Backstory Timing: When to release the past for best effect

Author: Sandy Vaile

​Most of us know what backstory is and that our stories need it, are aware of the various delivery methods and even spend countless hours developing intricate histories for beloved characters, but knowing these things isn’t the same as successfully revealing the appropriate information at the right time.

This article will help you determine the best place to insert backstory by:

• Figuring out which backstory is important.
• Avoiding the pitfall of releasing too much in one place or too soon.
• Understand when to reveal backstory in a way that enhances the front story.

Backstory is like the skeletal system in that it’s not always obvious, but the whole structure would collapse if it didn’t exist. This is because it provides the all important believable motivation for our characters’ actions.  

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