Lately, I've been finding it hard to stay in the present narrative with my short stories. It seems like the more exciting and gripping parts of my newer stories are happening in backstory. Why am I having this problem? Is it a matter of not starting a story in the right place? If any of you have struggled with this, I would love to hear about how you handled it. Also, I have read stories where the present narrative takes a backseat and seen it work. However, I am finding myself doing it far too often and in several stories. I think I have reason to be concerned, but I'm not sure why I am doing this. This wasn't a problem for me in the past.
Problem staying in present narrative
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This is a tricky one to answer without knowing the storyline, but here goes.
It does sound like you are trying to start the story in the wrong place. A back story should only exist if it has a dramatic bearing on the present narrative. If your back story is exciting and your present narrative is dull, then the back story should probably *be* the present narrative.
Also, if you try to tell a long back story from the present perspective it often becomes a tedious information dump, even if the events themselves are exciting. Instead, throw in a line break and tell the back story as if it were the present, then return to the actual present to continue the story.
I recently published a story called 'Test Case' that shifts between present narrative and back story. You can read it here for free. The first few pages might give you some clarity on the slightly bamboozling advice I've offered above.
It does sound like you are trying to start the story in the wrong place. A back story should only exist if it has a dramatic bearing on the present narrative. If your back story is exciting and your present narrative is dull, then the back story should probably *be* the present narrative.
Also, if you try to tell a long back story from the present perspective it often becomes a tedious information dump, even if the events themselves are exciting. Instead, throw in a line break and tell the back story as if it were the present, then return to the actual present to continue the story.
I recently published a story called 'Test Case' that shifts between present narrative and back story. You can read it here for free. The first few pages might give you some clarity on the slightly bamboozling advice I've offered above.
Thanks for your reply. I have a feeling I could be starting the story in the wrong place with some of these, but if I take one of the backstories and make it the present narrative, it will be a different story. Maybe that's what needs to happen, but, for some reason, it feels a little hard to accept.
My backstory passages are not super long and I don't feel like they are info dumps. I think these passages add to the piece, but maybe they are overshadowing the rest of the story at the same time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I'll check out your story.
My backstory passages are not super long and I don't feel like they are info dumps. I think these passages add to the piece, but maybe they are overshadowing the rest of the story at the same time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I'll check out your story.
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It could be because you're not starting your story in the right place, but it could also just be that you're telling the wrong story. If the backstory really feels more interesting than the "main" story, then maybe it needs to be the main story.
With novels, flashbacks can add depth and dimension to a story (if they're done well and used to drive the main plot forward and not just dump backstory), and stories that take place in more than one timeline are possible.
But as a rule, a focus on backstory mucks up short stories horribly (I think Terry Bissom said flashbacks don't belong in short fiction). Exceptions to the rules always exist, but when they do, they have to do much more than simply tell the reader why the protagonist is the way they are or why they're in their current situation.
It's interesting that someone said flashbacks don't belong in short fiction. I'm not sure I agree with that. But are we talking about backstory and flashbacks meaning the same thing? My short stories didn't used to have as much backstory and/or flashbacks. I do wonder if this new(er) problem with my stories is a result of some things that people said in workshops. I really try and workshop my best writing, but I found some people (not all) just couldn't believe situations or characters. I felt like if I could show why everything in the story was the way it was for reasons, it would increase the believability and sort of tie up all the loose ends. It's probably not the answer to my problem, but it has become somewhat of a bad habit.
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Perhaps you are simply going through the process of discovering what your story is really about, or what it is that you really want to write. Have you tried writing one of the these backstories as its own story?
Madelyn
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You probably already know this, but To Kill a Mockingbird was not the original story Harper Lee meant to write. She went to publish her original story (what is now Go Set a Watchman) and the publisher was more interested in the backstory. Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird based completely off her first story's flashbacks.
I thought that was really interesting and it hadn't been mentioned yet. But yeah! I agree with what has already been said. Maybe the story that's more important is the backstory
I thought that was really interesting and it hadn't been mentioned yet. But yeah! I agree with what has already been said. Maybe the story that's more important is the backstory
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Thanks Madelyn, I didn't know that!
You never know when magic will happen.
The story you are burning inside to write may be one that connects with people, but it could very well be the story that someone else has pushed you to write that gets out there and changes the world.
I have tried this a few times. Sometimes it seems to work. Sometimes not so much. I love complex short stories. I think I have been using backstory to add complexity. Does anyone else do that? Is this a bad way to go about adding layers or complexity to a piece?
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At the risk of oversimplifying and/or stating the obvious, if you write the backstory and it works, then it is probably safe to assume that backstory was the *true* story. Or at least an idea worthy of a standalone story.
That's a good thing, right?
Sounds to me like you shouldn't be trying to narrate in present tense. So why are you doing that?
caw
caw
I'm not talking about present tense. Actually, when I write in present tense this seems to be less of a problem. It's probably because the story feels more immediate than it does writing in past tense.
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