Back to the back story

[John Dean]

As you may know from my previous blog, I am working on the new DCI John Blizzard crime novel, with the idea sparked by a new character, the creation of which is always exciting.

This allows me to reiterate the vexed theme of back story. Vexed? Why? Surely, the reader needs to know about the new character’s background? Yes, of course, they do but, as authors, we need to be careful how we use the information.

Why? Because, back story, by definition, takes the story backwards. It may be vital but it is equally vital that it does not hold up the momentum of your story.

One of the most common mistakes I note when I’m called upon to offer comments on inexperienced authors’ manuscripts is that the author has included too much back story in the opening pages, slowing the pace down.

The novel gets off to a terrific start then the writer ruins all the good work by packing in far too much background, much of which is not relevant.

In actuality, there’s very little that readers need to know about our characters’ history and motivations that they won’t learn over the course of the story with the information dropped in as the tale unfolds.

The key for the writer is to ask ‘does the reader really need to know this fact about the character? Will the story fall apart if I delete this information?’

You’d be surprised how often the answer is ‘no’!