Ditch Your Lore

There's been a couple of posts recently aboutwriters struggling with one aspect of their story or another because they keep writing "lore." The term becomes "background" away from fantasy fiction, but it is essentially the same: a bunch of stuff the reader needs to know, so the author can get on with the story. 

Lore has a purpose -- it establishes the reasons and rules for a particular circumstance. It also helps makes for great filler, like the chopped up upolstery they put in dog beds. Providing lore also is an art and failing to provide the background in a smooth and competent manner equals confusion or boredom or both. For example, when someone tells you a story but keeps interjecting with tangents and subtext that are essential to the story. This is annoying and takes you out of the moment. The opposite is also true, where someone provides so much lore that you feel like the narrative is lost somewhere beneath a jumble of exposition and maps.

Here's my thought: skip it. 

You may adore your little universe and all the nuances and subtleties within. But ultimately, that's for you. I'd rather write stories for other people, stories to which they can relate without a lot of subtext and background. There is some lore, of course, but rather than pretend you are the first person to ever write a story or to feature fantasy or space or anthropomorphic insects, just build on what is established.  

If the story has knights, most people know what a knight is. If the armor is made out of something, strange, fine, say that and move on. You don't need to explain the science of armor made out of magnesium or whatever. Do the minimum and then move on. Even if your story has something original, save your background there, too. You do want to explain, but ultimately, this is the pitfall to avoid: your story should be about overcoming obstacles, character development, and relationships, not the history of magic rowboats.

So when I find myself getting bogged down in lore, I stop. I focus on what the reader believes my story is about, and then reframe it so that the lore is no longer necessary. I put back in enough to guide the reader and then spend the extra time back on the things they'll remember: the adventure that the people and characters undertake.