I'm a little apprehensive about this because I'm a writer who's about to start writing an AU in a setting I would consider myself extremely knowledgeable about (as an onlooker, not a participant, but that's typical...it's a more glamorous modern-world type niche, not a normal job). So for me, part of the fun would be "how do I incorporate my knowledge of the history, but also a different history in an alternate universe where several generations of Star Wars characters presumably have existed." I'd appreciate any advice as to how I can do this without being info-dumpy or pretentious.
If it starts to sound like a brochure, instructional guide, or textbook, you've gone into info-dump territory. If you're writing scenes or dialogue to show off how much you know about a subject or that you have insider knowledge and it doesn't have any bearing on the plot or characterization, that's treading the line into pretentious.
Bearing in mind that everyone has different preferences for how much detail they want, this might be one area where a good beta reader is helpful, if you can get one. An unbiased (positively or negatively) reader can help you pinpoint when and where you've started to go off the rails, while not cutting the interesting bits which seem boring to you because you know them already.
Yeah, I think I could really use a beta reader's help here. It's hard because it's for an exchange, so I don't want to advertise the details of the fic under my own name (as it will out me). I get the feeling from my recip's request that they would like to see something that goes into detail about the AU setting, which I'd be happy to do; but also that they could be difficult to please in other ways, which makes me feel like I might as well throw up my hands and do my own thing.
So, how do I get a beta reader for a tricky anonymous assignment that won't wind up set in the canon world? ;)
If all your characters are aware of the shared history, they won't tend to tell each other about it, though conversations presuming that shared knowledge can provide some exposition if you're deft with it. A line or two of setting here and there might help too.
The usual trick is to have someone who doesn't know the history there as an expositionary foil, but that can be heavy-handed. I remember one story that had a kid's school tour walk past them and the tour guide providing three paragraphs of historical backstory. That was awful.
Oh and there was another one I read that had an early scene set at a parade celebrating some historical day, with descriptions of parade floats depicting important moments of the history. Not a good plan.
This is why I tend to stay away from stories by authors I don't know that focus on someone being non-binary or trans or asexual, etc., because they're often handled so poorly and it becomes a multiple paragraph lecture about how to properly address someone and what the label really means.
It's possible to get those details in a fic without turning it into a heavy-handed lecture in the midst of a story.
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Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 04:31 am (UTC)(link)Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 05:19 am (UTC)(link)Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 06:13 am (UTC)(link)Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 06:18 am (UTC)(link)So, how do I get a beta reader for a tricky anonymous assignment that won't wind up set in the canon world? ;)
Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 06:18 am (UTC)(link)The usual trick is to have someone who doesn't know the history there as an expositionary foil, but that can be heavy-handed. I remember one story that had a kid's school tour walk past them and the tour guide providing three paragraphs of historical backstory. That was awful.
Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 06:20 am (UTC)(link)Oh and there was another one I read that had an early scene set at a parade celebrating some historical day, with descriptions of parade floats depicting important moments of the history. Not a good plan.
Re: Writing AUs
(Anonymous) 2016-03-05 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)It's possible to get those details in a fic without turning it into a heavy-handed lecture in the midst of a story.