“The most important things to remember about
back story are that (a) everyone
has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very
interesting.” ~ Stephen
King
If you want your readers to care about your characters, to
feel them, and to believe in them then you need to make them REAL. Real people
have experiences that they bring with them to the present day and each of these
experiences will affect their reactions and actions to the things that happen
to them in the present.
None of your characters, unless it is a possible sci-fi
theme, just landed on this earth fully grown with no personal history. Each of
your characters had a childhood, an education, possible illnesses, friends
and/or family, and some experience with money. Maybe there will be smells that
evoke an emotional response or weather warnings that will be a trigger to fear.
Whatever happened to your character BEFORE page one is important and you, the
author, needs to know the details — but your readers need to know ONLY the most
relevant details, only the ones that help to build the story.
When you introduce backstory to your readers, NEVER
info-dump. Tell your story with an occasional reference to the past IF that
past makes a difference in your story. For instance, maybe your hero’s aversion
to marriage was caused by his parents’ violent and unhappy relationship,
something that he now wants to avoid at all cost. Maybe your heroine was taken
advantage of by some male she trusted and now she is a bit gun-shy about
trusting other guys. These are the tiny bits of information to share with your
readers. Unless losing a favorite childhood doll or toy is enough to cause PTSD
in your character, there is no need to detail the story of the day the item
went missing or the child’s tears that are possibly not even remembered by the
individual.
Spatter the bits of necessary backstory along with the
current story and keep everything moving along or your audience will get bored
and just forget to turn the page.
Writing Exercise:
Create a character with several of the personality traits that only your
favorite relatives have (use multiple relatives). Using those personality
traits, write that character’s backstory including: family, school, work,
relationships.
Writing Prompt: Make
a list of YOUR favorite (happy) memories, your saddest memory, your favorite
childhood toy, your best and worst school subject, and your most prominent memory
of your FIRST date.
Writing Challenge:
Rewrite your favorite fairy tale and make the “good guy” into the
villain and vice-versa.
