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Feb 19, 2024 · There are several different techniques you can use to convey backstory. Last year, I did a three-part series about backstory techniques. 1. Sharing Backstory With the Backstory Drip. The main one is the one you’re going to want to use in pretty much any story, even if you do choose to use some of the other techniques.
- Too much, Too Soon
- Timing Is Everything
- The Right Balance
- When in Doubt
One of the most common mistakes I note when I’m called upon to offer comments on aspiring authors’ manuscripts is that the author has included too much backstory in the opening pages. Sometimes, the novel plods along page after page as the author diligently works to set up the story, and I have to force myself to keep reading. Other times, the nove...
Managing backstory in a novel is a matter of control. A good storyteller has no trouble thinking up rich histories for his characters. But a good novelist holds these details back, revealing them only at the time that best serves the story. “Rushing the backstory is a terrible waste,” says Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art o...
How can you discern which instances of backstory are crucial to the story and which are not? Folio Literary Management’s Jeff Kleinman offers a simple answer: “Backstory is the stuff the author figures the reader should know—not stuff the character desperately wants to tell the reader. If it’s critical to the character, it’s critical to the reader,...
For authors struggling with backstory, Kleinman has this advice: “In almost all cases, if it’s backstory, it needs to be cut.” This might seem drastic. If you’re not yet convinced, I offer this challenge: Comb through your opening chapters looking for backstory. Remove every instance, and see if your story doesn’t read better. I speak from experien...
- Don’t relate more than the briefest backstory in the first chapter because you need to create momentum, and backstory will stop progress dead. Too much too early can halt the main plot.
- Do avoid dropping a block of backstory as introspection, where the protagonist is deep in thought. Consider dribbling in backstory, drop-by-drop, like a drip coffee maker.
- Don’t forget that introspection is only one way to introduce backstory. Other options are dialogue and action.
- Do use actions to present core beliefs forged in the past. Does your character repeatedly check the front door lock as they recall a traumatic experience with a home invasion?
2 The Do’s and Don’ts of Revealing a Character’s Backstory. 2.1 DO Write Everything Down About Your Character. 2.2 DON’T Share Everything With Your Readers. 2.3 DO Pinpoint the Defining Events that Impacted the Character. 2.4 DON’T Get Carried Away. 2.5 DO Show Moral Conflict Throughout the Character’s Past.
- Choose what to explain as backstory and what to leave a mystery. Not every detail about every character’s past has to be explained. Using backstory effectively means using it for a purpose.
- Only use backstory for characters to explain behavior and plot developments. E.M. Forster said ‘only connect’. This is essential when it comes to writing backstory.
- Find how to write backstory without leaving your story’s present time. Your story can get bogged down quickly when you constantly leap back in time to show formative moments for characters.
- Know when to tell backstory and when to show it. You may have read or been told ‘show, don’t tell’ many times. This advice is useful on one hand. Showing the reader a scene and immersing the reader in your characters’ experience makes your fictional world more vivid and real.
Feb 15, 2020 · Backstory helps you write your novel. Backstory includes significant events that impact the character’s behavior and motivation during your story. The biggest benefit to backstory for each character is depth in your story. A rich character background allows you to pull details to improve distinctive character actions and dialogue in your story.
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Oct 6, 2024 · The key is to weave this into your story without dragging down the pace. Writing Backstory: How to Do It Right1. Sprinkle, Don’t DumpNobody likes an info dump. Picture this: you’re at a party, and someone starts telling you their entire life story in one go. Awkward, right? The same goes for backstory in your novel.
