Jan 25, 2021
What’s your best technique for working around backstory dumps??
The long-winded story of how two clans became mortal enemies. The intricate description of the landscape for miles and miles. The tale of the little girl and her imaginary best friend. Most writers know the pain of trying to figure out where the story really starts.
I’m guilty. I recently chopped off about 600 words from the beginning of The Ranger’s Dog Tags. They weren’t really backstory, but because I referred to the same info later in the chapter, I decided I didn’t need to tell the reader about it twice. It also allowed me to start the story at a more exciting point.
The squad car screamed down the street, its red and blue lights tearing through the darkness. I feathered the gas pedal and waited for a second set of headlights that followed.
Because this is the sixth (and last) book in the Harmony Duprie series, I had to pay close attention to backstory. I never explained why Eli has a house in both Oak Grove, north of Pittsburgh, and in Florida, since it wasn’t important to the plot. (Eli is the main male character in the series.)
But what do I do when I have backstory to work in? I try to attach it to dialogue. Maybe not as part of the dialogue itself, but in conjunction with it.
“Your Chief Sorenson asked me to pass on a message,” Horace said. “Stephen Sallis is out of prison, on compassionate release. He has an untreatable cancer. Sorenson said to be careful.”
I caught my breath. Sallis was the minor crime figure with delusions of grandeur who’d been responsible for the disaster that played out after Jake gave me a replica of a stolen necklace. I’d had a minor part in his capture. Would he show up seeking revenge? “You think I’m in danger?”
Short and sweet. Then I moved on to advance the story.
It’s not always that easy. Sometimes I have to write several paragraphs of backstory. Stories from Eli’s time in the Army Rangers play a prominent part of the book. But rather than tell the tale all at once, I feed it to the reader in little bits and pieces.
On the other hand, I’m toying with Jake’s origin story. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it’s been fun to delve into his history. In a way, the whole darn thing is backstory. (Jake is the anti-hero on the series. The book revolves around his relationship with Harmony Duprie before the events in The Marquesa’s Necklace.)
Anyway, that’s my trick. Try to intersperse dribs and drabs of the backstory throughout the story. Enough to give the reader a sense of the history without overwhelming them. Now, I’m going to follow the links below and see what everyone else does to slip in backstory.
P.S. I haven’t set a release date for The Ranger’s Dog Tags yet, but I’m getting closer. Stay tuned!
Until next time, please stay safe.
Jan 25, 2021
What’s your best technique for working around backstory dumps??
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.