“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much as the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free, so drink. Drink and be filled up.”

• Stephen King

Today’s article highlights everything regarding the usage of background stories for your bookish characters! When we come up with characters in our story, it becomes essential to give a short or a long background story in order to introduce their lives and make it interesting for us as readers to empathize or criminalize the character in our head. Background stories thus, not only introduce the character, but also can act as an important medium for retaining the suspense factor in the story. Let us learn how and when to incorporate background stories with Liney who will be addressing you!

Hello Folks! I am Liney – A Notebook which is always so very handy when it comes to Writing. I guess my purpose of being here has been already explained to you! So, without wasting any more time, let us begin.

“Background Stories Can Be Incorporated In Two Possible Ways!”

“Firstly, it could be used simply to elaborate on the life of the protagonist or any other character of the story and secondly it can be used to reveal the suspense. For instance, a serial killer’s background story could be revealed at the end, that it was the family torture and tyranny that made him follow the heinous profession. In short, a simple background story is at the beginning which could be short or long depending on the amount of information you wish to reveal about that specific character while a suspenseful background story is at the end to conclude the story effectively.”

“Background Stories At The Beginning Must Be Short.”

“This is essential to maintain the suspense factor. Background stories must be short in the beginning or you could possibly narrate an incomplete background story in the beginning and reveal the remaining matter at the end in order to make the story engaging.”

“There Are Three Types Of Narrating Background Stories!”

“Let us take an example of a character here named Amanda who is the protagonist. First type of narration would involve her own confession at the end may be for the suspenseful story and the second one could involve her boyfriend Dave who narrates it on behalf of her. The third type involves third person narration that is you, as an author narrate it and make the readers acquainted with it thereby breaking the ice!”

“A Background Story Could Be Shown As A Thought Process Of That Particular Individual.”

“Yes! This is an interesting way of revealing a background story. Again let us consider Amanda here. She could be shown in a state of trance and then a vivid description of her background story as to how she imagines it, could be jotted down word to word. This could be better done in the middle or at the end of the story.”

“A Background Story May Or May Not Include Setting!’

“There isn’t any compulsion to incorporate the setting in the background story of the character. Sometimes, authors prefer to do that in the middle of the story. Background stories could be shown as explaining the criminal life of the character, or the torturous family life of the character, or to project the memories of the character which could be haunting or hunky dory. Simple background stories that explain the setting follow an ancient version of writing. People prefer beginning stories abruptly and then in the middle section of the story, is the background and current life of that character revealed.  Also, background stories that include setting are mostly third person narrations made by the author himself. Narrations made by the characters don’t or shouldn’t ever incorporate settings because that makes the content look amateurish and you don’t want your readers to judge you on the basis of that, do you?”

“Addition Of Background Stories For Characters Depends On The Genres!’

“It totally does. You don’t require background stories for characters in a motivational genre book whose main object is to motivate the readers through the characters and not emphasize on the story. Background stories mostly adorn, fictitious stories because of the prime focus on the unfolding of the story and the personality of its characters. Non Fiction too involves background stories but that is as stated earlier, third person narration by the author which is a simple way of acquainting us with the reality since emergence of the suspense factor isn’t mandatory here. Thus, it is all linked with the suspense factor which makes us decide accordingly.”

Now, that you know some ways of using background stories for your amazing characters effectively, why not begin writing your book now?

Thank You So Much, Liney!

Thank You For Reading!