Backstory isn't context, it's causality

Hi Reader,

I hope this finds you well and, most importantly, writing! I have been a little MIA over here because I’ve been deep in my revision cave, as I work on polishing my contemporary romance before I wade back into the querying waters (gulp!).

I mentioned a few weeks ago that one of the things the developmental editor I hired nailed me on was my characters’ backstories, and so I’ve been thinking—and studying—a lot about the craft of weaving in backstory effectively.

Some writers weave in too little (like me, apparently) and others—most commonly—don’t necessarily include too little, but they include backstory at the wrong time. Or too much of it.

So many writers worry that their readers will be missing something if they don’t over-share information, or that they’ll be confused and abandon the book. So they fill in birth details or irrelevant childhood facts, or anecdotes with no real story meaning. “Context!” these writers might argue. “I’m giving my readers contexts!”

But it all feels a little bit like reading a dry historical biography. I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I want when I’m reading a novel.

Pump the brakes, folks. Let’s shift our perspective a little bit.

Backstory is not context dumping; backstory is causality. It is the reason why this character reacts the way they do now.

So, what exactly do I mean when I say “backstory” and how do you determine what actually belongs on the page? Well, that’s what we are talking about today, plus look at some practical techniques for layering it in without making your story come to a grinding halt.

Let’s get into it.

What is backstory?

Backstory is past experiences that actively shape a character’s present desires, fears, choices, and behavior.

It’s not their full life history; it’s not info dumps about the world in which they live; it’s not trauma to make your character appear more complicated; and it’s not random exposition you (the author) find interesting.

It should serve as one of your character’s biggest obstacles as they navigate their current situation. Backstory helps you flesh out your character’s emotional logic, it explains their decision-making, and it increases stakes and tension.

So if you find yourself putting in details that don’t change how a character acts in the scene, it’s probably optional.

What backstory belongs on the page?

Do we need to know about your character’s annoying uncle Charlie who always had food in his teeth and made off-color remarks during a Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago? Short answer: It depends.

Essential backstory might fall into one of these categories:

Wounds: Moments that created a false belief or fear for your protagonist. So did Uncle Charlie do or say something that hurt your character? Did he cut them down, make them believe that they would never amount to anything? That they were too stupid to pursue a role in NASA’s space engineering program?

Formative relationships: Especially first love, betrayal, abandonment, loss. Did Uncle Charlie, on the opposite end of the spectrum, serve as a place of encouragement for your protagonist? Even if he always had food in his teeth and said uncouth things, did he teach your character about belonging or love? Did your character lose him and never quite got over the loss?

Pattern-setting Moments: Moments where your character first learned things like: love isn’t safe; authority can’t be trusted; wanting has more consequences. Did your character watch Uncle Charlie at Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving and understand the way families blow up at each other when certain subjects come up, and they therefore deemed those subjects as unsafe? Did they learn through the only day of the year they saw Uncle Charlie that family can be messy and can break you? Or did they learn that there was good in the world, if only they could leave their small town?

Backstory that drives the plot: Anything that will force a choice later. Will Uncle Charlie return to your character’s life in the story and ask them for help? Or give them an offer they feel like they can’t refuse?

Here’s a great, simple test for figuring out whether a piece of backstory is essential. Ask yourself: If this moment were removed, would the character still make the same decision in the climax? If yes, it’s optional. If no, it’s essential.

So if you include a Thanksgiving anecdote about Uncle Charlie because you think it’d be funny or because you want to show some of your character’s extended family…that might not be enough. Maybe a memory about Uncle Charlie can be nixed.

So what backstory can be minimized or cut:

· Biographical facts that don’t create pressure
· Childhood anecdotes that don’t echo the present
· Information the reader can infer through behavior
· Backstory that exists only to “explain” instead of complicate.

Read that last one back again. Because it’s a biggie. The events that came before story-present should only be included when they complicate things for your character now.

When and where should I include backstory?

Simple answer: Timing is everything. The general rule of thumb I like to go by is to drop it in just before or after the reader needs it.

Here’s an example. Let’s say our character has a precious necklace they always wear. You watch their memory of when, one Thanksgiving, Uncle Charlie pulls her aside and told her to dream big, that she could get out of her crummy town, her crummy life, away from her crummy parents who don’t show her an ounce of attention. Though he had food in his teeth and said crass things, your character always felt seen by Uncle Charlie. Like she could be her real self. He gifts her this necklace in a moving scene, reminding her that freedom is right around the corner. Moments later he is kicked out of the house and your character never sees him again.

Zoom forward into story present and watch what happens as your character loses that necklace.

If we have the memory surface sometime shortly before she loses it, then we feel the loss of it right alongside her, and understand why she feels like it’s a sign that she will never get out of her town, that she’ll never amount to anything. She’ll feel like she’s losing the one person who saw her, all over again. The loss of this necklace might then affect what she does next, whether she will give up her plight, or whether she will buckle down and keep going.

You tell this story too late or not at all, and the emotional impact of the event falls apart.

Backstory earns its place when a character is under pressure, when they must make a choice, and when an emotional contradiction appears.

The trick is to avoid too many front-loaded explanations, and backstory before the reader cares. Butt it up against the choice, the moment of pressure, and see what happens.

What are some tactics for getting backstory on the page?

There are a few ways to get backstory on the page. Main thing to remember here is that it must be triggered by something in the character’s present.

On a micro-level, It can show up in:

· One line: “You can do anything you want to, little dove,” Uncle Charlie had told me that day.

· One image: In Norman’s gesture, I only saw Uncle Charlie’s wink, just before Mom threw him into the snow.

· One physical reaction tied to memory: I clenched the necklace in my fist.

You might have a sensory flash, a loaded phrase the character returns to or avoids thinking about it, or a full-blown flashback.

The trick is that when you have a character think back on a piece of backstory (through something triggered—e.g. a smell, an object, a feeling that arises, something they hear, etc.) it must be tied to a reaction. Not just as a reflection for the sake of reflection. Move your character to react to it. Backstory is resistance, avoidance, instinctive judgement. It’s a pile of wounds and misbeliefs that send your character spiraling and making choices that have consequences.

On a scene level, you’ll want to zoom out to bigger structural strategies:

Backstory as an obstacle: a past experience that interferes with communication, trust, action, etc. The scene cannot fully resolve because of their backstory obstacle (wound or misbelief.)

Backstory as conflict between characters: Think of things like two characters remembering the same past differently; a secret that one is trying not to reveal; or backstory that surfaces through an argument, misunderstanding, or emotional rupture.

Delayed Revelation: A wound, secret, or misdeed that your character doesn’t want to tell the reader about. There’s a hint, then pressure on the character, followed by a partial reveal, and full understanding later.

Not sure whether your backstory is working? Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

· Does this backstory: influence a decision in this scene; increase emotional stakes; or complicate my character’s goal?
· Could this be shortened, delayed, implied instead of explained?
· Is there enough? Am I giving enough information about formative experiences in my character’s life that explains why they are making their choices now?

Phew, I think that’s nearly it. Just remember that backstory isn’t pointless and it’s not just coloring in the background of your character’s life and psyche; it plays a role in the decisions they make in story-present. It is the engine beneath the character’s behavior. Effective backstory makes choices feel inevitable and heartbreaking or heartrending. It deepens intimacy with your character and reader, sharpens tension, and breathes life and resonance into your book.

P.S. I am working on a new free resource for y'all about interiority, about which I did a craft lesson for my Winter Story Studio this week. It's a topic I feel super passionately about! Can't wait to share it with you! Check your inbox for it soon!

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Happy Writing ,

Karyn

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