Crafting Backstory to Develop Your Character
One of the most important parts of a character’s arc is their motivation. They must have reasons to do the things they do, to say the things they say, to decide for or against any choice throughout your entire book. The reasons boil down to backstory. Even their ultimate story goal is a choice they are pursuing due to their backstory.
This article discusses how you can use backstory to help develop your character so that their journey throughout the book is believable as they make tough decisions, resist change, and ultimately reach their ultimate story goal.
HOW BACKSTORY HELPS US BELIEVE YOUR FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
Readers enter a fictional story knowing that what they’re about to read isn’t real, and yet, they want to believe everything that happens. They are willing to hear you out as you present the story world, complete with people or beings that don’t actually exist, doing things that make us want to tear our hair out, scream at their stupidity, cheer them on through obstacles, cry at their defeat, and dance with them in victory.
Authors are given a little bit of wiggle room to set the stage for a bumpy ride—but if an author fails to back up the story with solid motivation, then readers will bail.
In real life, people tend to want to know what possesses people to do the crazy things we hear about on the news or social media. We seek explanation. Reason.
People are naturally curious but we also have an inherent need to attach a motivation to an action or behavior. We won’t accept “Well, that’s just the way the guy is.” This is a boring explanation and it doesn’t help us to understand or sympathize or even relate.
Once we are given a reason that helps explain why someone does something inexcusable, then we have a frame to work with. Now, this person has become realistic in our minds. Now, even though the action or behavior might have been horrendous, we can connect it to something that happened in the person’s past.
Now we have cause and effect.
Characters in stories need to follow a cause-and-effect pattern as well. Not only does this help round them out, it also helps to create a plot. If your story is haphazard, if your characters are haphazard, then readers have difficulty following along and understanding what the story (and the characters’ journey) is about.
THE LESS BACKSTORY THE BETTER
Everyone could write a book about their life. If you were to actually try to do that, what would you decide to put in it? Further, if you knew you only had three hundred pages to give us your life story, how do you know what events could give your readers the most compelling and engaging read?
Less is more when it comes to backstory.
While readers are fascinated with why someone is the way they are, they don’t want to be so distracted with the character’s history that we stray from the main conflict.
Not only should you pull back on revealing too much information when it comes to backstory, you also want to think about how you can use what isn’t being said as a way of providing information. Otherwise known as “subtext”, the things your characters don’t say or reveal can actually add layers of meaning to the overall story.
Look for opportunities to strip down the information given to your readers so that it’s little else but a smooth flow of seemingly nothingness, and their curiosity will upsurge.
THE GHOST: YOUR BACKSTORY’S PILLAR
When you’re deciding on which events and moments to include for your character’s backstory, start with the Ghost. This is an event that occurred in your character’s past (usually deep past, although it doesn’t have to be) that has hurt your character so much that it shaped them to be the person they are.
A Ghost can:
dictate beliefs
instill fear/anxiety
foster anger or depression
demand revenge
hold onto grief
The Ghost provides an opportunity for mystery and artful storytelling. You can easily hint at the Ghost throughout the early part of your book, dropping just enough clues to get your reader curious about what motivates your character.
HOW TO WRITE BACKSTORY STRATEGICALLY
Readers love having the opportunity to put together the pieces of the puzzle that make up your character’s backstory—but you want to be strategic. Don’t overwhelm your readers with so many clues that they get lost or confused or lose interest.
Be sure that when you’re dropping in bits of backstory that it’s showing up at a time when your readers actually need it—not when you think this would be a cool time to bring up that childhood issue.
Leaving unanswered questions surrounding your character’s backstory can work to your advantage unless those gaps create plot holes or confusion for your reader.
Readers pride themselves on their clever imaginations and boundless curiosity—don’t do all the work for them. Allow your readers to color in some of the grey areas themselves.
Backstory can either help your readers to love or hate your characters. How do you want your readers to feel about your antagonist? Are they really power-hungry for no good reason, or can their Ghost drum up some sympathy for them?
The Ghost (and any backstory you bring up in the book) must relate directly to the character’s story goal and overall plot. If there is no connection, then it will be difficult to feel empathy for your immoral or despicable characters.
Don’t resort to melodrama to help evoke reader sympathy. Use the Ghost to draw your readers into your character’s past to show what traumatic thing happened to them, and then use the fallout from the Ghost to help explain your character’s actions and behavior in the current plot.
Pay off all your hints regarding the Ghost and any backstory. Do not lead your readers one way in an effort to throw them off the scent. There is an unwritten contract between you and your readers. Uphold it at all costs.
DO YOU ENJOY WRITING BACKSTORY?
WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE THE MOST DIFFICULT?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
HAVE A WRITERLY DAY!