Back story

cptwentworth · Mar 3, 2009

How do you know if you have too much backstory going on in the opening chapters? I'm wanting to put it all there. Is background info something that should be sprinkled throughout the book? I'm having a hard time separating the chaff from the wheat, knowing when to K.I.S.S.

kct webber · Mar 3, 2009

If you are wondering if you have too much backstory in the opening chapters, you probably do. That's the simple answer. Start where the story starts. Sprinkle backstory throughout the book--and this next part is key--as the reader needs to know it.

Think of it this way. How do you get a reader to keep reading? You make them ask questions that they want to find the answers to. If you tell them everything up front, why would they keep reading?

maestrowork · Mar 3, 2009

Take the backstory out. It's a common mistake for a writer to want to tell it all in the very beginning. If the readers want to read a biography, they will buy a biography. Start the novel as close to the first conflict/great leap as possible. You can fill in the background stuff later, when the readers are already invested in the characters and plot. Keep them turning the pages, not putting it down and saying, "Why should I care about all that stuff?" Make them keep asking questions instead of spoon-feeding them information they don't need yet.

Cyia · Mar 3, 2009

Start where your story starts and reveal ESSENTIAL backstory as it's needed.

dpaterso · Mar 4, 2009

A useful rule of thumb to use in your decision process: is it interesting?

Maybe even tweak that a little: is it as interesting as your main story?

And/or: is it essential that the reader knows this?

If not, consider some judicious editing.

But never say never. If it works and adds something and engages the reader, then keep it.

-Derek

KTC · Mar 4, 2009

Cyia said:
Start where your story starts and reveal ESSENTIAL backstory as it's needed.

Quoted for truth.

Danthia · Mar 4, 2009

You can also ask yourself if readers need that bit of information to understand what's going on in that scene.

Backstory also works best when it's spoonfed to readers. A line or two here and there, often doing double duty like showing how the POV feels about something that also shows setting details and a bit of their history all at the same time. Keeping backstory in the voice and POV of the character helps it feel like part of the narrative and not so much like backstory.

That's another good way to know what to cut. If it feels like your POV talking, you might be fine with it, but it if's clear the author stepping in top explain something, cut it.

James81 · Mar 4, 2009

If you have backstory in the first couple of chapters, then that is too much.

I would reveal very little backstory until you can get some more active scenes rolling.

I HATE stories that start with a bunch of backstory. I rarely finish them. The best books I've read, in fact, contain minimal backstory anyway.

Darzian · Mar 4, 2009

The simple truth is that most people will not be interested in back story up front. Once readers associate with the characters and once questions are raised, backstory may be more interesting (but not necessarily vital). Never bore the reader!

tehuti88 · Mar 4, 2009

I think the only real time backstory MIGHT work, in limited fashion, in opening chapters is if the book is a sequel and some of the groundwork needs to be laid. But even then, there are often ways to incorporate it into the story as it goes along rather than dump it all on the reader at once. (This is the reason so many people seem to hate prologues, because they often serve as infodumps of backstory...usually backstory that isn't even necessary ANYWHERE in the story.)

I write series stories that build off of each other and aside from the current, third one (where I detail the myth behind the entire story in the first chapter, then move on to the action), I don't tend to do the backstory beginnings. Anything that's necessary to know comes up in the story when needed. Keeps things more interesting that way. I've had people start reading my series on the second story and tell me they didn't feel lost or confused at all despite the fact that they hadn't read the first story yet, so I must be doing something right.

ETA:

Danthia said:
You can also ask yourself if readers need that bit of information to understand what's going on in that scene.

Backstory also works best when it's spoonfed to readers. A line or two here and there, often doing double duty like showing how the POV feels about something that also shows setting details and a bit of their history all at the same time. Keeping backstory in the voice and POV of the character helps it feel like part of the narrative and not so much like backstory.

This, right here. Backstory works best when the story gets confusing if it's not there.

Jake Barnes · Mar 4, 2009

You can foreshadow your backstory in the opening chapters. For example iif you're writing a serial killer story, you could have your cop observing that the killer's technique was similar to one he'd seen years before. You've started the reader wondering about the backstory but you haven't slowed down your main story.

DMarie84 · Mar 4, 2009

It's difficult, but take out the backstory and reveals parts of it throughout the course of the story. It's tempting to do that info dump, but it will turn readers off. You want to keep the story moving and too much backstory will halt it in tracks.

Of course, I find it helpful to write the backstory out for my personal reference in a separate document. It helps me to understand the character's pasts and their motivations. But I only use it as something to refer to when I'm writing, and maybe I'll sprinkle in a small detail from it. So, keep the backstory but only for YOUR reference.

CheyElizabeth · Mar 4, 2009

After reading this post, I realize my first chapter may have tooooo much infodump in it.

What if i took out a part that explained how a character was divorced 7 times, and replaced it mentioning that my MC sees a tattoo she has of her 7th husbands name?

would that qualify as sprinkling info and not flat out dumping it?

maestrowork · Mar 4, 2009

CheyElizabeth said:
What if i took out a part that explained how a character was divorced 7 times, and replaced it mentioning that my MC sees a tattoo she has of her 7th husbands name?

would that qualify as sprinkling info and not flat out dumping it?

Absolutely, and it's a clever way to reveal information while developing character (she has tattoos of her exes!) and keeping the story in the moment. Also, it's a classic case of show vs. tell. Show us the tattoo, and we'll understand.

Dale Emery · Mar 4, 2009

cptwentworth said:
How do you know if you have too much backstory going on in the opening chapters? I'm wanting to put it all there. Is background info something that should be sprinkled throughout the book? I'm having a hard time separating the chaff from the wheat, knowing when to K.I.S.S.

My rule of thumb...

Wheat: Any bit of backstory that the POV character actively considers, in the moment, while reacting to events and deciding what to do next.

Chaff: Everything else.

If you want to include a bit of backstory, make something happen that would provoke the POV character to think about it.

Dale

dawinsor · Mar 4, 2009

My favorite example of good handling of backstory is in the movie Casablanca. We don't find out what happened to Rick and Ilsa in Paris until halfway through the movie, and by that time, we're dying to know. Tell the reader only what s/he wants or needs to know at the moment s/he wants or needs to know it.

dgrintalis · Mar 4, 2009

My MC is a professional blogger, so what I've done for the backstory of my novel is a brief blog entry that lets the reader know what is going on in the world I've created. The entry is short and not overly detailed, but it gives enough information so that they are not confused when they start reading the story itself. There is one other bit of info that is in the first chapter, but it is part backstory/part current story, and again, it's brief.

Staceyp67 · Mar 4, 2009

I agree with everyone else. I had one agent tell me that she enjoyed my character but there was too much backstory. I wish I had known that before I sent her the query!

cptwentworth · Mar 4, 2009

Thanks for all the tips. I want to make sure I don't just drop the reader in the middle of nonsense, but it sounds like minimal backstory to get your bearings is what's needed. Edits can hurt!

Juliette Wade · Mar 4, 2009

I'm with Danthia and Dale Emery here. Give just the information that will keep the reader from being confused, and use your point of view to the hilt to do it - in such a way that when a piece of memory (read: backstory) becomes relevant to the POV character's thoughts, decisions and actions, that is where it appears. Make the backstory directly serve the main action as it progresses.

sindy9001 · Mar 4, 2009

No matter what kind of way you want to use, make sure to keep in mind that make your reader like reading.

maestrowork · Mar 4, 2009

There's such pleasure, though, of getting to know someone slowly and when the information reveals itself at the right moment. Like meeting someone romantically for the first time, or meeting strangers at a party. You don't know them, but get bits and pieces and it's a much better way of knowing people, instead of having the person dump his or her whole life story on you at the first meeting.

Treat your readers as something you're going out on a date for the first time. Try not to bore them to tears with your life story. Instead, focus on the moment.

KarlaErikaCal · Mar 5, 2009

I realized I had a lot of info in the first chapter, but I feel that it's all necessary since I'm trying to world-build... I need to explain who the Peaceful Ones are (good guys) and who the Night Souls are (bad guys) and since the Night Souls are departed beings, I need to take a few sentences, showing how they look like ghosts except black colored, and that they devour human souls, assuming their identities and whatnot. Also, I need to add in something about how the Peaceful Ones cure the humans and rid the humans of their "possession" by using dove pendants. It's all in first person, so my MC explains things, but she does tie some of it back to herself. So I'm not entirely sure what to do. I only take a paragraph to explain, usually like 5-7 lines.

Any thoughts on this would be great.

ETA: I have these couple of paragraphs where I give a history about the main character. I realized I can sprinkle it throughout the book, so I'm about to do that right now. By the way, these are such great tips! It's definitely helping me

So thanks!

Aristocrazy · Mar 5, 2009

I removed 90% of my backstory for a separate prequel book to be released later in the series. Prequels are not recommended but it's something to keep in mind.

as far as character backstory. I find it's always better to slowly reveal snippets of what makes them tick then to lay them out in front as an open book and develop them from there.

wrinkles · Mar 5, 2009

I will never understand the need of some fiction writers to explain their story early on, and make their readers understand what's happening in their story before the story begins. You're not writing a scientific explanation of what happened and why, you're hopefully writing a darn good yarn that keeps your readers guessing until the very end. At least that's the way I see it.

When you write a prologue, or dump backstory in the first chapters, is your intent to give the reader information that your MC doesn't have? Where's the fun in that? The only good stories I've ever read, or seen, or heard, have the audience unraveling what's going on along with the MC. Who are those things dressed in black? Where do they get their powers? What about those others? And what is it with those dove pendant things? Now, when I have answered these questions, how do I use what I've discovered to save the lives of me, my loved ones, humankind, the universe.

Why on God's green earth (sorry, got a little dramatic there) would you want to try to answer these questions for the reader before the story begins. I just don't get it.

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