# Do you create a backstory for your characters?



## Devora (Feb 16, 2013)

I've found myself creating a small biography of the cast of characters in my story.

Does anyone else do this?

What do you think are the Pros and Cons of doing this?


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## Alex97 (Feb 16, 2013)

I do this as well.  On the plus side, it means each of your characters have more depth which can be revealed as the story progresses and explains why some characters act in a certain way. I liked the way Game of Thrones revealed a lot about the previous war through Eddard Stark's memories. Much better than just info dumping past events early in a novel.

On the other hand a good past story should co-exist with good character development.  The way a character behaves should be as a result of past and present.


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## Mockingjay Ignis (Feb 16, 2013)

Devora said:


> I've found myself creating a small biography of the cast of characters in my story.
> 
> Does anyone else do this?
> 
> What do you think are the Pros and Cons of doing this?



Yes, i do this with most of my characters. I hate it when Characters don't have any type of backstory whatsoever.


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## TheTdroid (Feb 16, 2013)

Yes, I do create a backstory for my character cast. It both helps me define their experience, talents and weaknesses, their motivation, and why they are where they are at this time.


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## Jaredonian (Feb 16, 2013)

I usually have more in depth histories for my characters depending on how important they are to my story.  However for the most part I like to discovery write my characters, because I'm often coming up with interesting ideas for their past as I write.  I don't really see many cons coming out of this, as long as you don't let you back story become too set in stone.  You'll probably want to leave yourself some room to add and change events in there past to gel with the story as you write it.


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## Anders Ã„mting (Feb 16, 2013)

Depends. I mean, I always have an idea of what kind of background each character has, but it's not like I bother writing their entire lives down unless their past is somehow important to the story.


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## Nihilium 7th (Feb 16, 2013)

I think writing at least a basic bio on characters of "importance" makes it easier to write the story because it helps develop their personality and the choices they might make. On the flip side it might restrict you when writing your story or might force you to be more creative.


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## Steerpike (Feb 16, 2013)

I also approach it with a general idea of the backgrounds of the characters, but without writing out bios.


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## Cinninamon (Feb 16, 2013)

For main characters, all the time. Sometimes I find that writing the backstory for a character can be just as fun as writing the main story itself. Also I find that if a character doesn't have some form of backstory that shows how they can be even vaguely relevant to a plot then I don't really see much point in them being there. A friend and myself have started a second draft of our book and we've dropped one of the main three characters because our third has lost interest in actually writing, her parts didn't really have much relevance to the plot and her character was seriously under developed.


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## The Unseemly (Feb 16, 2013)

Ah yes? I prefer to "integrate" backstories with the main plotline: I found that one of the big cons of backstories is that it's distracting the reader from the general storyline (unless, of course, it has greater relevance to the main storyline, much like the Gollum/Smeagul story). Also keeping backstories obscure adds a certain mystical element to the characters, which I like.


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## Jess A (Feb 16, 2013)

Definitely. Generally very basic, though. I mostly write points that will influence something in the plot. It helps to give the character context as well, a reason for his or her motives, the way they see the world they are currently in. It's a useful tool for me, the writer, to refer back to. You don't have to tell the reader all of it.


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## PlotHolio (Feb 16, 2013)

Backstories are awesome.


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## Aidan of the tavern (Feb 16, 2013)

Yes I do.  Rough bios, I make sure to leave sections blank if I don't feel I'm ready to fill it in, and probably there will be bits which will always remain blank, because its not for me to know.  I find it helps a lot, I'm way more confident writing a character if I have established some idea of backstory for them often for purely self-reference.  Otherwise I just don't know them, I don't know how to use them or write them.


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## crash (Feb 16, 2013)

I tend to give my main characters sort of a sketch of a back story, mostly amounting to date of birth, parents, siblings and something about their early years. Depending on my mood, I might pick a Myers-Briggs or Keirsey personality type, too.


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## Masronyx (Feb 16, 2013)

It's a double edged sword for me.

I've found that if I do a background story on a character, it'll either make or break that person; only because it will become too mired for me to continue because I get stuck on that particular story instead of the main one. My character backgrounds are more simplistic; their birth and upbringing and the events that led them to where they are when the story starts. Sometimes I get too mired with the the story of their parents or if I find a new character, it'll be either his/her child or a descendant. I've done that too often and gotten stuck too many times. It is great to find out why your character is the way he/she is, and how they got to that point. But for me, there is such a thing as going in too deep.


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## Alexandra (Feb 17, 2013)

There are no "cons" related to giving your characters personal histories or back stories as you call them, only "pros".


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## Bonesaw (Feb 17, 2013)

Yes.

The more prevalent they are, the more the backstory matters to me.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Feb 17, 2013)

Main POV characters... yes.

Secondary characters...yes, if their story is relevant to the overall plot or any sub-plot.

Minor characters...no, only rough sketches or outlines. No real back story.


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## CupofJoe (Feb 17, 2013)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> Main POV characters... yes.
> Secondary characters...yes, if their story is relevant to the overall plot or any sub-plot.
> Minor characters...no, only rough sketches or outlines. No real back story.


What T.Allen.Smith said... 
It helps iron out any conflicts, omissions and plot snarls that could crop up later in the story.


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## Jess A (Feb 17, 2013)

I also make a table/chart with the year of various characters' births and major life events. It's a good time-chart to figure out how old characters are in relation to each other (etc) throughout the story, and how old they were when certain major events happened. For example, a new King is crowned, there is a war, etc. This is particularly useful if the characters are related (not just by blood but by circumstance). Few authors mention exact ages I've noticed, but it's helpful to know what the rough ages are, so that I don't accidentally make the King 90 years old or something. 

This can also help plot snarls that may crop up.


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## Aidan of the tavern (Feb 17, 2013)

Jess A said:


> I also make a table/chart with the year of various characters' births and major life events. It's a good time-chart to figure out how old characters are in relation to each other (etc) throughout the story, and how old they were when certain major events happened. For example, a new King is crowned, there is a war, etc. This is particularly useful if the characters are related (not just by blood but by circumstance). Few authors mention exact ages I've noticed, but it's helpful to know what the rough ages are, so that I don't accidentally make the King 90 years old or something.
> 
> This can also help plot snarls that may crop up.



Yes, I have a timeline which I fill in to give me an idea of the timeframe.  Otherwise I get confused and contradict myself.  I also make a note of character ages even though I probably won't tell the reader .


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## Butterfly (Feb 17, 2013)

I have a few short stories set in the POVs' history at key events in their lives. Kind of like a short opening anthology to the whole story.


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## scottmarlowe (Feb 17, 2013)

Yes, most definitely. But I only do what I need for the story at first then fill in the rest at a later time as it's needed. This means that some characters can get a pretty good treatment upfront while others might only be a name and a role or profession. I do the same with general worldbuilding. I mostly just try to stay focused on moving the writing along. Otherwise I think it can become a huge task unto itself.


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## Jabrosky (Feb 17, 2013)

A few ideas on the characters' personalities and backstories can definitely help, although over-definition for some reason tends to feel constraining on my creativity as with other forms of outlining.


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## Masronyx (Feb 21, 2013)

How do you make the chart/table? Do you use Microsoft Excel or do you write it out longhand? 




Jess A said:


> I also make a table/chart with the year of various characters' births and major life events. It's a good time-chart to figure out how old characters are in relation to each other (etc) throughout the story, and how old they were when certain major events happened. For example, a new King is crowned, there is a war, etc. This is particularly useful if the characters are related (not just by blood but by circumstance). Few authors mention exact ages I've noticed, but it's helpful to know what the rough ages are, so that I don't accidentally make the King 90 years old or something.
> 
> This can also help plot snarls that may crop up.


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## Jess A (Feb 22, 2013)

Masronyx said:


> How do you make the chart/table? Do you use Microsoft Excel or do you write it out longhand?



I draw family trees and things out longhand. I do a lot of planning with pen and paper, actually.

However, you can also create a very simple table using MS Word, and I have also done this. Excel is a good idea, though. Play around with longhand or the computer until you figure out what works for you, and what info you want etc. 

Another point is the calendar. I haven't yet specified any sort of 'year' for my world. So I've started from year '1000' because it's easy to calculate. For instance, if I start the table or family tree at the birth of the first King/Queen of the major land, I might say it was year '0' or '1000'. The year may never make it into the book anyway and if it does I'll change it. 

An example of a table and simple plot might be (sorry if the format is awkward):

*Year ---- Event/Birth/Death -------------------------Current age of important character *
1000 ------- King founds new country ---------------------- King is 35
1036 ------- King marries Queen -----------------------------King is 36, Queen is 27
1036-------- Queen is evil, war is waged ------------------- King is 36, Queen is 27
1037---------Queen takes her baby son away-------------
1040-------- Main character is born --------------------------
1056---------She goes on a quest --------------------------- She is 16, evil Queen's son is 19 
1056---------She meets the queen's son and turns out he's a fantastic bloke so they adventure together ...etc.... King by now is 56 and getting old.


Probably none of this exact info would go into a novel, and my example plot sounds rather like the Lion King 2  just me having a laugh. But say this was my plot, I need to know that the ages and characters are realistic in relation to each other. You can add or take columns. Really it's a personal preference whether you do this sort of detail or format. This is what works for me, along with family trees, written diagrams, religion/history charts and drawn-out maps, etc.


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## D4RKM4K3R (Feb 24, 2013)

i find it definitely gives ur characters in ur story more depth  but sometimes its unnessasary to have them if there's no references to these events in ur story i find aha.


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## Jess A (Feb 25, 2013)

D4RKM4K3R said:


> i find it definitely gives ur characters in ur story more depth  but sometimes its unnessasary to have them if there's no references to these events in ur story i find aha.



It's not so much that it goes into the story. Hardly any of it does. It's to help the writer keep track of certain things and plot specifics, as well as give a context for the plot. 

Novels are very complex things. It may not seem like it at first thought, but they are.

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*Edit:*

Check this out: http://mythicscribes.com/forums/wor...ful-worldbuilding-tool-perhaps.html#post94907 

Mindfire's world building tool is useful for this - it's mostly about world building, but if you scroll down you will see some tables relating to protagonists and antagonists. This is another way to set up a table.


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## Addison (Feb 25, 2013)

The only con I find in making a back story is if you add too much of it into the actual story. I write a back story for most of my characters, those who are a bigger piece of the story, so I know where they're from, how they got here. They become more realistic in my mind.


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## MrChristopher (Feb 26, 2013)

Yes and no.

Major characters get lots of notes and background detail. Supporting characters might get a paragraph or two of notes. Cameos will get a few lines of detail: maybe something physical or a personality trait.

Pros for doing it for every character: Lots of detail for even the smallest player. It can show in how you bring them to life on paper.
Cons: VERY time consuming and possibly de-motivating for the author.

Find a balance is my advice - just don't get too sidetracked from writing your main story I think. You can always come back and rewrite some characters if they don't seem "alive" enough when you've finished your first draft.


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## Masronyx (Feb 28, 2013)

I agree with the pros and cons. I'd just as soon not get too sidetracked with the more minor characters.
However, too, a benefit for character bios is how jotting down HOW they interact with one another; not so much that you get a story of the protagonist and the antagonist's days on the preschool playground, but it's good to figure out WHY these two characters like/dislike each other.  There is that line between detailed bios and just plain overdoing it and veering away from the original intent of the novel. 




MrChristopher said:


> Yes and no.
> 
> Major characters get lots of notes and background detail. Supporting characters might get a paragraph or two of notes. Cameos will get a few lines of detail: maybe something physical or a personality trait.
> 
> ...


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## SineNomine (Mar 1, 2013)

Yes, so much so that I can't possibly imagine NOT doing it for the major characters unless I was making a deliberate attempt to discover write.  The goal is just to more fully flesh out your characters.  To know, intuitively, what they might do or say in a situation.  I think it is somewhat like method acting if you want a really poor analogy:  Learn everything about them so you can become them.  It lets you write events surrounding characters that feel more natural instead of sometimes coming across as having characters act a certain entirely to move the plot along.  I believe readers can get a feel for when the characters are second nature to the author and when they have been winging it.

The danger is of course, as others have mentioned, is being tempted to infodump in the story.  All that backstory just begs to be told.  You just have to resist that urge.  Some aspects of it will come up organically in the story, but for the most part that information is for YOU, the author, so you can write them better, not for the reader.


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