#but the charcaters don’t know they’re characters (well kind of depends) but they don’t know the narratives or lessons they’re teaching

[jeanjauthor]

So I have a charcater who really overshares, and is so proud about her family. But I’ve seen people say about info dumping and how bad it is. Even though it’s part of my charcaters main personality traits alongside with too trusting, sensitive, chatty, charismatic, overthinks but gets carried away when chatting and ends up blurting out her thoughts when comfortable, with a deep fear of failure and shame from childhood. Is it ok? Or would it come across OTT?

Ooh, this is a good question!

A lot of folks who have autism, ADHD, social anxiety (some shut down, while others never shut up) and other similar neurodivergencies, do this sort of thing. (I know, I'm one of 'em, lol.) Some people will definitely get annoyed by it, but other people genuinely enjoy infodumps...up to a point. There is a valid concern that it might get to be too much.

However...keep in mind that Laurell K. Hamilton wrote one of her Meredith Gentry books where it was literally just people in a room talking to each other. The whole time. For, like, 2 hours' worth of reading, they just talked. In a room.

I mean, srsly, if that's not an infodump, what is?? But she managed to pull it off, make it interesting enough that I kept reading, despite the lack of location change, the lack of action scenes, etc.

Anyway...

The trick is to intersperse other things. This can be actions, location changes, etc, but often includes commentary from other people--dialogue, not just diatribe, ideally--so on and so forth.

Additionally, is this the main character? A secondary character (close to the main character, interacts with them a lot), or a tertiary character (on the periphery of the story)? That can help you to tailor how much they "take over the story-telling" as it were.

How do the people around this character react to them? You mention that when she gets carried away and blurts out her thoughts when comfortable...do the other characters around her realize she is comfortable in their presence? Do they realize it's a sort of honor that she is this comfortable in their presence, even if the chattiness and thought-blurting may be A Bit Much?

(Keeping in mind that their reaction depends on their own interest in the subjects being discussed, their own reactions to what is being said, their own thoughts / feelings / reactions to her as a person overall, and of course their current mood, etc, naturally.)

What kind of story is it? Is this mostly an action-driven story? Or a character-driven story? In the latter, we writers can get away with a lot more dialogue & infodumping when that infodumping helps us not only to learn about a character, but to watch them grow and learn as the story progresses.

Chatty characters who are going through a period of learning, growth, attitude changes, etc, can be quite interesting and even compelling in those types of stories, because of this factor: The reader is being taken through these changes, too.

Now, if the character's growth and change isn't the focus of the story, that's perfectly fine, too! If they're a secondary character and their main role is to be the Infodumper™, that's completely legit. What you can do with these types of characters plot-wise is to have them occasionally bring up information that will be useful either right in that moment, or in just a little bit later, or have them re-bring-up that information much later, reminding the main characters of such-and-such plot point which will be something that "saves the day" in some way.

This can literally be done as a reminder of "but don't forget about this tidbit" OR it can be done like, "huh...I wonder if anyone ever realized that Count Rathbach is from Lithuania just like Sara Gilovich is... I know Lithuania is a pretty big country, but I wonder if they ever knew each other back home--it sure would explain a few things!" And BOOM! Your characters, who were chatting with Sara thinking she was friendly, suddenly realize who fed the Evil Count all the information needed to infiltrate the whatever-it-was and spoil their original plans.

We have a bad habit of assuming those that don't talk must therefore think deeply, and those that talk too much must therefore never think at all, or at least never think deeply. Feel free to break these stereotypes with your chatty thoughtful character. The movie Legally Blonde showcased a chatty vivacious character who was still incredibly smart.

This could be a feature of your chatty character, one that people don't realize right at the start is very smart. (This happens because we dismiss overly chatty people due to misogyny, toxic masculinity, patriarchy, & other toxic beliefs over who "gets" to be chatty versus who "should" be closed-mouthed / laconic.)

One last thing, if this character is the main character, or one of the main characters...definitely do what you can to show her thoughts versus her words. If she's going to feel comfortable among Certain People Only...perhaps she could think, I know some things you don't know, Mr. Count!! But I'm not gonna say a word otherwise to you! I don't trust you!

Also, what she says as a chatty person around Certain People can be a good clue as to who she considers trustworthy. People have been masking in terms of what information they share with which people for countless generations--to Count Rathbach, she might come across as A Chatty Shallow Ditz who only ever speaks about puppies and food and the county faire...but among the trusted central protagonists, she could actually be showcasing her brilliance at putting things together, like Sara maybe knowing the Count, 'cause it would just explain so very much...

There is nothing wrong with a chatty character, whether they're the main character, the infodumper, an important-connections-maker, the Reminder-er, et cetera. Just try to tailor how much they chatter to the situation and their role in the story--more for a main or major character, less for a side character, etc.

Above all, try not to have everyone disparaging her chattiness. Why? Because it is associated with many types of neurodivergencies and/or illnesses, such as anxiety, ADHD, etc. It's not always a case of those things, but it is associated with them.

What we read, we absorb, internalize, and reflect back out to the world. It's important not to villify neurodivergencies as well as physical divergencies--whether or not chattiness is stemming from these divergencies, it is often seen as some sort of "deficiency" and often shamed socially, like "--Can't you ever shut up?? What are you, (R word)??"

Remember the lesson of Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. Eeyore is very obviously clinically depressed, yet his friends always offer to include him in various activities, even when he turns them down repeatedly. In the case of a perennially chatty character, show her friends and story companions accepting (or coming to accept) her chatty ways, and to appreciate her for her thoughts, insights, and willingness to share them with those she trusts--hell, have ‘em going to her deliberately to learn all the good gossip and/or get her thoughts on a specific subject matter!

By showing the other characters accepting and even appreciating her chattiness, this helps your readers absorb, internalise, and reflect back out into the world an appreciation and acceptance for that chattiness in others.