Comments on: Fatal Backstory

By: Darcy Pattison

Darcy Pattison — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:49:30 +0000

Maybe you could start at a different place?
Maybe you can give him a heroic quality from the start?
I don’t know what to do for your particular novel; however, I do know that in general back story should NOT be in chapter 1. It’s a problem you have to solve.

Darcy

By: Livie

Livie — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:38:28 +0000

But what if without backstory the main character appears to lack the sympathetic qualities required for readers to root for him. In my WIP, I have the MC in action, in the middle of tension, with a lot at stake right from the start. Because of this he’s angry, and even thought I have tried to ground this anger by simply stating why he’s doing what he’s doing, readers of the first chapter seem to lack any sympathy for him. So without some sort of info from the past, how can I make him more sympathetic, truly his motivation are honorable? But with backstory, I can seal the deal. But I can’t use it because then my novel will end up on an editor slush pile. So these rules about back story seems to be a trap in publishing industry and with readers. Because without some point of reference (backstory) for this character, they can not be invested in his success until page 100?

By: To Flashback or Not to Flashback « Terisa Green

To Flashback or Not to Flashback « Terisa Green — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:50:12 +0000

[...] Staniszewski Short Story Flashbacks by Anna Staniszewski All About Backstory by Rachelle Gardner Fatal Backstory by Darcy Pattison Writing Flashbacks by Darcy Pattison Ask the editor: 7 techniques for a [...]

By: Jean Reidy

Jean Reidy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:54:33 +0000

Ooh, good point, Darcy. Yes, MISS SPITFIRE is a character story — and so is my current WIP.

By: Darcy Pattison

Darcy Pattison — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:44:40 +0000

I think it does work sometimes, but usually it’s a character story and the story is ABOUT what makes the character tick. And it’s a story that doesn’t make use of scenes – again, because it’s about character.

Is that what MISS SPITFIRE is like?
Darcy

By: Jean Reidy

Jean Reidy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:15:26 +0000

But when it works, it works. I’m listening to MISS SPITFIRE on CD and back story comprises much of the opening pages. And so far, the story is enthralling. So I’m scratching my head and trying to figure out what makes it work so well.

Flashbacks seem to fit in my current WIP, but I want to write them right. So I’d love to open the discussion on when and why back story works.