The feedback I have received so far is that there is too much backstory provided in conversations between characters, which doesn't ring true because the characters would probably already know the info; therefore, it reads as though it was simply inserted for the reader's benefit. While I disagree, in that it is established that one of the characters in the conversation does not have this information, I'd rather focus on the issue of construct.

If you have a story that is restricted to a certain number of words, and you need to provide backstory in some way that flows realistically through the narrative but still provides vital information to the reader, how do you do it? If the characters don't talk about it, what other way is there to fit it in, keeping in mind you don't have a lot of room for prologue or excessive exposition?

Yeah, it is hard to pull off. Lots of information has to get to the reader, but many if not all of your characters know it. And if they don't, maybe they should. Maybe the problem folks have had is that it is hard to believe that this character doesn't have that information. Or maybe not.

I actually have a story that I have to just put down as good practice because the character could NOT have been expected to know certain things, and the info dump comes at the end. Oh well.

Other ways to get the information: someone thinking about it. Not in huge blocks, but in small snippits, here and there as they act out something, or even while they are talking.

And about there, you have to stop and look up. Because telling your readers about a world is a sure way not to have any. It all comes down to story.

Tell the story. Include only the bits of backstory that are needed to tell your story. And only include the bits of the backstory as and when you need them.

Info-dumps are dull. Info-dumps are a switch off for readers. So, slide in the pieces of information that you _NEED_ them to have, when you can, and when it seems right. If there's no need for them to have it, leave it for the moment.

Have a look at the final version of the opening to Enders Shadow (it's in the writing class on the main site - lesson 4). The backstory - about Rotterdam - is included very carefully, through Poke's eyes.

If the information is vital--(say character one has an ex spouse) then you can fit that in like this---(also other things can be handled the same way.

Jay strutted around the room sharing the news that he would soon be married. Tom shook his head. Marriage was a crock--he should know, he had the ex wives to prove it.

When an even happens if it is a "trigger" for thoughts on the POV character's part then by all means slip a line in. But it can seem contrived if two characters talk about the past and the story stops so the reader gets this info.

Use your POV character to show the reader why the present events of the story matter to the characters. In doing so, you will explore the POV character's expectations and previous experiences. Do go and read Uncle Orson's Writing Class: lesson #4 as WileyKat suggested, it is a good example.

Don't use a prologue as a place to dump backstory. A prologue has to stand on its own as a distinct and interesting literary work almost in its own right, and it has to frame the story. Using the prologue as a place to dump data is a good way to turn off readers, who will either read the prologue and decide that you're a boring writer or will not read the prologue and think you're being deliberately obscure when they can't understand the story.

As an example in a different media, in the Slayers anime series "Info Dumps" were often used to talk about things that were "known" except by one character who was an idiot and could barely remember his own name. The combination of idiot/innocent and talkative-know-it-all can be used for info dumps. Another method is for flashbacks and thought processes to touch upon segments of backstory that might not necessarily be known.

David Eddings used information dumps to a great extent by the mere fact that in his Belgarion quintology, the main character (who starts out a young boy of around 14) honestly has no knowledge of the outside world, having been raised on a farm all his life. Using an innocent in this regard allows the writer to tell backstory, often in the form of stories and histories, to help bring the reader up to date, and doing it realistically so that it's more than just "information dump" but also helping expand the innocent and helping him or her grow as a character.

And in the Princess Bride novel (not the movie but the original) they had blatent information dumps where the writer made fun of the info dump by summing up everything and explaining it away as "ten pages of discussion on the sociopolitical situation of the kingdom" or somesuch. It's an amusing read, and not all that much like the movie - though the movie has a special place in my heart if only because I like Peter Falk and he made a great grandfather.

Basically you can use introductory segments to lay the groundwork and then judicious use of info dumps used either as dialog to inept/unknowning characters to bring them up to date or using character thought-processes to muse on bits of history - like a veteran musing over a GermanConcentration Camp Museum and thinking of back when his platoon freed it from the Nazis.

I take it to mean that the first is free refers to POV---

If you don't draw the reader then they will not go on.

Editors and agents have said: If the first few paragraphs don't draw me in then I don't read on.

Nothing in writing is free.

As an example, take the beginning credits of the movie Star Wars. It helped set the scene of the movie. In fact, if you did not read the opening credits you would be left wondering just who these soldiers in white are, who their big black-garbed boss is, and why they are chasing down princesses in small starships.

Likewise, the beginning of my scifi story has four paragraphs that sum up the past hundred years of history on that world, help setting the stage and a little background material so that there need be fewer information dumps later in the book.

Maybe this is more akin to an "Introduction" instead of a "Prologue" (such as what Anne McCaffrey did with her Dragonriders of Pern series). And the information can be presented in different forms as well. But this introductory material is best suited at the start of a story, more often than not.

Well, sort of.

Anyway, he's led by three others who've been there before, and as I write the story, I find myself spewing out large chuncks of information about the different types of magic and different laws of physics, and history, and culture, and laws...and so on and so forth, etc. As I write, however, I also find myself looking back and realizing that the past three or four pages are nothing but Character A telling Character B how and why this and that works, and I make a note to trim it down a little on my second draft (2nd draft-1st - 10%, after all), but the info is important, so I don't know if I should. Oh, how I'm torn.

Anyway, despite the babble spewed forth just seconds ago, I actually have a question that seemed to kind of fit in this post. OSC says prologues are something to be feared and despised (basically) but I find myself writing them often. In my current novel, the prologue is the longest chapter by far, recounting the experiences of two men, 15 years apart. In truth, I added the prologue (though I could have almost as easily erase the whole thing) because the novel feels kind of empty without it. Should I scrap it anyway?

Oh, and what of epilogues?

I do agree on prologs as being unneeded. Most times the info is the author "setting" up the story. Also the same with all those paragraphs explaining why, what, who, where, how---this info can be given as the story goes on.

Star Wars. No we would not have known who they characters were--but as the story went on we would have found out.

If you can work the info into the story in such a way that the reader doesn't know he/she is being given info the story is almost always going to be much better. I will even go so far as to say, it will always be a better read.

I know I often skip the prolog in a book---the info is almost always repeated in the story itself, and I would rather gain the info from the characters themselves than the author speaking to me.

And info dumps---long passages where characters talk about the nuts and bolts of things---as soon as I see the as you know line—ugh, I often skip long sections or skip reading the rest of the book. (unless I want to read how not to write).

I, too, once felt as if I had to "set up" the story or the reader wouldn't know what was going on. Once I got past that, my writing improved greatly.

IMHO

Of course it's easiest to get sympathy with a character that knows what the reader knows. That's why characters like Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver, Buck Rogers, and The Savage (Brave New World) work so well. These POV characters don't know what's going on, actually increasing reader sympathy for them.

This is also true in short stories, we know nothing about any of the characters when we start to read. The writer’s task is to introduce the person to us, not all at once but in small interesting segments. The same with the description of place/time/mood etc.

For the writer benefit (if the back story is very large in your mind) it may be good to write a list of the main points of the back story, and then see where and when these can be interjected into the story, and write the story as if you have written this in a prologue. This way you can expand the important ones, and ignore those that would have been superfluous to the story had you just put them in during the initial draft. It's mind-numbingly hard to remove bits after, rather than leaving them out from the start, as you will already have each part of the back-story as a necessity in your own mind.

As for epilogues…
Well. They seem to be really good in some stories and ruin the ending of a book in others. But they can be used cleverly to accomplish certain tasks.
To finish a thread left part way through the story, many start with something around the lines of “And what of the ….”.
To lead into the next instalment with the start of a few little threads. This can be seen in Terry Prachett’s book ‘Eric’, where he uses the epilogue to hint that the hero has not really died and all may be well and good in the next 15 books. (I jest; the next 15 books were very good )

The best bet is to write an epilogue and see if it fits in with the story without detracting from it. If it does, then keep it, if not highlight and delete (Or for the likes of me, get the old eraser out and make a mess of the page )

Kind regards

As for the short story that prompted my question, there is no prologue. What I had done was have the adult characters review relevant chunks of information with the POV character, a pre-teen who wouldn't know everything the adults know about his world and why it is the way it is.

However, thanks to all your good advice, I've been combing back through it and removing excessive info that the reader doesn't need to know to "get" the story (even if I, the writer, thought it was cool). I think that will improve the pacing without removing details that give the plot context. I'm also going to try to toss in relevant thoughts/one liners (thanks, Shawn!) instead of including everything in conversations between characters.