Writing Backstory Naturally

"Hey, Bob, remember that time we went bass fishing and you lost your leg in that horrible fishing lure accident?"
"I'm just glad you were there, Jim, to jump in and retrieve it as it sank to the bottom. Who knew you could hold your breath for three minutes?"

OK, the above scenario is a bit of stretch, but unfortunately not by much. I've read lines like, "Do you remember that time you got shot?" Yes, of course. The person got shot! Same with the above "example." A reader should know, needs to know, certain facts. but the author should be able to find ways to introduce backstory without being ham handed or clumsy.

Bob limped into the room on crutches, having lost his leg bass fishing years ago. His lure got caught in the boat's motor and pulled him forcefully toward it, severing his left leg just above the knee.

Jim dove into the lake to save his daughter. He struggled for air, turned purple, fought for five more seconds. He hadn't held his breath this long since recovering Bob's leg from the bottom of the lake.

Incorporating facts into action, not just exposition or dialogue, is a great way to present backstory. But make sure it fits. Make sure it doesn't take away from the scene. The last thing you want is for your reader to say, "That's nice, now get on with it!"

Don't introduce backstory too soon or too late. Your reader can forget certain information, or they might say, "Thanks, but I could have used that 30 pages ago. That explains Bob's fear of ordering sea bass in a restaurant." Backstory, like comedy, is all in the timing.

Don't introduce it all at once, unless it's in a scene. Can you reveal pertinent information by fully re-creating the time and place in your story? Do we have to know about Bob's horrible accident in the past tense, or can you create a full-fledged scene for us in the here and now? Describe Bob's accident, the pain, the stupidity, and Jim's valiant efforts to dive in and retrieve it like a Labrador. The information will stick with your reader longer, make more sense, be full of tension, action, and drama, and add rather than detract from your story.

Consider all the ways to introduce backstory and find the one that works best. Even if that means rewriting whole passages. When the time comes, reread your piece and see if your attempts at keeping the reader up-to-date and informed are awkward and heavy-handed. If they are, find a way around it, or you might lose your reader long before they learn why they need to know all that information in the first place.

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