TMI: Too Much Information

          I am writing a new "Story 2" and in my haste to make sure that it links clearly to "Story 1" I noticed that I was putting in too many names and relationships from the first story.  I had to remind myself that the linkages have to happen naturally and each story has to stand alone.  If I put information in one story about a character in another story, there has to be a reason--and it had better relate to the one being read at the time.

          That is the most important thing to remember.  Each story has to stand alone.  Too much data from a previous story, or  foreshadowing of something that will happen in a later story, will compromise the integrity of the story I am working on.  I will confuse the reader with names and information that really belongs someplace else.

          The linkages have to be subtle.  The reader should come upon them and say, "Oh, that's what happened to Ruby. I wondered about that."  It should satisfy the reader's curiosity without infringing on the interest, the plot or the characters of the story that is being told.

          It is tempting to put in everything I know about the characters, the background and the events that happen to them, but it is dangerous.  Plainly, too much information, gets in the way of a clean story line and can often confuse the reader.