Chris' Christian Blog

March 31, 2017

"March 31, 2017"  ** Image ID #2113629 Unavailable **




The Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum prompt fot Friday March 31 is "Do you know the difference between back story and info dumps? Do you believe these terms are interchangeable? Can you easily spot an info dump infused paragraph?"

Y

es I can tell the difference between a back story and an info dump. A backstory tells the reader what is going on behind the scenes. It tells the reader why things happen as tthey do. It explains the character or writer's thoughts. An info dump is a lot of needless descriptions and unrelated information. It may have some actual bearing on the story or article but it falls under the 'TMI" category. It's way too much information. I often read things and think "Why should I give a care if a character or reader is eating salad when the plot is a crime scene? Tell me about the crime!"
Info dumps may work well if you are writing a college term paper and want to provide as much detail and explanation as possible. There are times when the information is unnecessary and unwanted.



The Blog City Prompt Forum Prompt is "In writing, there are different categories of tells: motivational, emotional, mental, stage direction, descriptive and passive. Do you understand what each is? How important is telling at the sentence level? Keep in mind, that tell is subjective."

T

ell has a very important role at the sentence level. It's role varies with each of the descriptive subjects mentioned but is still important. Tell at the motivational level convinces the reader or persuades the reader to take action. It explains a problem and gives the reader a solution. Then it urges the reader to carry out the instructions. Tell at the emotional level describes a situation in such a way that the reader is led to feel a certain emotion. If the story is a sad one the reader is urged to feel the character's sadness or pain. It leads the reader to empathy for what the character feels or what the writer wants the reader to feel. When I was writing opinion letters about people burning crosses in my yard because I was baby sitting an African-American child, I wanted my readers to feel anger toward the hatred. I wanted them to say "No more hatred."

So I wrote my editorial to evoke that emotional response and many readers did cry out and condemn the hatred. Mental is important because it describes the motives of the character or the writer. When I write it is my hope that my readers see things through my eyes. If that is to happen the reader must know my thoughts and mental state. Stage direction basically instructs. It directs the reader to do a certain thing and expects them to do so. it may expect them to take a certain action or it may inform the reader of the characters movements. Descriptive sort of covers each of the topics already discussed because they are descriptive in their own way. Descriptive is background information and character development. It paints a scene the reader can see in their mind. Passive is simply a state of submission. It tells things in a non aggressive way. It can be very important when you simply want to inform.

W

ow! I don't know about anybody else but I can't believe the March round of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge is over. I challenge all of my readers to participate in the next round. It is a ton of fun! It also commits you to writing something each day so your muse will get their needed exercise. So come on out and join the next 30 Day Blogging Challenge! Next prompt will be Monday night, April 3, 2017.