A while back I was asked a question about character backstory, and it’s stuck with me. I’ve done a post on initial characterization, but I want to zoom in and focus specifically on backstory today. It’s a crucial part of developing a story, but it’s also often misused. Let’s talk about what backstory is, how to develop it, and when to reveal it in your story.
What is backstory?
Basically, backstory is anything that happened to a character before the start of the story. As writers, we want our stories to feel realistic and full. In order to accomplish that, we have to make readers feel like the characters and world existed before the book starts. Backstory is what happens before the main plot and often isn’t told outright to readers. If we meet our protagonist on her sixteenth birthday, there is the understanding that she lived sixteen years already and things have happened to her that will inform how she acts now.
And that is the heart of backstory: motivations. What has happened to shape how the character thinks and acts? What big events altered her life and mindset? How was she raised to form her as a person? When developing a backstory, only dig into things that affect the character’s motivations for how she lives her life. You can develop stuff like the character’s favorite color, but will that make a big impact on whether she trusts the random man who claims to be her real father? No. Backstory must have an impact on the main story for it to be worth having, or even just referencing, in the book.
In the past, I wrote a post on character wound. Essentially, it’s a traumatic event that impacts how the protagonist lives her life. Usually, she will develop a false belief because of it, which you will try to shatter by the end of your book. The character wound is the single most important part of a character’s backstory. It’s a defining moment that dictates how the character acts and thinks. If you only develop one thing for your character’s backstory, the character wound should be it.
How do you develop backstory?
When it comes to developing character wounds and backstories, I find research is the best solution. Read books and see what other writers use for tragic pasts. You can even pull from real life and what you or someone you know experienced (though make sure to change it up so no one feels targeted). The important thing is to pick something you feel passionate about or can connect to in your writing. If you write about a woman who went through a divorce, but you don’t think it’s a big deal, you’ll have a hard time emotionally connecting to it. Without the emotions, a character wound is bland. So find something you can connect with or at least empathize with, and then develop a backstory from it.
I’ve discovered two strategies for developing backstory based on if you are writing a plot driven or a character driven story.
Plot Driven Stories
If you are writing a plot driven story, then the best way to create a character’s backstory is to work backwards. What is the story about? Even if you are a pantser who plots as you write, you should have an idea of what happens. Is it a murder mystery? Or a man trying to stop a terrorist attack? Or a group of adventurers on a quest? By knowing the story concept, you can create a character wound that will create tension in the story.
If it’s a mystery, then think about what issues you’d like to portray in the story. Does the amateur sleuth not trust the police to solve her friend’s murder? Then create an event in her past that explains why she doesn’t trust law enforcement. Is the renowned detective having a hard time solving this case? Why? Has she just lost her husband or is the crime connected to her past somehow? Think of ways to complicate the plot with the character’s past, and you’ll find great points for the character’s backstory.
Character Driven Stories
In a character driven story, you can focus on what lesson or theme you want the character to explore in the book. The story should follow the character through normal life trials so you can pick a theme and cater your backstory to it. For instance, let’s say we want to discuss the importance of family. Narrow that down. Do we want to focus on the importance of found family? Then you’ll need a backstory that explains why the character doesn’t have a family and why she wants one. Is it about being a good mother? Then figure out why that’s important (or not) to the character based on her past.
Character driven stories are all about character growth. By picking what lesson you want the protagonist to learn, you can figure out how she should start the story to maximize the growth. Once you have a starting spot for how she acts and thinks, you can develop a backstory with a character wound that explains why she has that false belief and needs to learn the lesson.
How do you reveal backstory?
The most important thing to remember about backstory is it’s not the story. The backstory shouldn’t be played out on the page in your book. It happens off the page and is referenced in the story. Now it may not be the main story, but it’s still important (at least part of it is). Because of this, writers need to find ways to reveal bits and pieces of the backstory within the book so readers get the context they need to fully grasp what’s happening. However, it’s important to not stop the story and info dump the backstory on the page. Writers should reveal only what’s needed to understand the plot or character in that moment. Then over the course of the story, your readers will be able to put the backstory together without being told it directly.
Let’s look at three ways you can reveal backstory without interrupting the main story.
1. Dropped Hints
The best way to reveal backstory is by dropping hints throughout the story when it’s pertinent. Often, it can be done so seamlessly that readers don’t even know they are being given a backstory detail.
For instance, let’s say our protagonist’s car broke down and she must take the bus to get to work. She might grimace as she enters the bus, thinking back on how she vowed never to ride another bus after she got out of foster care. It’s pertinent info since she is currently getting on a bus and hates it, and it tells the readers she was a foster child. We are explaining her motivations (for grimacing while getting on a bus), which is backstory. It helps explain why she is the way she is now. You can follow this pattern all throughout the story, dropping hint after hint until the reader understands the character’s past and current mindset.
2. Conversation
Another way to get some backstory across is in a conversation, but it should be used sparingly. Be careful not to end up with maid and butler dialogue (when a character states something obvious that the other character already knows. Example: “As you know, our dad is a mechanic.”). If you have a conversation revealing some part of the character’s past, it must be new to both the character she is telling and to the readers. It also has to fit the scene and be relevant to what is happening in the moment. If readers don’t need the conversation to understand the scene, then it isn’t necessary.
Also, make sure these conversations don’t go on too long. A lengthy monologue about a character’s backstory is boring for readers. Keep it down to what is essential and the most emotionally impactful. Then let there be interruptions from the setting and the other person to make it more realistic.
3. Flashback
While I caution against using it, sometimes flashbacks are the best way to show a part of the character’s backstory. If it’s an extremely emotional moment, it might hit readers harder for them to see it than be told about it. However, most often there is a better way to reveal backstory so let this be your last resort.
If you do a flashback or show dual timelines that cover the past and present, make sure readers are invested in the past. Too often, writers show a flashback before it is needed. If readers aren’t invested in what happened, they’ll be annoyed by the interruption to the storyline they are already enjoying. So instead of showing the protagonist being abandoned by her mother at chapter 5, hold onto it until a critical emotional moment. Get readers invested in the character and make them eager to learn what happened to the protagonist. When they are bursting with curiosity, then show the flashback. Readers will be invested in what happened and eager to read it then. Because a lot of tension and anticipation is built for the flashback though, make sure the scene is very satisfying and gives answers so readers don’t feel let down.
Final Thoughts
A character’s backstory is important to the story even if it never appears written on the page. It’s an explanation for who your character is and why. Readers need to know that to really be invested in your book, but they often don’t want to read a prequel to the story just to follow along. Take the time to develop a character wound and defining moments in your character’s past, and then drop hints in the story. It makes the readers more active participants as they try to piece together the character’s backstory, and it keeps the story flowing smoothly. If you do it right, readers will never even notice they’ve been given backstory.
Thanks for reading!
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