So this is kinda random and weird, but do you have any tips/suggestions on how to reveal backstory? I’ve got my character’s backstory all planned out and it’s essential to the story, I just can’t think of a way to talk about it with giving an info dump. Thanks!
Sure no problem! I actually have a bit of a pattern I do when doing character backstory reveals! I may or may not have learned it from watching Avatar: The Last Airbender several times, and I have named it just now:
Little Hints, Big Reveal.
Ok so the first thing is, obviously, to give Little Hints. Don’t do info dumps at the beginning, that’s the rule about info dumps. Not at the beginning. You can have Little Hints be things like:
something a person says (Avatar Example: Iroh asks Zuko if he remembers what happened “the last time you dueled a master”, it pans over to show only Zuko’s scar, and he says “I will never forget”)
something a person does (Avatar Example: Zuko’s general aggression hinting at his past)
what their goals are (Avatar Example: Zuko is focused on finding the Avatar, and the reason for that is tied to his backstory)
honestly things they wear/what they look like (Avatar Example: Zuko has a giant burn on the side of his face. What the heck is up with that?)
how other people act around them (Avatar Example: People are pretty wary around Zuko, except for Iroh. Does Iroh know something we don’t?)
Any of other hints you can think of! As long as they don’t outright tell you what happened/their backstory, then it’s good!
Now, we get to the Big Reveal. Now, this is gonna sound a lot like an info-dump, and that’s because it is! But the key is, it’s not all the info. Here’s the thing:
Info dumps are okay. You just don’t want an overwhelming amount on info.
Now here’s my Avatar Example: Season 1, Episode 12: The Storm. This is the episode where you get the info dump of Zuko’s backstory.
BUT HERE’S THE THING: You don’t just get an info dump on Zuko, you also get one on Aang. This is where you need to get creative with your info-dumping because the way the writers of Avatar avoiding the overwhelming amount of info is they alternated between storylines. There were three storylines in that episode: 1. Zuko’s Backstory, 2. Aang’s Backstory, and 3. Sokka getting caught in a storm on a fishing boat. That way, you got a bit of each story line, but didn't get bored!
Now don’t worry, there’s more than one way to do this besides having multiple storylines, though that is a great option:
my personal favorite are when something happens and a character gets angry and basically spills their heart out to everyone. It’s the one that happens most in my writing, I call them Rants (like a normal rant but with a capital R for Emphasis)
a character sticks their nose where it doesn’t belong. Oops I just read your diary, oops I went into your secret vault and found a bunch of crazy shit, oops just overheard you and your family arguing, oops I pestered your friend into telling me what was going on (needless to say, these are called Oopsies, cuz I’m original)
something tied to their backstory comes back to haunt them and they have to explain what’s going on. Some examples are: an illness getting worse, a person from their past showing up, a literal ghost coming to haunt them, etc. (I of course call these Old Ghosts)
Any other ways you can think of, this bit is usually more invested in the story, it’s different for each book!
NOW HERE’S A IMPORTANT POINT: DO NOT GIVE ALL THE INFORMATION! There must be more left to learn after this info dump!
Because here’s the thing...
They give you Zuko’s backstory, but not all of it. They make sure you still have more to learn. We learn that Zuko’s father was the one who burned him, but we still have questions! You know why?
Because they gave us more little hints!!!!! What’s Zuko’s dad look like?? Who’s this gal in the front row who looks like she’s really enjoying this??? Will Zuko learn to be better somehow??? AAAAA
And like the like the cycle of the Avatar, it starts all over again. More Little Hints, more Big Reveals.
The number of hints and reveals varies from story to story based on how long it is, but in my experience, there are often at least 2 big reveals for a character: One at the Climax/Middle, and one at the End. This is not a required rule, it’s just something I have personally observed.
I hope this helps!! Let me know what you all think!