I’d like to thank dialott for submitting in this question:
Hi there! I’m not sure if you already talked about this or not, but whats the best way to write a flashback when someone in your story is telling another character about an event that’s happened in the past? I’ve seen some people write flashbacks all in italics, but I heard that writing large amounts of italics is a no-no? Or is that okay?
I decided to make this post rebloggable since many of you like to reblog these writing guides for future references.
Before anything, I just want to say that flashbacks slow the action of the story down and if not used correctly, they can bore a reader or just make them skip the flashback process altogether. It is important to know when and where to place a flashback.
Avoid using putting a flashback right in the beginning of the chapter or at the end of the chapter. It may confuse the reader, make them frustrated, and lose their overall interest. That is not to say that all readers will do that, just some. If anything, don’t make flashbacks so long that it’s more exciting (or often, more boring) than your main story. It’s better to insert smaller flashbacks throughout the story rather than have it all in one go. Of course, preference varies by reader.
Because a flashback slows down a scene, keep in mind that you should avoid placing it in the middle of an action or climatic scene. I’ve seen some writers incorporate flashbacks in a dream sequence. Most just avoid the flashback altogether and have the character explain something that happened in the past by having side character ask the main character a question about their past in which the main explains.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of long, italicized flashbacks. And often, if an AFF reader is reading on mobile, the italics will not show up on their phone because the layout features are not compatible on mobile or it’s the way their phone is made. If the reader cannot distinguish between a flashback, then they’ll be completely lost in what they’re reading. I’ve been a victim to such and it’s really not convenient for me. Then again, I’m not a big fan of flashbacks but sometimes it just can’t be avoided.
I found the following example from here and I thought it portrays how a successful flashback should be written. The parenthesized words are explaining how the flashback transitions in and out:
The tannoy announced the next train about to arrive, but Jane wasn’t listening. Her mind drifted off, thinking of an earlier time in her life, somewhere in the past as she remembered her elder sister.
(Flashback begins in pluperfect tense)
They had played so many times in the apple orchard at the bottom of their parent’s garden, dashing in and out of the trees and shaking them to make the apples fall, and they had giggled beneath the large cherry blossom tree, protected by its pretty canopy, but the laughter soon ended when their parents split and they had become separated from each other.
(Now the narrative eases back into past perfect tense to signal the end of the flashback)
The screech of the brakes brought her from her thoughts and Jane looked up, saw the train had stopped at the platform. A sea of people alighted, and finally, through the mass of people, she caught a glimpse of a face she hadn’t seen for seventeen years…
Yes, the flashback is in italics but there really isn’t any other way to avoid not writing a flashback in italics. Though inconvenient, that’s just the way it’s going to have to be. Take note that the flashback is not too long but not too short that it’s almost unnecessary either.
I hope that this guide has helped you iron out queries you’ve had about whether or not you want to write a flashback. I have actually written a few myself but most, of course, were not professionally written. If this didn’t help, you can always ask or you can check out these links: one, two, three.
