Writing Right

Hi Lynn,
Yes, I think we've all read those fact-laden fiction books, ugh. Some people don't notice or care because they feel they'regetting a "good value" for their entertainment dollar--they feel as if the author "worked" for it. I say, it's a novel, not a dissertation, and I don't want to feel as if I'm grading it.
There are definitely other things that can weigh a story down ---like too much back story being woven in too quickly. It clumps up and keeps the story from flowing seamlessly.
As for buoying things up . . . the right mix of dialogue and prose can lift a chapter out of the doldrums. And the judicious use of language and impingement can make the piece feel as if it's in motion.
Kelly