Many first-time novelists complain that without back story, readers have no way to fully understand the characters. Yet most readers are willing to forgo a detailed history in favor of action in the real-time story.
Writing Tip for Today: How can you add back story without stalling your story?
No Cold Mashies!
Anytime you step away from the scene to have Our Hero’s mind “reel back” to fill in the reader on something which happened earlier, you stop the real-time action. It’s as if the Hero is frozen, unable to move while the Back Story is trotted out. If Hero was about to shovel in a heaping spoonful of warm mashed potatoes, they’d be stone cold when the flash back or back story is done. The reason for this rule is that as long as you are in “the past” (back story), readers are more likely to forget what was going on in the real time scene. And readers who forget are liable to stop caring.
If your Back Story is so important that readers won’t understand the story, you may be writing the wrong story. The most interesting bits are usually where the best story is located. One way to do both is to write a dual-timeline novel, switching back and forward in time, like the Time Traveler’s Wife. Be careful though: bouncing around in time can cause confusion and frustration if you aren’t delineating time periods carefully and specifically.
if you do use a “flash back,” make it scenic and brief. Think of breaking up a back story scenes so that readers don’t forget the action and real-time of the story.You can use the Rule of Three to help guide you. After three back story sentences or exchanges, reanchor readers in the real-time scene.
Learn to Weave
Call it weaving, blending, whatever. By learning to keep the real-time scene going and weaving one to three sentences of back story in and through the scene, you eliminate the “mind reeling back” to a large degree. In real life you often think of past events without stopping to sit down and let your mind reel back. Do the same for Our Hero. A well-placed sentence or two of back story often heightens tension in the real-time scene without freezing it for a lengthy explanation.
Also, use sensory cues to help your reader transition to and from the past. Similar objects, smells, sounds or feels can trigger memories. Think of how a yummy bakery smell gets you salivating for a fresh doughnut and use it to connect the past and the present.
Weaving also requires throughlines to help readers keep track of when and where they are in the story. A second character in the scene with Our Hero can prevent long monologues. In life if we space out for too long, our company will usually say or do something to bring you back to the present. Keeping an additional character on stage with the Hero gives you the writer an extrta tool to keep back story meaningful and brief.
Use sensory cues to help your reader transition to and from the past.
Need to Know?
Evaluate your back story placement the way the military does–on a need to know basis. Decide when readers need crucial back story info, and only then put it into the story. While our natural tendency is to dump it all in Chapter One, a much briefer sketch (there’s that Rule of 3 again!) often is more than sufficient to keep readers reading and still give them Our Hero’s motivation.
Use verbs in the real-time scene which reflect Our Hero’s attitudes (like why he hates Dad) and you can convey a powerful emotional message–without much mention of the actual back story. Using emotions and strong verbs better capture readers’ emotions and help keep them invested.
Finally, back story doesn’t have to be a novel writer’s enemy. You can place brief back story scenes in with the real-time scenes to pull readers along. Just be sure your reader needs to know the past action at the point where you place it, don’t chunk it all together and remember, don’t let your mashed potatoes grow cold.
