On Backstory: Part 2

Yesterday I yammered on about when to leave backstory in and when to leave it out and what questions to ask yourself if you are in doubt about what to do with that danged backstory. Today, I’m going to yammer on a bit more, but this time a bit more specifically in regards to character layers and history.

First of all: A character’s past is important.

However, it is most important to the author. If the author knows all the ins and outs about this character and what has made them who and what they are today, as well as how they react to conflict, then they will be able to convey that to the reader in very subtle ways. Yes, I am saying that if the author knows what makes that character tick, they will fill in backstory for their reader in ways that aren’t explicitly said/written. Because the author knows this character, they will be able to transmit those tidbits in a way that does not slow down the story, but enhances it. The reader will be able to make those natural, intuitive leaps about the characters from the trail of crumbs provided by the author.

What are some ways that we, as writers, can convey who our characters are without all those pages of backstory? How can we add in those layers? Here are a few questions to get you going:

-Religion. Do they have one? Do they believe in God? What does religion look like to them? How does it make them feel?

-Socio-economics. What is their education level? How do they feel about education? Are they a life-long learner? How educated were their parents? How much money do they make? How much did their parents make? Lifestyle–then and now. What are their money beliefs?

-Ethnicity/Culture.  What is their ethnic background? Do they act like they are Canadian? Irish? Italian? Middle Eastern? How does it affect them? How does it not affect them? How does it affect the way they speak? Relate to others? Relate to family? Expect in their relationships? How does it set them apart? How does it make them part of a group?

Getting more specific…

-What do they look like? How do they feel about their appearance?

-What are their hobbies?

-What is their most embarrassing moment?

-Who/What/When/Where/Why of their first kiss.

-What is the worst moment of their life?

-What are they most afraid of?

-What are their idiosyncrasies?

-What about them most surprises their friends?

-What is their worst habit?

-What does their home look like?

-How do they dress/present themselves?

-How do they walk?

-What are their manners like?

-What do they value?

All of these things can be shown in little tidbits here and there in the story which will lead the reader to conclusions about the character, adding layers, depth, and even backstory. For example, if the character shies away from being touched by men the reader is going to read into that and make assumptions about the character’s background without you having to go into flashbacks or info dumps. (An info dump is when the author brings the story to an abrupt halt and basically says, ‘Okay reader. You need this information before you read any further.’ Then they proceed to dump everything the reader will need in order to understand what is going on or what is to follow.) As well, details such as whether the character slips an armful of hemp bracelets onto her wrist or one delicate diamond and gold bangle will also tell us a lot about the character. Tidbit by tidbit, it all adds up to the whole.

If you feel that you need backstory in order to help separate your characters, take another look at the list above and use those questions as jumping off points to deepen your characters. The more little tidbits you slip in about a character, the more you will set your characters apart from each other (making them even more real) and requiring less backstory to help differentiate them.

Naturally, when it comes to layers and depth, some characters are going to be deeper and more layered than others. The main character should be the most layered and deep. (Unless they are some sort of illustration on the shallowness of a certain type.) The secondary characters (all those in supporting roles) should also be layered and multi-dimensional, however they don’t need to be created to the same level as the main character. You only have so much time in a novel, right? And, as sad as it is to say, some minor, fringe characters are going to remain fairly one-dimensional as you can’t bombard the reader with every character’s story, needs, desires, history, etc..

The takeaway: Your readers will fill in the gaps based on what you have left in your character crumb trail. Have faith that they can and will do it, and leave as much backstory in small clues as you can.

Now, having said all that… there are rules and there are rule breakers. Sometimes, the most beautiful and original work is one big broken rule. So, do what is right for your story, but remember, almost always, less backstory is needed than we think.