Backstory & What Not To Do When Writing It

A backstory, as the name suggests, is a story about a character which aims to reveal an obscured slice of the past about that character’s life.

As some would argue, backstories are not mere stories within a story, but rather a pivotal piece of the puzzle.

Why?

Backstories shed light, typically on what only the character in question would know. They help readers to understand an aspect of the character a bit more, whether that be where their insecurities come from, their anxieties, their rage triggers, and so on and so forth.

All in all, backstories should explain ‘the character of now’, why what drives them drives them, or why they are the way they are.

In spite of the importance of backstories, there are three things not to do when writing them.

These are:

Long-windedness

A backstory should be succinct. For, while acquainting with the character’s past may be pleasing, readers don’t want to feel stuck in the past. They want the present to get a move on and for the story to shift toward bigger and better.

2. Lack of clarity

Should a backstory, out of necessity, be long-winded, make sure it is clear. Clear in terms of why it is that, instead of two pages, the reader is invited to read five to six pages of backstory. Therefore, make the relevance of the backstory compelling.

3. Pointlessness

A reader will forever shut the book if they feel trapped in pointless storytelling. Therefore, it is necessary to give a clear purpose to why the writing of a backstory is needed. Is it to explain why the character keeps losing his temper in a particular circumstance? Is it to explain why they always sweat when they notice people’s eyes are on them? Is it to explain their motives?

Whatever the reason, make sure the backstory doesn’t feel like it’s just taking up space in the book.

Achike Morgan