette were putting together the tragforth daction, in order to bring about the helion eclipse.

Putting the fillith herbs in place, Bob pointed up in curiosity. "Hey Bobbette, what's that for?"

"That's a lightbulb. It's so we can stay up even after the fey-sun goes down. It was invented in the late 19th century, and while popularly attributed to the inventor Thomas Edison, there has been a lot of controversy over a lot of his inventions. Almost every house has them, and they can be used in many different situations, such as lightening up rooms, tracking animals, and many psychological experiments. They can even be shrunk down and powered by batteries, so they can be portable, and used in places like the outdoors."

Bob nodded at this explanation, and then proceeded to recite a prayer to the Jnei goddor, and sacrifice the appropriate smeerp in honor.

—

I like doing that. Have magic? Explain what a circus is! Someone doesn't understand how their powers work? Start a chemistry lesson!

It's fun!

I think I've done this a few times already. Though not to the same elaboration of Info Dump as your example. (FYI, your example fits quite well.)

Though to be honest I prefer using the Cryptic Background Reference compared to the Info Dump. That and good old fashioned Narrative Filigree.

edited 25th Nov '11 12:38:04 PM by MajorTom

I try to avoid any kind of Info Dump, even parodic ones like this. So no, while I find the idea pretty amusing, I've never actually done this.

Well, the circus thing is a parody, but I intend to have a mini-chemistry lesson in my story, completely straight. Because if you're gonna have a training arc, why not have your readers get something out of it?

Not quite as obvious as the example, though I do end up explaining real-world stuff fairly often. Half of it is because I'm very much Writing by the Seat of Your Pants, don't know WTH I'm doing, and just go with it, but other times it's the creative equivalent of explaining a lightbulb and replacing "lightbulb" with "fairylight".

So, for example, geysers=portals, ergonomics of easel painting=ergonomics of waving a wand, Typhoid Mary=magical creatures spreading magic, etc. It's like making a metaphor without telling anyone what the other object is.

I find this irritating as hell (although I admit to slipping into it frequently with one particular setting), so I try not to do it. Then people say my scene is a Mind Screw. Hmmm.

I don't like info-dumps in general. Stories are supposed to show you what's going on, not tell you. Info-dumping can be done well and subtly, but if it isn't, it bothers me.

Out of universe, I tend to avoid, but in-universe I do do quite often. By which I mean, characters will describe aspects of their universe that aren't necessarily particularly relevant to the scene at hand. A good example is a scene in which a Cold Sniper Church Militant shoots the Goth girl he perceives as a heretic sinner from an island's lighthouse. Before the victim shows up, he's seen investigating the history of the lighthouse, leading to a description of its past use as part of a smuggling/piracy racket that most of the islanders were involved with a couple of centuries earlier.

There's a reason why The Exile of Borghild Brynulfsdottir 2.0 has 12 footnotes within two pages of the story. :Þ

Granted, the formula of the story calls for it (it is meant to be an annotated English translation of a Norse fornyrðslag) but it's still something that I need to cut down on.

Although technically it's still in universe since the translator is another fictional character, commenting on the poetry and ideas of the protagonist. She is supposed to get less and less professional as the story goes on, eventually insulting the protagonist for her disgusting words and actions, and getting personally involved with some of the people mentioned in the poem.

edited 25th Nov '11 7:29:10 PM by annebeeche

I wrote a fake research paper about my magic system, sources and all. Mostly for my own reference, in case I... got amnesia or something while writing. Very selective amnesia. Uh.

I also wrote a conversation in which two characters from entire different cultures interacted. But that's not exactly out-of-universe.

Keep in mind, by out-of-universe, I mean things that are obvious to US, but probably not the characters (or maybe even obvious to them), but the key is if your average joe schmoe would know what it is. Mostly.

Here is a slightly more subtle amusing jab about it.