Sprinkling Seeds of Backstory: How This Writing Faux Pas Can Work In Your Story

By Bonnie Randall 

Part of the How They Do It Series 

JH: Backstory has its place in a novel, but the trick is knowing when and where to use it. Bonnie Randall takes her turn at the podium this month to share tips on how to make backstory work for you.

We’ve all heard the lectures: Backstory bogs down your book. Backstory pulls the reader out of your story. Backstory BAD. Cutting it GOOD.

Mostly that’s true.

Sometimes, though, a plot or character’s backstory adds to the richness of theme or atmosphere in a piece of fiction—and can even operate to drive the plot forward. The trick, though, is to use it sparingly—and almost cunningly—when you’re crafting your work. Consider:
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com