As
the name suggests, this is the story behind the story. This can
contain important information that's necessary for understanding of
the novel or short story. Backstory isn't always necessary to write
about, so a smattering of it is all that's really needed in a book.
This is the story the author has in mind to give depth and motivation
to the characters.
Try
not to do an information dump early on in the book. Many of us do
that, but it isn't wise. Readers don't like it. They want to get into
the story and let it carry them away. Sure, there are things they
need to know, but they don't have to know all of it ahead of time. It
can be revealed gradually, peppered throughout the story, spicing it
up.
Having
too much backstory is a mistake even experienced writers make. It's
particularly true of rookie writers. I know, because I did made it in
my novel, Indian Summer. I had almost a full chapter of
backstory. After it was accepted for publication, I realized I had
some work to do on it. I cut the first chapter almost entirely and
began just before the point of attack. (Which will be discussed in
another article) The result was a tighter, more enjoyable book that I
am still very proud of.
While
I have your attention, something that goes hand in hand with
backstory, is research. At some point, whether it be history,
theoretical physics, astronomy, music theory or what night the full
moon was in October of 1713 (which I looked up a few days ago), we
all have to do some research. Please pay attention to what I say
next, because it will save you grief down the line.
Readers
don't want to know all that stuff you spent hours looking up.
If they want a lecture on how to prepare hominy grits, for random
example, they'll read a book about that. They don't need to know how
many miles to Babylon, unless that's pertinent to the action of the
story. So leave that out. Why? Because: (say it with me)
Readers don't want to know! (Let 'em hear ya outside)
Readers don't want to know!
Add
what tidbits make the story unique and true. Don't bore your audience
with inconsequential facts. I read a book several years ago where the
author made this mistake in a big way. He'd obviously done his
research and was so excited by it, he felt compelled to share it with
the readers for eight pages. Eight pages where the characters did
nothing, he just yammered on about whatever it was. Not only that,
but when he went back to the characters, they discussed it! Talk
about overkill.
Readers
don't want to know!
Though
we can look at the great literary works of yore, and say “Well,
Charles Dickens did lots of back story. Look at A Tale of Two
Cities. It begins with one of the most quoted words of all time!”
That may be true, but we aren't Dickens and our audiences aren't
going to sit still for:
“It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that
some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for
good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
(Dickens,
Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. 1859.)
To
be perfectly honest, when I read that in school, I got bored very
quickly. When I heard it a few years later at my high school
graduation, I was really tired of it.
Look
closely at the above paragraph and you'll notice it's all one
sentence. Talk about a run-on!!! While this worked for Dickens, it
won't work for us. I'm not saying that writers must adopt Hemingway's
abrupt, choppy style. That's nearly as annoying as the long, flowery
speeches. My opinion, for what it's worth, is not to do either except
for the occasional, special effect.
Avoid
excessive Backstory and your readers will thank you by buying more
books. Isn't that, after all, what it's all about?
©
2016 Dellani Oakes
Dellani
Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which
haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red
River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and
journalist.
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