The Backstory Dilemma for Writers

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

This week I read a novel that had all the necessary ingredients to keep me reading past my bedtime. (The ultimate compliment to a writer.) Instead, I had to force myself to finish. (Oops.)

The intriguing characters were there. The setting invited you in. The plot was unique and engaging. It even had a dog.

But the writing, not so much. And the problem boiled down to one thing: too much backstory. Backstory is what had happened to the characters before this story began. And backstory is important. Let’s face it, the more interesting a character’s life, the better the story. The issue comes when so much backstory is dumped in the narrative that it takes the reader out of the action.

This book had pages of narrative, a great deal of it interesting. But I often found myself wondering why the author wanted to reveal this now? It didn’t seem key to the plot.

Here’s a hint: if you have something you must tell the reader from your research, don’t. We’re there for the story. Trust your storytelling skills. Sprinkle the good stuff lightly throughout the entire story. Only sprinkle as needed. The less backstory you share, the better. Because it’s this story that’s important.

And if you’re more taken with the backstory than the current action, maybe you’re telling the wrong story. You could be starting in the wrong spot.

Think about it like this. When you meet someone new, it’s like starting on page one. I had a guy join my bowling team this season. We met right before our first game. We didn’t share where we grew up, where we went to school, or about our first job. Instead, we started bowling, started the action. Some dialog, but the dialog centered on what was going on around us. Maybe we talked about mutual friends. But we didn’t spend our time talking about our pasts. The same goes with the characters in our stories. The gradual learning about the characters, the sprinkling of their backstory, adds to the mystique. It can even add to the tension.

As writers, we also shouldn’t withhold important information without a good reason. If we have a story of two people hiking through the woods, when one stumbles and hurts his ankle, this isn’t the time to reveal that his companion is an EMT. As writers, we might enjoy surprising the reader. But in most genres, you’ll only leave your reader feeling cheated.

The writer can easily fix this. Just mention earlier that she’s wearing a tee shirt from the fire department, or have them discuss her partner, who happens to be his brother. One sentence. You don’t have to go into a bunch of details. And definitely don’t have a paragraph that runs more than half a page.

Where are the best places to sprinkle in backstory? We’ve already mentioned dialogue. We can also put it in their thoughts, their memories. Think about how memories work. I have a terrible memory. I can’t just bring up the names of people I’ve met. Something needs to jog my memory. Seeing someone’s face. Talking about someone entirely different may bring another classmate to mind.

Do this in your story. A car can spur memories of the character’s father or old boyfriend. The smell (Smells are great at bringing on memories.) of a cobbler cooking might bring back memories of grandparents or family reunions. But use only a sprinkle. Just enough to get the information to your readers without taking them out of the current action.

A recent Bible Study showed me how this works in our faith journeys. When we accept Christ, there is so much about God and faith that we don’t know. Learning the Bible could take several lifetimes. When you become a believer, God doesn’t suddenly do a mind dump, or a Vulcan mind meld, and gives you all the information about Him you’ll ever need. He reveals Himself through the journey we call life. Through the hurts and the pains, the joys and the acts of love, we see Him and learn about Him.

There will come a time when we’ll be able to look back and see how our stories interlaced with His-story throughout history. A tapestry. A masterpiece. Just the way we want our readers to remember our stories.

What are your tips for adding backstory that strengthen your writing?

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Tim Suddeth is a stay-at-home dad and butler for his wonderful, adult son with autism. He has written numerous blogs posts, short stories, and three novels waiting for publication. He is a frequent attendee at writers conferences, including the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and a member of Word Weavers and ACFW. He lives near Greenville, SC where he shares a house with a bossy Shorky and three too-curious Persians. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, as well as at www.timingreenville.com and www.openingamystery.com.