tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post6127591841928022595..comments2023-12-26T09:58:45.306-06:00Comments on Writer Musings: Flashbacks and Back-StoryTabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-34848788659451594422010-11-03T19:36:00.827-05:002010-11-03T19:36:00.827-05:00awesome post! I agree. flashbacks are tough.awesome post! I agree. flashbacks are tough.C.R. Evershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09034891037873664976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-2240996942345440042010-11-03T11:28:33.342-05:002010-11-03T11:28:33.342-05:00Brian - EXACTLY. :)
Natalie - another great poin...Brian - EXACTLY. :)<br /><br />Natalie - another great point! In sequels, it is necessary to get the reader up to speed (sort of) on what happened in the previous book, to at least jog his memory so he doesn't have to re-read. That's tricky, and I think it can still be done by spreading out the information a bit. Not too much, I guess, but a little at a time would still work.Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-35949394683225799632010-11-03T11:24:37.856-05:002010-11-03T11:24:37.856-05:00Stephanie - yeah, I wonder that sometimes, too. :...Stephanie - yeah, I wonder that sometimes, too. :) It drives me crazy. I'm determined to NOT be one of those authors. :)<br /><br />J.Tuttle - aww, thanks. :)<br /><br />Sherrie - excellent point! In a first draft, all that backstory is useful when you're in discovery mode.Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-20366054426747970292010-11-03T09:19:46.702-05:002010-11-03T09:19:46.702-05:00Great post. I think it's easier to avoid so mu...Great post. I think it's easier to avoid so much back-story in a first novel in a series or a stand alone book. The two sentence limit is a great idea.<br /><br />I'm struggling a bit because I'm writing the second book in a series. It's harder not to tell some back-story or the reader doesn't know what's going on. But too much is not good either. It's a hard balance.Natalie Aguirrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-51610802481668915132010-11-02T16:13:00.307-05:002010-11-02T16:13:00.307-05:00Great post.
I agree that flashbacks are very tric...Great post.<br /><br />I agree that flashbacks are very tricky in novels. Oddly, they work fairly well in film but it's a device that rarely translates well into the written medium.<br /><br />As for backstory, I agree it's important not to get mired down in telling the reader what happened BEFORE they picked up the book. I've found it effective to tell backstory little by little throughout the first part of the book so that it unravels naturally, as it typically does in real life when you're introduced to somebody new.Brian Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08547208018232793140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-4341954852734719422010-11-01T22:29:40.527-05:002010-11-01T22:29:40.527-05:00I think in first draft I always have more flashbac...I think in first draft I always have more flashbacks and backstory because I'm learning about the characters. Most have to come out in the second draft or I have to incorporate them differently. It's always interesting to me to see how some of my favorite books deal with this. It's so tricky.Sherrie Petersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11670339498152684137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-50189707931565127832010-11-01T17:39:19.373-05:002010-11-01T17:39:19.373-05:00I have personally used some of the suggestions tha...I have personally used some of the suggestions that you wrote about to very good effect in my own work. Keep on giving great advice!J.Tuttlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923883452644723563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-85133469002520914712010-11-01T12:59:06.613-05:002010-11-01T12:59:06.613-05:00Sometimes I read published stories by pretty big a...Sometimes I read published stories by pretty big authors and wonder how the heck they got away with so much back story in the first chapter. I'm reading one right now and it just felt like it dragged forever!! Definitely gives me motivation to not do that in my own writing!Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17401931638397651614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-841150852125085422010-11-01T09:03:55.330-05:002010-11-01T09:03:55.330-05:00Good point! The reader can handle more flashback-...Good point! The reader can handle more flashback-type scenes toward the end of the story because he's more likely to be hooked already. <br /><br />And short 'half-scenes' work great! In my view, less is definitely more when it comes to back-story and flashbacks. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-27777973532727717592010-11-01T08:15:36.623-05:002010-11-01T08:15:36.623-05:00Good post. Yes, flashbacks are tough, and too many...Good post. Yes, flashbacks are tough, and too many really stall a story. That said, I think an author can do a lot with what's termed "half-scenes," which are short, memories, heavy in dialog and action, that read like dynamic mini-scenes.<br />But yeah, never, never in a first chapter!Catherine Stinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131569196977321229noreply@blogger.com