˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲
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❛ JUST 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 YOUR CRYING,
IT'S A 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵 OF THE 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺. ❜
how to write a good backstory! ━━ no. 025
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EVERY PERSON YOU SEE ON THE STREET, AT SCHOOL, AND AT WORK, HAS A STORY. And it's a story you'll probably never hear in its entirety. You might catch part of it if you get to know them or hear fragments of their story through a mutual friend.
Regardless, we all have a story that is a cumulation of our past, present, and future. And most times, after hearing someone's story, we start to see that person in a new light because we suddenly understand why they act the way they do and why they make the decisions that they make. This then leads to you beginning to care more for them and growing invested in their lives in a way you weren't before. By listening to them, you've come to understand their inner struggle — the emotional drive that dominates their story.
Every person, and every character, has deepfelt emotional struggles that drive their actions. The key to writing characters that are both captivating and relatable is to identify that struggle and share it with the readers through that character's actions.
A character backstory — the past events and formative experiences that shape who your characters are — is key to creating characters of breadth and depth.
So, for today's chapter, we're going to be focusing on how to write a good character backstory that is believable and realistic.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘? ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by Now Novel and Master Class articles. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.
╰─── "A backstory is a comprehensive overview of a character's history that extends beyond the story in which the character appears. Devising backstories is a crucial part of character creation since a character's background will inform the action of the main narrative. Writing character backstories can be part of the world-building process. It's a way to create fully formed characters who resemble real people with nuanced personality traits."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 '𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘' 𝐀𝐍𝐃 '𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃' ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by Dramatica and Story Bodyguard articles. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.
Many beginning writers often confuse background information they establish about a character with backstory in the narrative. "This is an area in creating a story where discernment and tight story play a key role."
For those of you who may not entirely know the difference between background and backstory, this is for you.
━━ 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬: "a literary device authors use to give a sense of history; the imagined pasts characters' live and worlds possess; includes the events that directly lead to the "story" and its story form. These events take place before the main narrative of the story."
➳❥ 𝙁𝙐𝙍𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀. . . "Backstory consists of events that happened earlier than the story itself but are inserted into the plot. The backstory must be used with a deft hand. Beginners usually add too much, too soon. I recommend that beginning writers avoid backstories at all costs, especially in screenwriting. If you insist on putting a backstory in wait until you have written at least one-third of the story. Beginning with backstory — because you want your readers and viewers to know all about your character — will always feel like a trick to the audience."
━━ 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗: "the detailed character history that an author builds for all the main characters — where they were born, their parents, how they grew up, likes and dislikes, life-changing early trauma incidents, phobias if any, etc."
➳❥ 𝙁𝙐𝙍𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀. . . "The more an author knows about their characters the better able they will be to make them believable and intriguing in their story. So, the more time, work, and detail they put into their background the richer, more complicated, and more conflicted their story will be. Yes, it is essential to build a background for your main characters. Think of it as the iceberg. Only the tip of the iceberg actually appears in a story. Use the basic guideline: it must move the story forward or throw it out."
Bottom Line: The primary difference between backstory and background is that backstory is directly tied to the essential growth and development of the story's story form, while background provides an environment within which the characters have individual, historical contexts as an aspect of the story's storytelling.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆? ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by a Now Novel article. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.
So, what exactly are the uses of backstory in storytelling? Let's discuss.
╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Developing readers' understanding of the character. "For example, gradually revealing a character's traumatic past could give the reader context (overtime) for the choices a character makes or the fears they carry with them."
╰─── 𝟬𝟮. Backstory can raise the stakes. "For example, if we learn a character has battled for years with addiction, the appearance of temptation becomes more suspenseful."
╰─── 𝟬𝟯. Backstory gives a character psychological realism. "For example, Ms. Havisham's cynical view of love (and her efforts to turn her adopted daughter against it) in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations makes more sense when we find out she was once jilted by a husband-to-be." More about this is down below.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐒𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐌? ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by Alley Dog. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.
╰─── "Psychological realism (also known as psychological novels) is a particular literary method in which a piece of fiction focuses on the interior motives, psychological processes, and characters' mental narratives instead of simply telling a story. Psychological realism focuses on why something happens and not just the scenario that plays out. It focuses on the mental processes of the characters and often includes their inner thoughts and feelings along with their motives for behavior. Examples of authors who use psychological realism are Henry James, Arthur Millers, and Fyodor Dostoevsky."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎: 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article by Master Class and Now Novel. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.
Backstories are absolutely essential to creating memorable, authentic characters in your writing. So, here are some tips to help you write compelling backstories:
╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Build a timeline of your character's life events. "Plotting out the key events in your character's past can help you better understand your character's personality and point of view. What were they like at a young age? What was their high school experience like? Did they have a best friend? When was the first time they fell in love? Continue plotting out these key events until you reach the present day. Not only will this exercise help you better understand your character's thoughts, personality, and quirks, it will also give you a bird's eye view of the formative events in your character's life."
❪ 𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚈 𝙾𝙵 𝙽𝙾𝚆 𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙻. ❫
╰─── 𝟬𝟮. Make sure backstory details are relevant. "When writing a backstory for a new character, it can be tempting to include every bit of personal history that seems funny or interesting. However, focus on a backstory that directly informs the plot points and conflicts that your character experiences in the main story. For example, if your main character's best friend dies in your novel or short story, a backstory that explains the depth of their friendship will deepen the emotional stakes. On the other hand, backstory that explores your character's favorite food or an adventuring trip they took with their parents will feel like a waste of time, since it does not connect to your character's present emotional reality."
╰─── 𝟬𝟯. Draw inspiration from real life. "Writing a believable character backstory can be difficult. That's why it's helpful to draw inspiration from real life. Think about the way you recount formative events in your own life. Pay attention to the way your friends and loved ones tell stories. Read biographies of celebrities, politicians, or historical figures to understand the important episodes that shaped their lives. Taking note of real peoples' backstories will make your character's backstory seem all the more authentic and genuine."
╰─── 𝟬𝟰. Show, don't tell. "When weaving details from your character's backstory into the text of your novel or short story, it's important to avoid info-dumps. Too much backstory at once can cause the reader to become bored, which is why it's important to vary the way in which a character's past is revealed. Show, don't tell is a writing technique in which a character's personal history is revealed through actions, sensory details, or emotions. In other words, the author attempts to "show you" what happened rather than simply telling you what happened. Revealing your main character's past life through tangible details and flashbacks can help the reader gain insight into the character's background without relying on info-dumping."
╰─── 𝟬𝟱. Don't overload your first chapter with backstory. "When writing the first draft of a novel, it can be tempting to try to get all of your character's backstory out of the way at the beginning. However, frontloading your novel with backstory and exposition will likely cause the reader to get bored since backstory often gets in the way of plotting, conflict, and organic character development. Try to spread out your backstory over the course of the whole story, deploying information as it becomes relevant to that character's current situation."
I hope these were all helpful and if you have any questions or want more tips on this topic, let me know!
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❛ THEY TOLD ME THAT 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫
IS 𝑵𝑬𝑨𝑹, WE GOTTA GET 𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀
FROM 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴. ❜
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