CharacterFoundational
Backstory
Prior events that shape the present character or conflict.
Principle
Backstory matters when it changes present action.
Takeaways
- It should be deployed by need, not chronology.
- The reader does not need everything the writer knows.
- Backstory becomes dramatic when it returns as pressure.
Overview
Backstory is the earlier life, history, wound, training, or relationship that informs the story's present. Its craft problem is placement: too soon and it burdens, too late and it cannot deepen.
Examples
- A childhood oath explains why an adult refuses an easy compromise.
- A former friendship makes the current betrayal hurt in two time periods.