In a post on DIY MFA, Diane Cohen Schneider offers five tips on how to add factual information to your fiction without sounding like a text book. “Adding too many facts detracts from the plot flow, which is another way of saying it makes the book boring,” Schneider says. Her tips include:
- Have the reader learn along with one of your main characters. “If your reader learns as your character learns, they get to have a lot of AHA! moments along with your main character, and this builds a connection between them,” Schneider writes.
- Have your main character be a teacher. In contrast, your protagonist may teach their skills to another character. Be sure you convey only the information the reader needs to know, not everything your characters know.
- Context. Use context clues to convey information without lecturing. “For example, while a patient is having a heart attack in a hospital setting, the meaning of Code Blue, crash cart, or the command ‘clear’ need no explanation,” Schneider says.
- Use everyday language. You’ll be tempted to use jargon, but then you might have to explain the terminology on top of the facts you’re trying to share. Explain your factual information in plain language.
- Lean into it. Sometimes, it’s ok to go full nerd.
