How do I handle a backstory big enough to be a story of its own?
How do you handle backstory?
Backstory Best Practices
- Only insert backstory where it’s relevant. Backstory should always be triggered by something that’s happening in the story present. …
- Avoid “info-dumping” at all costs. …
- Always show the reader why the backstory matters.
How do you start a story backstory?
Here are some tips to help you write compelling backstories:
- Build a timeline of your character’s life events. …
- Make sure backstory details are relevant. …
- Draw inspiration from real life. …
- Show, don’t tell. …
- Don’t overload your first chapter with backstory.
How do you weave your backstory to your novel seamlessly?
Listen to your characters. Figure out what they desperately want to tell readers. Then hold these details back as long as you can. Reveal them gradually throughout your novel in clever, imaginative ways, and your story will remain firmly and engagingly in the “now.”
How do you show your character backstory?
The Do’s and Don’ts of Revealing a Character’s Backstory
- DO Write Everything Down About Your Character.
- DON’T Share Everything With Your Readers.
- DO Pinpoint the Defining Events that Impacted the Character.
- DON’T Get Carried Away.
- DO Show Moral Conflict Throughout the Character’s Past.
- DON’T Narrate the Backstory.
What is it called when a story goes back in time?
When writing a work of fiction, an author can take the reader out of the present story and jump into an earlier time period in a character’s life. This narrative tool is called a flashback.
How do you develop a character personality?
8 Tips for Character Development
- Establish a character’s motivations and goals. …
- Choose a voice. …
- Do a slow reveal. …
- Create conflict. …
- Give important characters a backstory. …
- Describe a character’s personality in familiar terms. …
- Paint a physical picture of your characters. …
- Develop secondary characters.
How long should a backstory be in a book?
Put the backstory in the main story.
Try not to give too much too soon to the reader. Instead, place the backstory into the story in doses or short sections. Include only one to two lines of backstory in a scene set in the present. This way, the backstory doesn’t feel too distracting to the reader.
What makes a good character backstory?
Balance giving some backstory upfront with gradually revealing characters’ foundations. It’s not always bad to tell the reader (rather than show) a character’s past. In epic fantasy novels, for example, prologues often give readers context for current events.
Can you start a book with a flashback?
Begin the story with action. Don’t begin with a flashback after spending only a trivial amount of time in the story’s present. Introduce important characters in the beginning. Begin with a scene that will introduce a major conflict.
How do you write a traumatic backstory?
Show the characters processing their trauma and trying to resolve their issues. How do their brains connect the moment to reminders of the past? Give your characters a backstory, but don’t let the traumatic event dictate their entire lives. Real people never want to be defined by a single thing that happened.
When should you reveal a character’s backstory?
We should discover character backstory only when it’s natural and necessary. For example, I wrote a novella in which the main character is missing three fingers from his right hand. This detail is clearly established in the second scene, yet the reader doesn’t immediately know where his fingers went.
What is the main purpose of backstory in a narrative?
Backstory has two main jobs to fulfill in your story: (1) to reveal important information about the main characters, and (2) to help depict a fully realized story world.
What is an example of backstory?
Backstory includes the events that directly lead to the “story” and its storyform. For example: Bob’s backstory involved the loss of a child pet that made him hypersensitive to having children, pets, or any other form of personal responsibility.
What is a good sentence to start a story?
There was a secret meeting in the morning and she absolutely had to be there. There was something about a music box that always made me think of home… I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was… He was heading back to the one place he hoped he’d never have to see again.
How do you start the first sentence of a book?
6 Tips for Writing a Memorable Opening Line
- Start in the middle of a story. The first lines don’t have to begin with long descriptions of a room’s appearance or a character’s personality. …
- Open with a mystery. …
- Flash back to the past. …
- Describe the current state of affairs. …
- Set the tone. …
- Start with a voice.
How do you start a first person story?
7 Tips for Beginning a Story in First-Person POV
- Establish a clear voice. …
- Start mid-action. …
- Introduce supporting characters early. …
- Use the active voice. …
- Decide if your narrator is reliable. …
- Decide on a tense for your opening. …
- Study first-person opening lines in literature.
How do I write a true story about my life?
10 Tips to Writing True-Life Stories
- Dig Deep. Find a story worth telling. …
- Remove Yourself. One of the hardest parts of writing a story about yourself is taking an objective look at your life. …
- Start Small. …
- Work in the Details. …
- Research, Research, Research. …
- Speculate Freely. …
- Structure the Plot. …
- Ask for Permission.