hi! i'm kinda new to writing and one of the biggest problems i have is inserting backstory/background info (eg. a character's past, a flashback, events that happened prior to the story, or details about the past that explain a current situation) without it being too overbearing and lengthy. do you have any tips for inserting backstory seamlessly? thank you in advance 💓💓
• i will start by saying this, a sentence that every writer should know and remember: a reader does not need to know everything. once you realize that, i promise it will be easier.
to begin with, what's the backstory for? it is, first of all, a way to introduce the dynamics of a character to readers but also, and above all, information that helps the main plot’s development.
the last thing you want is for your backstory to slow it down.
for example, writing in a chapter that my character had a difficult childhood, ruined by the mockery of his classmates from kindergarten to high school.
this detail seems anodyne, right? however, when later that same character will be reluctant to befriend another, i will be able to justify and understand his distrust.
on the contrary, writing that my character likes apple pies when they are perfectly golden and cooked thanks to his black oven has no use and, as a reader, this information will serve no purpose other than to WEIGH DOWN the chapter.
details, yes, but not too much. the reader wants to get to know the character, but above all he wants the story to move forward. that is the main objective. too much backstory can cause the reader to lose track.
if, however, you are determined to tell the entire backstory of your character in your work, then space these anecdotes, or simplify them. you're not writing a biography, you're writing a story in your own right.
flashbacks are a good idea to introduce these elements but they should not be too numerous to the point that you tell the story of the past and no longer that of the present.
to be honest, there are no real rules when it comes to backstory, just advice. each author has a different style, and if it is influenced by realism and naturalism, then they will tend to want to add a lot of details.
if you do this, and i come back to a previous idea, synthesize them. sometimes a writing style with simple vocabulary and short sentences make it easier for the reader to record information without getting tired.
a very interesting blog article, which i will link in the sources, has written a list that could guide you in your writing.
“there’s too much back story if readers notice it.”
“there’s too much if readers skip it.”
“there’s too much if it completely erases a story’s momentum.“
“there’s too much if there’s more back story than current story.”
“there’s too much if it interrupts multiple scenes or chapters in a row.”
“there’s too much if one character dwells only on the past.”
“there’s too much if every character has a flashback.”
“there’s too much back story if there’s more—or nearly as much—reporting of what has happened before the current time in the story than what is happening now. back story should be a very small percentage of the narrative.”
“back story is in the wrong place if it short-circuits a building momentum or interrupts an emotional or dramatic scene.”
“t’s in the wrong place if it’s placed back to back with other instances of back story.”
→ sources / interesting articles: 1, 2, 3, 4.