5 Ways to Find the Backstory Readers Want to Know

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy
Readers don’t mind backstory—as long as it’s something they want to hear about.

My first novel was fantasy, so naturally, I had a lot of backstory. Every character had huge histories and shady pasts, and I couldn’t wait to share every last detail with my readers.

And it turned out about how you’d imagine.

Boring pages, no action, flashbacks that nobody but me cared about. It was a mess.

A person’s past is part of life, and everybody has one—especially fictional characters. But that past isn't always relevant, even if it is interesting. Stopping to explain a character's history tends to bog a novel down.

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com