This will be a short one. I included only a couple of examples or this post would have been very long. As always, I’d love to see your comments.
My regular readers know how much I love backstories. There is probably some version of a backstory in most of stories posted on the forum. Backstories can be a highly effective device to add depth to characters, allowing readers to better understand their motivations and actions. They can add to the emotion, tension and drama of a story. I would encourage any new writer to try to develop and use a backstory. However, there are risks and potential pitfalls we should keep in mind.
What is a backstory? It is simply events in the story pertaining to a character that occurred chronologically before the opening of the story. They should always be directly relevant to the main part of the story. For example, in one of the Batman movies, before facing off with Joker, Batman has a flashback to when. as a young boy named Bruce Wayne, he witnessed his parents’ murders. This was the seminal event that motivated him to become Batman. That scene was to add stakes and tension, as well as understanding what compels Batman’s life and actions as a rather dark brooding character. Countless medical stories depict a doctor who made his career decision when a cherished family member dies. In a fight story, imagine a woman is about to confront a bully, knowing that a physical altercation may occur. Frightened and nervous, she recalls a time years earlier when she failed to defend her little sister from same bully, leaving her haunted with guilt. Now they meet again and she’s determined not to make the same mistake. A backstory might simply be one scene or it could be quite complex with multiple scenes interspersed through the story.
Backstory: General Ideas
1. Is it relevant? Is your backstory necessary? Ask yourself what you want your backstory to communicate? How will it effect the main story? In a short story, word count is a premium, so make sure your backstory is worthwhile to readers. Think carefully about your character. If something in his/her past is relevant to the present and future, then proceed with it.
2. Who tells the backstory? It should be consistent with the third- or first-person narration. I particularly like first=person. Another approach is to use another character, not necessarily the protagonist, to tell the backstory in dialogue.
3. Keep it short as possible. Avoid information dumps. Remember, a backstory interrupts the main story. This is OK if you can keep the flow of the story going. If the backstory is too long or uninteresting, readers might get bored and leave. If the backstory is lengthy and complex, consider spreading it out in multiple short increments, revealing a little at a time.
4. Where to insert the backstory ? This will be an important decision. I think it’s best to avoid the backstory too early in the story. Generally, they work best once readers have some familiarity with the character. Think of where it would work best to add tension. Batman’s flashback about his parents’ works best as he starts his showdown with Joker. It would have had much less impact in the beginning of the story. The woman fighting the bully would probably need her flashback right before the fight for extra motivation. I’ve placed flashbacks during fights, but that is extra risky. If you consider it, it must be directly related to the outcome of the fight. Our lady fighting the bully might be on the verge of submission, but her memory gives her a surge of adrenaline to break free of the bully’s hold on her.
Examples of My Backstories on FCF
1. The Poacher 4: My co-writer, BarbaraUK’s character is an amateur MMA fighter in Manchester, UK. Her past and present are interwoven in increments in the first half of the story. She discussed her unhappy childhood in rural Poland, feeling emotionally distant from her parents. Her first experience of love came from raising a baby deer, which then grew into a majestic stag. The deer disappears. Years later, Barbara learns it was killed by illegal American hunters. This is her motive to track down and seek revenge on Paula the Poacher. I never cried so much over a deer since Bambi’s mother was shot. Barbara, if you read this, please come back and write again! Later, Paula’s own backstory is revealed by local people and detectives.
2. Goodnight, Snowflake = Another story that alternates past and present. Marci is an aging catfighter working for a production company. As she dressed for her fight, a snowstorm reminds her of her unplanned pregnancy and the pain of giving up her baby for adoption, leading up to reveal that was a shock to absolutely no one.
3. Poacher 3 – Brad and Kristin are undercover FBI agents spending a weekend at Paula’s lodge where Kristin and Paula have scheduled an arranged fight. Brad narrates the story, often having flashbacks of his relationship with Kristin at various stages of his life dating back to childhood. This relationship will come into play as Brad witnesses the fight.
4. My Little Sherry – Conner discussed his mental illness and how he experienced cruel and harrowing events. The idea was to elicit understanding and sympathy, adding further punch to the events that later unfolded.
5. Summer of ’77 – Essentially one long backstory, kind of like the movie, “Titanic” Lol! An older woman finds an old pro wrestling magazine in her attic and has a flashback to an apartment house wrestling episode involving her friends in the 1970s. This is a different use of a backstory as the story opens near the ending.
6. Little Miss Perfect (Catpin Chronicles) – Luanne explains how abuse and trauma led to her becoming an obsessive perfectionist. This is how backstory is used in novels, since it takes up an entire chapter.
Juxtaposition
This is a cool little trick where you can connect two parallel stories with a common phrase or an object that is present in both. I’ve seen this used in science fiction stories about two parallel words. Here, I tried using it to connect past and present. This is from “Goodnight, Snowflake”,
The producer taps on my door. My mind is still immersed in my memory of that fateful day nineteen years ago, “Marci, we’ll start in five minutes. You OK?” I tell him I’m fine.
Five minutes. The contractions are coming every five minutes. And they last at least a minute each time. This hurts so much. I think it’s time. Got to get to the hospital. Oh God, the roads are blocked by the snow. The car is stuck. There’s a tap on the window. “Marci, this is Officer Jenkins. We’re going to police escort the ambulance to get you to the hospital. You’re going to be fine.”
I look myself over one more time. I’m in my red bikini. The 34D breasts have dropped a little, but not so much you’d notice. The muscle definition isn’t what it once was, but I’m still strong. At 5’7” and 140 lbs, I still look good. With my light brown curly hair to my shoulders and green eyes, I can still turn heads. I look at my belly. A surgical scar runs vertically from just below my belly button to my pelvis. That’s from my hysterectomy. There’s no hiding it. Below the bikini line, I hide a second scar.
“Marci, we’ll need to do a Caesarean section. Your baby is in a breech position. We’ll make an incision on your belly. We think this is the safest approach for you and your baby.”
I’m starting to feel the prematch jitters. I resume stretching. Another knock at the door.
“Marci, it’s Bob. I’m sorry. We forgot the waiver forms. You remember those, don’t you. Would you mind signing on the X.” He hands me forms stating I will not hold his company liable in event of injury or death.
“Marci, we have papers for you to sign. These are the Termination of Parental Rights documents. After you sign them, you will have relinquished all parental claims and responsibilities to the child. And then we can proceed and finalize the adoption.”
Internal Monologue aka Interior or Inner Monologue
I use this technique extensively in Kiva’s Fight Journal. It has much in common with a backstory. It is the thoughts inside the minds of characters. It works best in first-person narratives, but can be used in third-person stories. It gives the character a voice, expressing their thoughts, emotions, fears, etc. in their own words as thoughts in their mind.
The same rules of backstory apply. Make it interesting, relevant, and strategically insert it in the best place in your story for the best effect.
From “Travel Nurse” (not yet posted)
I struggle for what seems like the hundredth time to free may arms, before letting my muscles go limp again. My lungs suck in as much air as possible then exhale. I can’t move my legs. I don’t even feel them. I try to swallow, but can’t seem to generate enough saliva to satisfy my parched throat, as I tell myself that There is no cramp starting in my lower back. How long have I been trapped on the floor like this? I don’t know, but the shifting sunbeam on the wall tells me that the earth has shifted significantly since the last time I stood on my feet. I can’t move. There is nowhere to look, but up at the ceiling as I lie helpless under the gaze of the sympathetic retracted floodlight. My heart rate and respirations speed up. I know what this is. No, not now. This is not the time for a panic attack.
Years ago, I had a recurring nightmare. My car swerves off a road and tumbles down an embankment, landing upside down at the bottom of a ravine. I manage to squeeze myself out, but before I can get away, the car rolls one more time, pinning me on my back. I’m not crushed, but I can’t move. I stare at the road above me as countless cars go by, the drivers unaware of my predicament. I’m trapped and alone. This is awful. Somebody please find me. I’m going to die here.
“Help,” my throaty raspy voice barely manages to croak out.
“Kiva?” I hear Robin’s voice ask, perhaps with a touch of concern. “Are you giving up?”
That’s all for now. Next time, we’ll finally get to writing fight scenes. Please comment on what you think of backstories. Include your thoughts, tips, favorite stories, etc.
