Defining Character Moments, Part I: Building Backstory

When building up a character backstory, it's often hard to get a sense of perspective. I think this is probably why we get characters with minutely detailed backstories that have only partial contribution to the main plot, and characters who get buried under avalanches of manufactured angst. In the first case, it's a matter of not honing in on key events in the character's life; the second case is about mistaking piles of tragic events happening to the character as being character development.
I think everyone has their own style of creating characters. But personally, I like to pick out character traits, skills, or the like, and think about the events in the backstory which explain or interact with the defining features of the character.
A major mistake-- one that leads to the 'heaps of angst' approach-- is to think that a defining backstory event needs to be dramatic and tragic. A positive event can be a huge moment of development. For example, someone discovering a talent, or connecting with a mentor, or achieving a major goal. Or observing some incident at a key point which leaves some indelible life lesson. The possibilities are as varied as your characters, so this is your opportunity to get as creative as possible. Go to it![image error]