Does backstory ALWAYS impact the plot in some way?

mfarraday · May 3, 2013

Hi,

I am writing a time travel tale. My favorite character is one that is kind of stuck on the villain's side. He's a former scientist who has been somewhat of a grifter in his free time - which his Mom taught him. I want to talk about his background a bit in the story, flesh him out, but my question is, his background as a poker-playing, idea-stealing scammer-turned-scientist (with false credentials) seems...somewhat irrelevant to the time travel plot. If it doesn't matter, don't include it, right? But I read scenes where he is interacting with others and it feels like I am still stuck in short story mode, giving just a tiny bit of background and not really explaining this character's motives.

Do I just not know my own character well enough yet? I really like this one, even though he's so bad.

Do I write all his backstory, then throw most of it out?

Filigree · May 3, 2013

Write as much of his backstory as you want/can stand, then use the bits of it that matter in this current story. Think 'flavor' not 'infodump'. You'd be surprised how useful the backstory can be, in showing new things about your character and his world.

Buffysquirrel · May 3, 2013

You could create opportunities for his background to be relevant as a way of bringing it out.

mfarraday · May 3, 2013

Ok. I want my character to have a conscience but ultimately not be able to resist working his scams. I hope I can add enough to make it interesting but not distracting from the main themes.

Thanks!

mfarraday · May 3, 2013

Buffysquirrel said:
You could create opportunities for his background to be relevant as a way of bringing it out.

Will try to think of ways to do this. A real puzzler....

kkbe · May 3, 2013

mfarraday said:
Ok. I want my character to have a conscience but ultimately not be able to resist working his scams. I hope I can add enough to make it interesting but not distracting from the main themes.

Thanks!

You can do it!

Sounds like an interesting subplot, he's fighting his own base nature. That'll help explain his choices; you need it, I think--plus, it'll help create a richer, deeper character.

Ken · May 3, 2013

... good suggestions above ^^^
Just will point out, myself, that there's no law saying background need be relevant.
I have read lots of novels where it isn't at all.
And you want to know something?
Novels in which every danged detail is relevant can be a drag.
They take on a formulamatic atmosphere.
Of course you can't go off on a tangent.
But there is some wiggle room.
Not everything has to have a set purpose.
G'luck.

Drey of Boon · May 3, 2013

mfarraday said:
My favorite character is one that is kind of stuck on the villain's side.

Wait, is he a POV character? I wasn't able to tell from this. If he's not a POV character then that will limit how you can drip-feed his backstory into his interactions with others.

Crescendo2020 · May 3, 2013

I'd say that if his backstory is dictating the way that he acts currently, then I would want to know it. But his backstory is whatever you want it to be, so you can make it either dictate, or not what he does currently.

Beachgirl · May 3, 2013

mfarraday said:
Do I write all his backstory, then throw most of it out?

I had a side character like this in one of my books. I really liked him, even though he was kind of a bad guy. I dropped a couple of hints about his background in the story, but never gave much away about him. I kept having to pull myself back so that I wouldn't get too deeply into his psyche, but oh, how I wanted to.

When I got my editor's notes back, she commented about how much she loved this character and how she thought readers might be really curious about him. She said she hoped he was going to get his own book at some point, which I was already kicking around in my head. So he's now the MC in one of my wips (the one down there in my sig that I can't seem to settle on a title for).

So maybe your side character deserves his own story.

blacbird · May 3, 2013

If it doesn't, what's the point of it?

caw

DancingMaenid · May 3, 2013

I don't think it has to directly affect the course of the plot--just add something of value to the character and the story. If knowing something about his background helps flesh out the character and make his actions make more sense, then it might be good to include a little. Worse comes to worst, you can edit it down or take it out if you decide it doesn't work.

rwm4768 · May 3, 2013

I don't think everything has to be strictly relevant to the plot. Sometimes, it's good just to help us understand the character. As long as it's interesting to read, it shouldn't be a problem.

njmagas · May 3, 2013

It isn't always relevant to the plot but I've found that it is necessary for me to know my character's backstory. What is relevant will then come out naturally as I'm writing. Don't force it where it doesn't belong, and when it is necessary for the reader to know something, just weave it in with the rest of the story, don't sew in a giant patch.

kuwisdelu · May 3, 2013

blacbird said:
If it doesn't, what's the point of it?

What the bird said.

AshleyEpidemic · May 4, 2013

I don't mind backstory, even if it isn't particularly relevant. However, it must be conveyed effectively, not in an info dump, and it needs to come up naturally. I think it works best when it is paired with something that is relevant. One little piece paired with something relevant.

Despite what I've said, in my writing, i tend not to bring up things that aren't relevant to the story or character development.

Princess Marina · May 4, 2013

Back story always matters. Every word you write or delete matters, it all changes what you've written and hopefully improves it. Write the back story, you may not need to insert it all and may only trickle it in, but it will help you to see through your MC's eyes and make the rest of your story more readable. Good luck with your project, it sounds interesting. If he's time travelling then you especially need his back story to prevent meeting himself coming back.

George Orwell's Second rule of good writing :=Never use a long word where a short one will do.

Corinne Duyvis · May 4, 2013

I was discussing this with my agent the other day, actually, since I gave one character a sort of issue-laden background that never impacted the plot, nor was it all that relevant to the themes. For now, we're keeping it, since it fleshes out the character and explains some of his behavior, but I do worry sometimes that it might feel tacked on because it never goes anywhere.

So, I'm interested in people's thoughts and will be keeping an eye on this thread for sure.

Ken · May 4, 2013

AshleyEpidemic said:
Despite what I've said, in my writing, it end not to bring up things that aren't relevant to he story or character development.

... exactly the same here ;-)

Everything in my own stuff is 100% relevant.
But that's just how I write.
As a reader I've read lots of novels with "irrelevant" info,
about secondary characters, etc.

Hence, my prior post.

mfarraday · May 4, 2013

Drey of Boon said:
Wait, is he a POV character? I wasn't able to tell from this. If he's not a POV character then that will limit how you can drip-feed his backstory into his interactions with others.

He is one of about 5-6 POV characters in my novel. (Maybe too many. Not sure.)

CatchingADragon · May 4, 2013

If the backstory doesn't relate to what the character is doing or saying or thinking in a given scene, I think it's too much info. It may be interesting for the writer to create (probably 90 percent or more of the backstory I created for my characters didn't go into my last story), but if it doesn't help a reader understand a character's motivations for his decisions, I don't see the point.

So I only add backstory exposition when it's important in the story. If it has nothing to do with what the character is doing or thinking at a certain point in a story, then it will be harder for a reader to make sense of it, in my opinion.

For example, in my last project, I was giving tidbits of backstory for one of my main characters even close to the climax, because it was only then that that part of his backstory impacted what he was thinking. If I had given that backstory earlier, I think it would have seemed boring since it wouldn't have related to anything else, and a reader probably would've forgotten about it. (It did not provide him with any solutions to the climax; that would probably seem like a cheat.)

bonitakale · May 4, 2013

If he's got POV sections, you can slip a lot of backstory in. Or, you can slip a bit in dialogue.

"My ma taught me this trick."
"I used to make my living at this."
Mom, you'd be proud of me now.
"Yeah, hell, I used to get the rough side of my mom's tongue--and maybe the belt--if I didn't bring home enough."

mfarraday · May 4, 2013

This is from a Chuck Sambuchino column about how NOT to start your novel:

CHARACTERS AND BACKSTORY
“Many writers express the character’s backstory before they get to the plot. Good writers will go back and cut that stuff out and get right to the plot. The character’s backstory stays with them—it’s in their DNA.”
- Adam Chromy, Movable Type Management
“I’m turned off when a writer feels the need to fill in all the backstory before starting the story; a story that opens on the protagonist’s mental reflection of their situation is a red flag.”
- Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management
“One of the biggest problems is the ‘information dump’ in the first few pages, where the author is trying to tell us everything we supposedly need to know to understand the story. Getting to know characters in a story is like getting to know people in real life. You find out their personality and details of their life over time.”
- Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary

ref: http://writerunboxed.com/2013/04/22/april/

ishtar'sgate · May 4, 2013

mfarraday said:
Do I write all his backstory, then throw most of it out?

I try to write a pretty thorough backstory but the aim, for me, is to understand how my character came to be who he/she is at the point in time when my story begins. I don't write the backstory in my manuscript. It's just for me. However, bits of it will surface in the manuscript as a way for the reader to understand who they are and why they're acting as they are.

For example, given your character, someone can expect him to know about something scientific (given his credentials) and he'll have to explain why he doesn't know. He'll give another smooth line to the person asking but his interior dialogue can be the real reason - his credentials are fake. He could even mull over how he obtained them, letting the reader in on who he is. What he was before sets up who he is now. He's still the same poker-playing, idea-stealing scammer he was before but perhaps it's a little more difficult for him to talk his way out of it. Make him sweat a bit, the little jerk.

Susan Coffin · May 4, 2013

Backstory must be relevant or it does not belong in the story. Often times it is used to show character.

Does backstory ALWAYS impact the plot in some way?

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