 Hello, hello, writers! I'm Kristen Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course! Ready for the show? Let's get talking! Hello again, writers! Come on in! Today we are tackling how to craft compelling character backstories. And in fact, we are going to tackle this topic of backstories from two different angles. First, we are going to talk about the tricky process of crafting years worth of history for your characters, and really we're going to break down how to make this process as simple as possible if you're a writer who's overwhelmed by the idea of crafting backstory. Then we're also going to talk about how you can weave backstory into your novel and really translate it onto the page. So this is especially helpful for writers who love crafting backstory, but really don't know how to get that onto the page, as well as for anyone who's just struggling with the entire concept of backstory in the first place. To be specific, in this episode I'm going to share 10 questions you can ask to craft your character's backstory and really get to the vital parts of their history that are going to have the biggest effect on the present story you're trying to tell. I will also share with you four tips for how to weave backstory into your novel and the three narrative elements you can use to do that weaving and get your backstory onto the page in a way that feels natural and immersive. But before we dive in, a quick behind-the-scenes update at what's happening at Well-Storied. Two very exciting things to share this week. First up, Monday was the deadline for my beta reader feedback for Build Your Best Writing Life, my upcoming book for writers. So all of my feedback is now in and this week I've been taking the time to work through all of that feedback and make a plan for how I will apply it to the third draft of Build Your Best Writing Life this July. So the feedback has been phenomenal. I am so overwhelmed and so blown away by the positive response to this book and I'm also very grateful that the few main suggestions that have come in have been made by a majority of beta readers which gives me a clear plan for what I need to change in this third draft. There have also been some critiques that have been more personal to specific beta readers and many of those I will be applying to the book as well because I agreed with them. So it's really been a great first beta reader experience for me. I have certainly received feedback on different projects before but never on this scale and never directly from beta readers in particular so this was my first time working with them and I couldn't be more overwhelmed and grateful for how the process has gone. So like I said this July I will be rewriting and revising the third draft of Build Your Best Writing Life and then come August this is where my second piece of exciting news comes into play. I can officially now announce that I will be working with Sarah Latterno of Heart of the Story Editorial on a line edit for this project come August. So that will be about a five week process actually it will will move into September as well but the more important thing is how thrilled I am to be working with Sarah. I have known Sarah as a friend and a fellow writer for several years now via the internet but Sarah had recently kicked off her own editorial business when I first announced back in January that I was going to be working on this project and so right away she sent me an email and said hey I don't know if you'll be looking for an editor somewhere down the line but I just want to let you know that I'm available and this is what I do at my new business and so Sarah and I had been in contact over the several months that it took me to draft and complete the first revision on this project and finally when I got around to looking for line editors Sarah was one of the people that I sent a sample edit to and her sample edit was phenomenal truly just so attentive so detailed all without losing my voice in the process I was in love with the edits that she did in the sample pages that I sent her and I am so very very excited to share that I will be working with her. If you would like to check out Sarah's work make sure to head on over to her website at heartofthestoryeditorial.com I'll leave that link for you in today's episode description as well. In other exciting news this week there is a brand new guest post on the Well Story blog that I am very thrilled to share with you all. This guest post comes from Brook Door and it is called How New Writers Can Conquer Six Common Creative Struggles. So if you are new to this writing life and you are struggling to find your creative footing this is the article that you want to pick up and read this week. You can find Brook's article at well-storyed.com slash newwriters. If you would like to submit your own article to the Well Story blog you can find our Well Storyed guest post submission guidelines at www.well-storyed.com slash guest. I would absolutely love to take a look at your work and possibly even host it on the blog. Before we dive in I would also love to give a quick social shout out to Alana Bolz who shared with me recently on Twitter just how much she was enjoying the podcast. She wrote, I just wanted to tell you how helpful your podcast has been to me. Like many writers I'm pretty much all self-taught so I'm always looking for ways to improve both my stories and my writing life. Thank you. Thank you Alana. I'm always blown away to know that the work that I create here both on the podcast and at Well Storyed is proving a help and is helping people grow and learn and live their best writing lives. So it always means a lot to me to receive comments like this and I really really appreciate it. So thank you once again. All right today's episode of the podcast translates the latest article from the Well Story blog into audio titled how to craft compelling character backstories. You can find the article that also serves as the episode transcript at www.well-storyed.com slash backstory. Now let's dive in. How to craft compelling character backstories. Part of crafting characters involves exploring their history. Just as your lived experiences have shaped the person you are today, a character's backstory has the power to provide depth and understanding to their characterization. It can even lend context to the conflicts taking place in your present story. Without that history, your characters' attitudes and actions have little foundation on which to stand. But crafting a rich and compelling character backstory is far from simple. What elements should you consider when weaving your character's history? Better yet, how do you translate that history onto the page without bogging down your story? Let's answer both of these questions and more in today's episode. Understanding the vital importance of backstory. Backstory consists of the series of past experiences that mark a character's life, giving that character a sense of history. It can also deepen readers' understanding of the character, highlighting the causes of their attitudes and beliefs, explaining their present day actions and motivations, and lending context to the inner and outer conflicts in which they're involved. Crafting rich and compelling backstories can be a world of fun for some writers, but others find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of detail seemingly involved in crafting years worth of history. If you're one such fighter, have no fear. There's no need to detail every last moment in your character's history. Instead, here are 10 key questions to ask about your character. 1. What circumstances defined my character's upbringing and early adulthood? 2. How was my character raised to act and believe? Did they accept or rebel against their upbringing? 3. What three relationships, healthy or unhealthy, have had the biggest impact on my character? 4. What are three of my character's happiest memories? 5. What are three of my character's most upsetting memories? 6. When did my character first experience grief? 7. What memories would my character most like to forget? 8. What memories would my character most like to relive? 9. What lessons has my character learned from memorable events in their past? 10. In what way has each of these events impacted the person my character is when their story begins? You can find all of these questions written down in today's episode transcript at well-storied.com slash backstory. How to weave backstory into your narrative? Backstory can be tricky to reveal on the page. If you share too little, your character may feel one-dimensional. If you share too much, you run the risk of boring readers or breaking up the pacing of a scene. And if you share without finesse, backstory can feel contrived, a sure hallmark of lazy or underdeveloped writing. To seamlessly weave a character's backstory into your narrative, consider the following tips. 1. Share backstory with purpose You may love knowing every last detail of your character's history, but that doesn't mean those details should show up on the page. Remember, readers didn't pick up your book to consume your character's biography. They're looking for a story that feels immediate and engaging. And backstory is of the past. When writing or revising, consider the purpose in any backstory you share. Does it fulfill one of the purposes we discussed a moment ago? If not, consider cutting that backstory from your manuscript. If readers no longer have the context they need to understand your story, you'll know the backstory served a purpose. 2. Stagger backstory throughout your novel Readers don't need to know everything about your characters by the end of the first chapter, or even the first half of your book. To avoid bogging down your story with info dumps, contrived explanations, and excessive flashbacks, reveal backstory only when it is natural or necessary to do so. It's okay if waiting to reveal backstory leaves readers with questions. Nothing turns pages like curiosity after all. Just make sure to answer those questions before you reach the end. 3. Avoid info dumping whenever possible An info dump is any large block of information shared in a story. Because they disrupt the natural flow of a scene, info dumps are often considered a sign of poor writing. The larger the block, the bigger the hurdle readers must overcome before they can return to the story at hand. Even info dumps designed to read as part of the narrative can prove disrupting. Backstory dumped via dialogue can feel contrived because people rarely monologue their own histories, while info dumping in a character's inner narrative can weigh your story down if the information is too detailed or lacks purpose. 4. Keep backstory brief Backstory is bygone information. Though it informs the present, it isn't part of the present story. Relaying backstory in too much detail will almost certainly disrupt the pacing of a scene. Even if you aren't info dumping, keep your backstory as trim as possible, sharing only the information readers need to know to better understand your characters and conflict. How can you weave backstory into your novel? You can use three main narrative elements to relay backstory, dialogue, inner dialogue, and flashbacks. When working with any of these elements, here are a few tips you'll want to bear in mind. Element number one, dialogue. As your characters interact, they're likely to share information about themselves, making dialogue a great place to relay backstory. However, it's important that any dialogue you craft feels natural and remains true to your character's voices. Forcing dialogue as a cheap way to share information will always feel contrived. Hey Jim, did you know I was once jilted at the altar? Let me tell you the story. Icky, right? Instead, consider your character's voices and craft a conversation that naturally allows for a bit of backstory. For example, Bob whistled, you've got their aim girl, who taught you to shoot so well? Your daddy? My mama, she replied with a smirk. Bob raised a curious brow. Her daddy was a drunk sea, so she learned to fend for herself growing up. Said she'd be damned if any daughter of hers couldn't do the same, daddy or no daddy? In this example, I staged an action that prompted curiosity in one character, Bob, creating a prime opportunity to share a few simple lines of dialogue that reveal insights into our sharpshooters history. Element number two, inner dialogue. Inner dialogue consists of your point of view character's intimate thoughts and experiences. If you're writing in deep point of view, a common technique used to immerse readers in modern novels, inner dialogue is nearly any part of your narrative that doesn't include verbal dialogue or action. Inner dialogue can be an effective way to share backstory, because backstory is, in effect, memory. What better way to weave memory into a narrative than throughout a character's thoughts? Take care to do so only when a scene presents the opportunity and your backstory will flow seamlessly. For example, I set the rifle aside and grinned. My aim was true and I knew mama would be proud. It was she who taught me after all. I was no more than a sapling when she first set three tin cans atop the tree stump in our backyard in Virginia and showed me how to raise my rifle high. I moved to inspect my target, feeling hopeful about my chances in the upcoming competition. In this example, I used a quick line of backstory to explain why our character grinned after lowering their rifle. Returning just as quickly to the present narrative ensures the backstory doesn't disrupt the pacing of my scene. Element number three, flashback. A flashback is a scene that breaks from the chronological timeline of a story to relay a past event. This may seem like a great way to share backstory, but as I explained in last week's episode, flashbacks often disrupt the pacing of a scene. If you're going to use this method, craft your flashback with care, keeping it as in line with the present narrative as possible. For example, the butt of the rifle sat firm and sure in the crook of my shoulder, just as it first had all those years ago in the backwoods of Virginia. There you are, sweet pea, mama said, readjusting the stock a little so it didn't dig into my shoulder. Heavy ain't it. You'll have to practice often, get good and strong. But how do I shoot? I asked, enthusiasm spilling into impatience. Ever since I'd first read that dime novel about Annie Oakley, I yearned to be the next great female sharpshooter. Mama laughed. You can't shoot if you don't know how to hold the thing, darling. Now let's adjust your grip. You like to twist the thing up like a pretzel if you clutch it any. Never seen you take so long to aim. Billy's voice jolted me from my reverie. I swallowed, cursing my lack of focus. Thinking if mama had made my knuckles go white around the barrel of my gun. I clicked my tongue and did as mama said, adjusting my grip. In this example, I drew upon some of my advice from last week's episode, keeping the flashback brief, using triggers to pull readers in and out of the past, and ensuring the flashback had consequences in the present. Crafting compelling backstories can add incredible depth to your characters, helping bring them to life on the page. But like so many elements of the craft, mastering backstory is no easy task. As you begin exploring your character's histories, be patient with yourself. Consider the most impactful events in your character's pasts, and work to weave them into your story when natural opportunities arise or when need demands. As always, practice makes perfect. As does studying how your favorite authors weave backstory into their own work. Take time to study the craft and review effective examples. Then get to work. It's time to give your characters the rich and compelling histories they deserve. Thank you for listening to today's episode of the podcast writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode, and to give the podcast a quick rating and review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers, and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Twitter at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com, where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's w-e-l-l-s-t-o-r-i-e-d.com. Thank you again for tuning in to today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!