Just wondering...

[squishybug87]

Hi! I'm new here an I am currently in the planning stage of my novel writing. I thought I had my basic outline going, I knew where I wanted to begin, but while I was rounding out my MC's backstory, it occurred to me that I might start there. The problem is, the events take place several years before my main story. I was thinking that would be good because it would show how my character got where she is now, but I'm afraid that it might take away from the main plot of the novel. I know I'm being a bit vague, but can you guys let me know what you think off hand? Thanks!

 

[robertbevan]

skip it. dive right into where this story takes place.

 

[squishybug87]

That's what I'm thinking, but I don't want to create mass flashback sequences or have pages of backstory stagnating things. It does have the potential to be pretty entertaining and it contains some of the novel's history. I'm just not sure how I would bridge the gap between those previous years and current events....hmmm...

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Whatever you think you want to tell in the backstory, sprinkle it into the story present. It will add a nice layer of depth.

 

[Claire]

I agree, don't start too early. Backstory is only backstory if it's in the past - if you start in the past, pretty soon you'll realize you need more backstory from before your original backstory... and so on. Even really juicy, entertaining backstory probably needs to BE backstory if it takes place well before the main part of your story. Ask yourself what the main plot line in the story will be - what is this story really about? Then tell that story. Having a rich background for your character will come out as you go - it doesn't have to wind up being long stretches of narrative. Important tid-bits can come out throughout the story in various ways - memories, flashbacks, dreams, conversations, etc.

 

[Svrtnsse]

On this note, when something from the past catches up with the character/plot, is it necessary to explain in detail what it is? Could it be that treating it as if the reader already knows and not comment on it makes it more interesting? Instead of explaining what's happened the story lets the reader put bits and pieces together and make their own conclusions.
I think Steven Erikson does something like that in his world - rather than explaining what something is he just throws it in like it's obvious and after a while you have a pretty good idea of your own anyway. Should work with backstory as well, right?

 

[robertbevan]

Whatever you think you want to tell in the backstory, sprinkle it into the story present. It will add a nice layer of depth.

this is what i should have said. a novel is a long piece of work, and there are all kinds of ways you can get that information in there.

That's what I'm thinking, but I don't want to create mass flashback sequences or have pages of backstory stagnating things. It does have the potential to be pretty entertaining and it contains some of the novel's history. I'm just not sure how I would bridge the gap between those previous years and current events....hmmm...

again, like T.Allen.Smith said... sprinkle. don't dump.



for example:

Skaarlblaad and Gh'rumpthpsprog stared down at the field of ashes from the top of the precipice.

"I remember when this place was a yellow sea of daffodils," said Skaarlblaad.

"We were little boys then," said Gh'rumpthpsprog. "It does us no good to live in the past. The world changed forever when Skorg the Malignant pulled the Sword of Chaos from the Demon Stone. All we can do now is try to survive."

please don't write anything like that in your story, because that was intentionally corny. but it's just one example of how you can drop in little bits of the past without having a giant rambling flashback scene, or a dream, or whatever.

 

[Penpilot]

please don't write anything like that in your story, because that was intentionally corny. but it's just one example of how you can drop in little bits of the past without having a giant rambling flashback scene, or a dream, or whatever.

I think Robert described is the best way to handle your back story. To add a little more to it, if the bits back story doesn't come up during the course of your story in terms of internal though or in dialogue then the back story could be irrelevant. For example, if a boy falls into a cave full of bats when they were a child, but that fact doesn't effect the present, then it's an interesting tid-bit but irrelevant. Now if that falling into the cave inspires the child to be Batman, then it's relevant.

 

[The Dark One]

Nothing you invent for your backstory will be wasted. You don't even have to use it - just having invented it will give the characters depth.

 

[shangrila]

As others have said, just dive into the story. Keep the backstory in your head and let it influence your characters actions, if its that kind of backstory. If it comes up during the main story then put it in, but don't feel like you have to force it in. Sometimes leaving a character's background vague can make them more interesting.

 

[Chilari]

On this note, when something from the past catches up with the character/plot, is it necessary to explain in detail what it is? Could it be that treating it as if the reader already knows and not comment on it makes it more interesting? Instead of explaining what's happened the story lets the reader put bits and pieces together and make their own conclusions.
I think Steven Erikson does something like that in his world - rather than explaining what something is he just throws it in like it's obvious and after a while you have a pretty good idea of your own anyway. Should work with backstory as well, right?

This. As long as you put in enough information to give the reader a shape of what happened, it's enough. And like others have said, sprinkle don't dump. The reader doesn't need to know exactly what happened in detail to understand the effect it has had on the character. Like with Penpilot's Batman example, you can draw the connection between the bat-filled cave and Batman without knowing exactly what the circumstances were, without knowing how Bruce fell in, how he got out, how long he was in there. Admittedly it's a simplified example, but the same can be translated to any backstory. If you've got a character who your MC knows from "the war" and isn't on speaking terms with, and that's all the reader knows about this old acquaintance, but they also know that the MC went back to save someone but it was too late and this person died, and later the old acquaintance runs out on another character when danger shows it head, making the MC furious, the smart reader can work out that something similar happened in the past. You don't need to tell the reader exactly what happened, they can piece it together, and can work out how these events impacted on the main character based on what they would feel in the MC's position.