Backstory can be fun to write and interesting to read, but it doesn’t come without problems. Too much and it cuts into the pacing, too little and we don’t know why characters behave the way they do.
What is backstory?
In fiction, backstory refers to the events that took place before the story begins. It’s the experiences of the characters and the history of the fictional world. Without thinking about backstory, your characters and places may seem two-dimensional rather than fully fleshed out and real to your readers.
You can present backstory as a prologue, or drop it into the present through dialogue, flashbacks, and memories. Not everyone includes backstory in the narrative, but it’s still useful as a planning tool.
In the young adult novel House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, the backstory is initially presented as a prologue about happened several years earlier. It doesn’t just give readers the characters’ history, it also creates the tone of the novel and the setting it takes place in.
Not all backstory makes it into the story. Sometimes it helps with creating your character and giving reasons for their motivation, goals, and reactions to conflict. Here are a few examples from the Harry Potter stories.
The character…
- had a demanding father: Draco Malfoy
- was bullied at school: Neville Longbottom
- was an orphan: Harry Potter
- Grew up in a loving family: Ron Weasley
- Was spoiled by his parents: Dudley Dursley
- Lost their first and only love: Severus Snape
However, don’t rely on a tragic backstory to take the place of character development or as an excuse for toxic behavior. Just like real people, your characters’ personal histories can exert an influence on their behavior, but don’t have to define them.
What are the issues?
Using backstory in the narrative can give depth to your characters and add interesting information about them and your story’s universe. But if you use too much or it’s in the wrong place, it can cause problems such as breaking the flow of the scene or confusing the reader with its relevance. Below are a few of the worst offenders.
1. It turns into an info-dump
An info-dump happens when a writer wants to share a sizable amount of information with the reader, but instead of threading the information through the narrative they dump everything in one place. You can find info-dumps in extended monologues, memories, flashbacks, and prologues. They’re often overwhelming to read because of the amount of detail that’s included.
Fix
If the information is necessary for the plot, try to break it into smaller pieces and use a variety of ways to drop it into the story.
2. It’s irrelevant
Another issue can be that the backstory is not related to the present events. It might be interesting, but if there is no connection to what’s happening now, it’s going to confuse the readers why it’s there. If your character is crossing a river by boat but remembers learning how to read as a child, ask yourself if it’s really essential readers need to know that.
Fix
Consider whether the backstory is essential to the plot or something that only you need to know. If you really want to keep it, try looking for another place where it’s a better fit.
3. It interrupts the pacing
Badly placed backstory can slow down or even interrupt your story’s pacing by taking the reader out of the ‘now’ and bringing them back to the ‘before.’ If this happens during an intense fight scene or when the characters are racing against time, it can feel like slamming on the breaks to your readers. Not only that, the language will also change because of the change in tense. Too much past perfect (had eaten, had watched, had seen etc.,) can feel very repetitive and clunky.
Fix
Try removing the backstory from where it begins to where it ends. Usually, the scene will work even better without it because it will keep moving forward at a brisk pace.
4. It derails the story
Sometimes, the backstory can seem more interesting than the present narrative. This makes readers wonder why they aren’t reading about that. If you start with a prologue, the opening paragraph of the actual story will need to reassure your readers that this part is going to be even better than what came before.
Fix
Unfortunately, it’s possible you’re writing the wrong story or have started in the wrong place. You could try tweaking the main narrative in order to make it more exciting.
Conclusion
Think of your backstory as breadcrumbs that you drop into the narrative as and when it’s needed. Readers are great at picking up clues and filling in the gaps. You don’t need to overload them with past events to explain what’s happening now. Backstory is interesting in moderation, but remember, most readers bought your book for the present story, not what came before.
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