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So how do you know when it's time to put the info in? And how do you know how far to go?
I'd say the answer is deceptively simple. Put in only the information necessary in order to fully appreciate the story you are telling. And do it when the information is needed in order to go any further.
If you withhold the backstory until the last moment, you are creating tension. But if you withhold it to the point where things are unclear and frustrating for the reader, instead of an intriguing mystery, you've withheld too much for too long.
Example time! We must go with Harry Potter for this one. (I will focus on one part in particular, but the wonderful blogger SP Sipal had a fantastic post on JKR and how she handled the backstory of this portion of HP if you want to read more on this)
In the beginning of book one we learn that Hagrid has borrowed the flying motorcycle from young Sirius Black. We need this info to understand how it is that Hagrid arrives as he does on Privet Drive with baby Harry. But JKR doesn't fill us in with all the details of who Sirius is, or why he would have been at the crime scene. And in fact, we don't give it a second thought, do we? We are far too concerned with the enchanting trio of Dumbledore, Hagrid, and McGonagall, who Harry Potter is, why he is special, and what on earth it has to do with these horrible Dursleys.
But come the third book we meet Sirius again. And throughout the book, at the right moments, JKR reveals the story to Harry, and vicariously, to us. Throughout the series, we learn enough to be satisfied, and yet, just like Harry, don't have all the important information until the end. In fact, as much as we learn, we never know everything JKR does. And that magical balance is precisely what we have to aim for in our own work.
photo credit
That magical balance - and that's why we have to work so hard at it! When done right it feels so natural!
ReplyDeleteIt's also a subject thing (like everything else). My CP demanded some backstory in my first chapter (gasp!) so she could understand my main character's reaction to one guy. Of course one other person told me to cut it. I didn't, because the first person had a point. I did, though, make sure it was a short as possible. And man did I edit it like crazy.
ReplyDeleteI don't normally do this, but I couldn't have said it any better Laura.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, backstory. It's a tricky thing to get right. I tend to throw a whole bunch of it into my first drafts and whittle is away over time until it works.
ReplyDeleteLaura - Short and sweet. I should hire you to edit my posts! LOL
ReplyDeleteStina - Sometimes it works. That's all I'm gonna say!!
Shain - Well, I'm glad you DID because it's nice to see your comment!
Meredith - That's certainly a decent way to do it!
JKR is the master of the backstory. I usually don't like backstory dumps. I love it when an author just gives enough to keep me interested and even intrigued.
ReplyDeleteWhat a surprise, Lisa. I'm reading along, enjoying your post as normal, and then see my blog mentioned! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI do think this is one of the great secrets to JKR's success -- her ability to withhold backstory until the reader was dying to know. But as you say, we can never leave them confused.
Thanks! :-)
This is another area where I'm working hard to get better. That whole balance thing is tricky. It really makes me appreciate authors who do this well.
ReplyDeleteAt my workshop in Iowa last summer, our teacher kept saying, (pretty much on everyone's first 20 pages) "You have to be careful not to back up a dump truck of information on the reader in the first chapters." By the end of the workshop, he was just saying, "Can you hear it? beep, beep, beep..." It is so important and so hard--I think new readers from time to time can help with that, b/c they don't know the backstory.
ReplyDeleteSooo much easier to say than do. What we think is necessary to the story is probably different than a reader (or anybody else) thinks.
ReplyDeleteI love Kristen's imagery of the beeping truck!
-Vicki
Karen - so true, but so hard to do for us!
ReplyDeleteSusan - that's cuz you rock
Julie - I'll say! I agree 100%
Kristen - Ha! That's a great analogy. *beep beep beep*
Vicki - Of course! If it were easy, we probably wouldn't even discuss it, right? :D
I'm dealing with this right now, Lisa. I carefully cut out all the 'unnecessary' backstory on my two main characters, sticking with only what propelled the novel forward, only to find out I was too close to the characters to see that readers wanted more! My editor gave me great ideas for how to add the right amount of backstory back in--she was specific about where she missed it, but honestly, I wouldn't have seen it otherwise (and she's right!*?!)
ReplyDeleteIt is stunning to think how much JKR knows that we DON'T given how much awesome there is in the books. But it must be so - it's the only way she could have done what she did.
ReplyDeleteI find myself erring too much on the sparse side these days and having to make sure I get the right stuff in there.
Great post! :)
p.s. I'm writing a sequel now - yikes! How do you get the whole backstory for an entire novel in the first couple pages (answer: you don't)?
It's so tempting to put in the backstory that we've grown to love. I've chopped some sections I'm become very attached to, but they just weren't necessary for the core storytelling. Thanks to the example of Pottermore, we can save all those juicy omitted details for our interactive websites.
ReplyDeleteI used to infodump so badly! I had no idea what I was doing. Now I spread out the information over the story. It's much more mysterious that way and keeps the pace up.
ReplyDeleteFirst off - I love that photo!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great example of including backstory only as needed. Great advice!
Linda - isn't it great to have another set of eyes that you trust?
ReplyDeleteSue - that has to be tough! But it's still pretty cool that you are writing a sequel at all!
Leslie - He he, yeah interactive websites for all!
Lydia - Definitely better to sprinkle it in!
Jemi - :D Me too!! I cracked up when I saw it. Thanks.
LOL, I love the picture you used for this post.
ReplyDeleteSome earlier advice I had about backstory was; 'Backstory does not belong at the front of a book' and I keep that in mind every time I write.
Backstory also becomes a problem in subsequent novels. I tried to mention as little as possible so that I didn't annoy established readers. But, I had to give just enough that if someone came in at book 2, they wouldn't get left behind.
Oh, the dreaded backstory. I think it's especially hard when you're writing a genre that needs more set-up, like fantasy or dystopian or sci-fi. Balance is definitely key.
ReplyDeleteBecca @ The Bookshelf Muse
Backstory has always been a crutch for me. I seem to put more in then I should and it can hurt the story. I keep striving for that magical balance to keep the story flowing instead of falling into an info dump. My best suggestion is to watch for those sections constantly while revising.
ReplyDeleteOkay. That bum is awesome. I would give him money.
ReplyDeleteEbony - It's got to be even harder when writing a sequel! That just means you are double awesome.
ReplyDeleteBecca - True! And another set of eyes always helps.
Gilliadstern- Constant vigilance! As Mad Eye would say, right?
Matthew - Oh I totally would too! I <33 that pic!
You are so right. Give only the back story that you need. That keeps the story moving and has a lot to do with pacing. Great post, but who expects less around here? :-)
ReplyDeleteJKR is so brilliant. One of these days I'll read the whole series through so I can appreciate how she handled the back story and everything else! :)
ReplyDeleteWell when you put it like this it sounds so obvious! "Put in only the information necessary in order to fully appreciate the story you are telling" That's a great question to keep checking in with.
ReplyDeleteLee- You flatter me. No really, go ahead and keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteGhenet - I love when "work" is fun stuff like re-reading HP!
Sara - I'm so glad it was helpful to you!!
Your timing and your example were just perfect! I actually just started listening to the HP series all over again a couple of days ago, so that part is fresh in my mind. In fact, when Jim Dale talked about Sirius Black I remember thinking about her lack of info dump right in that spot. In retrospect he's very important, but at the time he's just a blip. I love how she just keeps the story moving.
ReplyDeleteYou called me double awesome, I have witnesses!!!! Wheeeeee!
ReplyDeleteAh, balance is the key to backstory, isn't it? So much easier said than done and one of the many reasons I have such admiration for JKR.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photo, by the way--perfect for your post! Love it.
I still find my most of my first paragraphs overflowing with BS (that's back story..the rest of the writing probably is BS). Somewhere I read that there needs to be enough to provide what's important, but not so much that we insult the reader's intelligence and imagination. A difficult balance to maintain.
ReplyDeleteReading this, all I could think was, "I know 2004 Deb's answer to the question of how much backstory is needed! ALL OF IT! EVER!" Editing improved the backstory to current story percentages, but most of my salvation will be in subsequent efforts. :p
ReplyDelete