Unless your story begins with the character’s birth they’ve
had experiences and relationships that have helped shape them into the person
you’ve created. His experiences, good and bad, will influence decisions the
character makes and may even make the character act irrationally or immorally.
As the author and creator of these fictional people, you need
to know every detail about your character so that actions and attitudes are
consistent and believable. It’s important to know about the relationships your
character enjoyed or hated while growing up? Did he suffer illnesses? Was he
ever frightened, abused, embarrassed or severely disappointed? Is he the
product of a broken home and is he bitter and suspicious about the institution?
Did a failed marriage, which occurred before your story begins, destroy his confidence?
Was there a loss in his life that has left him emotionally scarred? You need to
know your characters completely in order to make them as real as possible.
Now that you know everything about your characters and events
leading up to the story’s opening lines, do your readers really need to know it
all as well? Certainly they don’t need to know about a favorite doll UNLESS it
is pivotal to the story you are presenting. Choose the information that you
pass along to your readers carefully – if it has no relevance to the story then
it has no relevance to your audience. However, if your heroine is dwelling on
the aroma of Old Spice aftershave because that is what her father always wore
before he went off to war and never came back, it might be significant if she
suddenly receives an anonymous letter soaked in the scent and this is the
beginning of a mystery or thriller.
There are several methods writers use to advise their readers
of the characters’ histories and experiences that influence the story – one way
is using flashbacks or dream sequences. Another way is simple conversation
between two or more characters. A character can also have a sudden memory when
something she sees reminds her. However the backstory is introduced, it needs
to be natural. Two former childhood friends might talk about another friend but
they wouldn’t discuss unnecessary details just for the sake of an information dump.
An estranged couple working on reuniting wouldn’t need to rehash all the
details of their romance or the arguments that led to their separation because
it is information they already know – a conversation with all of the details
would not sound natural. Using conversation to disclose backstory also needs to
be in that character’s point-of-view so the “memory” may differ from another
character’s recollection and this disparity may be important to the events in
the present-day story.
When you edit your story be prepared to eliminate any
unnecessary backstory no matter how interesting YOU think it is unless it has a
direct effect on the story your readers need to know. If you used a discussion
to tell the backstory, cut out any statements that COULD have started with “as
you know” or “if you remember”. You don’t need to introduce snippets of backstory
in chronological order in flashbacks or dreams, only introduce the information that
is significant to the story telling. Don’t get so immersed in telling the
backstory that you bore your readers.
Writing
Exercise: Interview
your main characters, ask the following questions: 1) Were you close to your
father/mother? 2) What was your favorite holiday growing up and why? 3) Did you
enjoy school or did you hate it? 4) Are you still in touch with your childhood
best friend and if not, why did you lose touch? 5) How do you feel about
animals and did you have any pets growing up? 6) Were you scared of any one
person as a child and why? 7) How do you feel about religion and faith based beliefs?
8) If you are employed, do you enjoy your work? 9) Are you happy or
disappointed with the way your life has turned out? 10) What is your biggest
fear today and why? – Add any questions you think are necessary to your story.
Writing
Prompt: List 5
aromas (pleasant or not pleasant) that evoke strong memories and what they
remind you of. List 5 songs that hold special meaning for you and why or what
that meaning is. List the top 5 memories you have from your childhood and at
least 2 people associated with each of those memories.
Challenge
Assignment: Write
YOUR backstory. Choose a recent event in your life where you had to make a
major decision. Is there anything in your backstory that significantly
influenced your decision? Write about the event (as if it were a story you were
telling to your readers) and introduce necessary backstory.
