Guest Post - R.C. Matthews
Let’s face it. Some writing skills are easier to master than others. Probably the two most difficult concepts to learn are show, don’t tell and weaving in backstory.
Every author has been told to avoid “info dumping” on the reader. That’s brilliant advice in theory. But what exactly is backstory, and how do you “weave” it into your novel?
Backstory refers to the characters’ history and other story elements that underlie the situation at the start of the book. These elements help establish the setting and make the reader care about what happens to the characters.
Every fictional character in your book has a past that shaped their lives: the hero, the heroine, the villain, and all secondary and tertiary cast members. Even the town where your story takes place has a history that might impact your current storyline. Your main characters may be fully aware of certain pieces of history (i.e. “known history”) or there may be critical past events that are revealed to them in the course of the story, so the character and reader are discovering the history together (i.e. “discovered” history”). In addition, sometimes the backstory comes to light, but the main character doesn’t recognize its importance until a later chapter. As an author, these little nuggets of hidden past are the most fun to write.
Backstory includes, but is not limited to:
The town and country where your character grew up and their socioeconomic class
Nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political views, etc.
Family members (huge family or small family), whether they’re an only child, one of many, or adopted
Where they went to grade school or if they were home schooled
Whether they’re college educated or not
Work experiences or lack thereof
Likes and dislikes with respect to everything from food to colors to books and more.
Major events that shaped their personality, whether that was an earthquake or fire, being bullied in school, having been in a car accident, or traveling from town to town with a parent who changed job locations often, just to name a few examples
Who they have dated or the fact that they’ve never dated
Whether they’re an introvert or extrovert
Think of the past (backstory) and present (novel) like an iceberg. Everything above the surface of the water is the novel you’re currently writing, and everything below the surface of the water is the backstory that formed the foundation for your novel’s characters and plot. The key thing to note here is that everything under the surface is hidden! Only limited and relevant portions of the backstory should be revealed to the reader.
That doesn’t mean backstory isn’t important. In many ways, backstory makes a story richer and more fascinating because it explains why characters behave the way they do and the factors influencing their decisions. A character’s history makes him/her multi-dimensional. When delivered in the correct doses and at the right times, backstory strengthens the reader’s emotional connection to your characters and fosters empathy and understanding.
So how do you write backstory into a novel without “info dumping” on your readers? Here are some tips:
Anything related to the past which is introduced into the current storyline must be solidly linked to a character’s present Goal, Motivation, or Conflict, whether it’s the hero, heroine, or villain.
No matter what method you choose to incorporate backstory, find a way to drag the past into the present that feels natural to the reader (i.e. logical progression of thought or triggering events that arise out of the current storyline).
While there are no hard or fast rules, here is the list of methods to incorporate backstory and when they really pack a punch:
Prologues – great for increasing the suspense in the current storyline, showing how a fairytale or fable came into existence [i.e., Beauty and the Beast] or showing the inciting event which shaped the protagonist (i.e. GMC);
Dreams – work well when the protagonist is suppressing memories or is haunted by a tragic event;
Flashbacks & memories – let the reader walk in the shoes of the protagonist and build empathy or understanding for the character’s actions or intentions [i.e., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows reveals Severus Snape’s memories in the Pensieve];
Deep POV – always a good way to introduce backstory, but look for creative ways to trigger thoughts of the past in the character’s mind or you risk putting your reader to sleep;
Dialogue – arguably the easiest to use when all else fails, but make the conversation as natural as possible and keep it short;
Other – limited only by your imagination and can include news articles, letters, scrapbooks, diaries, or spells to name a few,
Ask yourself which method will allow you to introduce backstory naturally and seamlessly into the current storyline. Treat your story like The Bourne Identity. “His memory is blank.” Jason Bourne learns bits and pieces about his past as the story progresses. The author couldn’t info-dump because his main character had lost his memory! You can employ the same type of mindset when writing your novel. Bit by bit, over the course of the whole story, pieces of the past are fleshed out.
If you’d like to dive deeper into these concepts and read more examples, check out my how-to book titled, “Weaving Backstory Into Your Novel” by R.C. Matthews.
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