Backstory

Recently, I started a new novel and as usual I was debating about how much backstory to include. I didn't want to dump too much information in the beginning. Backstory slows down a story. After all, it happened in the past and as a reader and a writer, I'm interested in what is happening at the present time. That means I frequently write the background and then deleted the first two or three chapters after I've finished the book. So, how do I handle backstory? In my opinion, backstory should be put into a story in bits and pieces at appropriate times. It can be handled through dialogue, internal monologue, or from another character's observation, and should be inserted only as needed to help the reader follow the plot. Withholding background can add suspense to a story and keep the reader interested and reading to find out what the mystery is whether it be a motivation or a conflict. As a writer, I don't want my backstory to become exposition. It can get in the way of making characters believable. Inserting the correct amount of background and at the right time is a challenge for me.

emotions and feelings

If you are about to write a novel or short story, it is imperative you include emotions or feelings. The background of our characters determines their emotions and how they react under certain situations. Before you begin a story you must know their attitudes about sex, the level of their education, relationship with siblings, parents, friends, even their position in the family. Readers must become emotionally involved with the characters in our book so we show how they feel. Are they introverts, extroverts, adventurers, or escapists? Were they orphaned as a child or did they have a happy secure childhood? In books, characters usually carry some "garbage" with them as a result of their backgrounds. An adult who was the child of alcholic parents may have difficulty trusting people. It is an emotion that will interfere with his relationships as an adult and something he or she will need to overcome. Perhaps the central character in a story is angry and feels everyone is against he or she. They will need to overcome their anger to ever have a happy adulthood. So it goes with emotions that are an imporant part of any story.