Wattpad Rants

Backstories

Requested by @Pinkiekal2 on my Q & A chapter.

Backstories; they're the reason why books are written, why characters are the way they are, and why a novel can either be really good or really crappy. Backstories say a lot about the character; if they were raised in a good family, they might turn out to be a very nice and loving person. If they were abused and surrounded by cruel, terrible relatives, they might turn out to be the worst person you'll ever meet. Or maybe, it can be the other way around. Whatever the case is, in order to write a good character, you need to know their back story. Take notes about their family members, where they lived, how they lived, etc.

Do not pull a Batman. Let me tell you this, if your character is going to be an orphan, the entire novel cannot just be about them brooding over the loss of their parents. Instead, the novel can be about how they learn to accept the situation and move on. By move on, I don't mean completely forgetting about them. There are lots of books on Wattpad where the parents of a character die and they cry about it for one or two chapters and then never mention them again. I'm sorry, what? How can someone possibly forget about their family like that? 

This is the main reason why I discontinued by book, Velocity. The main character, Cassandra, lost her parents due to a bank robbery and it traumatized her for years (mind you, she's an adult at the time), but me, being stupid, failed to mention her parents later on and she moved on just like that. Yeah, terrible. 

To have a well-written backstory, you need to really dive deep into the characters emotions to the point where you feel like you're actually them. And from there, you as the author can write whatever you want. Just remember, no sad orphans who cry for the rest of their life.

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QOTD: Favorite movie? I'm currently deeply in love with Hacksaw Ridge. It's honestly such a beautiful movie, 10/10 would watch it for the rest of my life.