The Backstory Conundrum
Too much backstory can be a major problem. No argument about that. What might be worth arguing over is the trend toward saying that any backstory is too much backstory.
Here’s the thing about backstories: everyone has one, and most of them aren’t very interesting. By definition, they’re made up of the stuff that went on before the story kicked off. Often the details are things that the author needs to know, but the reader does not. That’s a hard distinction sometimes.
First, go ahead and write out the backstory. As stated above, it’s stuff you need anyway. Get it down, so it’s not buzzing around inside your brain distracting you from the real story, and so you can refer to it.
Okay, now: does it belong in the finished manuscript? There’s a simple test for that.
The first question to answer is, is it relevant? If it is, then move on to the chart.
| this backstory is… | Predictable | Surprising |
|---|---|---|
| Tedious | No. | No. |
| Interesting | No. | Maybe. |
Be brutally honest about these questions. The reader doesn’t need to know that your criminologist was in a spelling bee in third grade. (Unless she now uses a spelling-based meditation technique to clear her mind and see how the clues connect. In that case, this reader would be curious about where such a trait came from.)
More important, the reader also doesn’t need a detailed overview of your criminologist’s studies in law and forensics at a respected university. Just give us passing mention to confirm that, yes, she went to school. That’s expected. However, if she pulled twenty successful bank heists and was never arrested, which is how she knows so much about crime, well that’s different. Passing mention would feel like cheating. We want to go along on one of those heists.
Even when you can honestly tell yourself that it’s a maybe-means-yes situation, bear in mind that every paragraph of backstory is a paragraph that’s diverting from the main plot. If the writing sizzles your readers will happily follow along — to a point. (Just show the climax of the spelling bee, rather than the whole thing. Definitely skip the training montage.)
It’s great to have a partner to discuss backstory with. Helps keep it in perspective. How do you approach backstory in your writing? How do you feel about it in your reading?