Handling Back Story

What I'm reading: Swept Away by Marsha Canham; Magnum Force Man, by Amanda Stevens; Irresistible Forces, by Brenda Jackson

Three books? I'd always been a finish one before starting the next, but I've got books on my NOOKcolor, which is my go-to 'read in bed' "book." Then, since I just got the recumbent bike, and it's set up downstairs, I keep a book in its basket to entice me to haul myself down for a workout. I decided not to bring it upstairs, but rather use it as a 'reward' for exercising. And, while running errands yesterday, I found myself waiting in the car while Hubster did the recycling, and mailed a box at the Post Office. I hadn't thought about bringing reading material, but with books on my phone, I can pass the time rather than get in and out of the truck.

I've also added a $50 off referral code for your printing needs. Check the Deals and Steals tab. (I suggest you check it regularly, as I'm trying to keep it current.) Likewise, my Contest tab. Entries are low—your odds of winning are very good.

Judging from page views and comments, yesterday's topic about that three-letter-word, was, hit home for a lot of people. I think readers don't really care. I know I became much more critical of what I read after I started writing. I'm always looking at construction, word choices, and all the other "rules" as I read, wondering how I would say the same thing. It's often been said, that once you start writing, you'll never read the same way again. So while part of my brain says, "I wonder what an agent/editor would say to that?" another part is trying to figure out why it works.


Recently, I read a book that had my "writer as reader" radar humming. I know back story and info dumping has been a topic, not only here, but all over the blogosphere. We've all been given advice about the following:

Where to Start

What I'm reading: Soul of a Highlander, by Melissa Mayhue

Lately, I've read a few books that were difficult to get into. One, I've abandoned, at least temporarily. Why? Back story and info dumping. The author spends chapter after chapter not only introducing each character, but also giving the reader that character's life history—or so it seems. While it's important for the reader to understand what motivates the character, spending the majority of each chapter 'telling' and not getting into the action of the story tries this reader's patience.

There's a delicate balance between introducing characters and bogging down the story either with back story or "action" that the reader doesn't understand, because they don't know who's who. It's one thing to open with an action scene; it's another to give the reader enough information to know who the good guys are, and why they should care about the outcome.

When I started writing, I was guilty of the common beginner's mistake of wanting my readers to understand who my character was, and make them "care" so that when I got to the "good stuff," they'd be hooked. Wrong. When dealing with back story, as I've said before, you have to ask yourself two questions:

Don't Get Bogged Down

What I'm reading: A Cinderella Affair, by A.C. Arthur.

Thanks, Debra for being my guest. Renovating is very much on my mind lately--both in writing and living quarters.

A brief house recap. Closing is still on schedule. We transferred the money to the title company. We got homeowner's insurance. We have the walk-through scheduled. We spent about two hours signing up for television, land phone lines, new cell phones (current carrier has very marginal coverage in that area), internet, and on and on. The Hubster has been diligent about calling the utility companies to make sure everything will be in our name. Meanwhile, I've been looking into the other creature comforts. New pots & pans, bedding, glasses, flatware, and on and on. We got rid of almost everything before we left, and we've been living in a furnished apartment. Bed Bath & Beyond is loving me. And I'm loving their never-expire coupons and rebates.


And, in what seems to be routine, I've got a conference that begins the day after closing. (Anyone else going to the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, search me out. I'll be the stressed out one, and it won't be because I'm worried about pitching.)

And on to writing:

I recently judged contest entries for a RWA chapter for unpublished authors. Since they submit no more than the 1st 25 pages of their manuscripts, I've been Atrying to make sure that the things I was critical of in their work don't show up in mine first few chapters. One of the most common mistakes was bogging down the opening pages in back story.

A Change of Venue(s)

What I'm reading: Footprints in the Butter, by Denise Dietz

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from St. Augustine Beach. I had a very relaxing AND productive time. First, the hotel was on the beach, not in the historic or downtown shopping area. Hubby had a meeting about 10 miles down the road, and this was the hotel the government picked. No complaints. I took a walk on the beach in the mornings, (and because the hubster will not permit "birds" as an answer for "What did you see?", the critter in the photo is a willet. I also saw sanderlings and a ruddy turnstone.) and then sequestered myself in the room to work for the rest of the day.

A change of venue can spark creativity. Just looking at the laptop instead of the PC monitor changes one's outlook. Also, because I was using webmail, I didn't have the distraction of alerts when new emails came in. The hotel room came with a lap desk, so I could spread out on the bed and spend the day working on the manuscript.

I immersed myself in the totality of the book. I'd been working off a hard copy printout, and had just about finished before we left town. I'd written 26 chapters, but I realized that I wasn't happy with where things went in Chapter 25. If my intention was to bring the book home in under 90,000 words, I needed to start thinking about the end. My loose "something bad happens" needed to start happening, ans a lot of those scenes and ideas from my 'idea board' weren't going to be needed.

Although I write from Page 1 to The End, I also go back when I figure out how a certain plot point will unfold. I used this getaway time to go back through the manuscript and add the necessary setups, rather than jotting notes to 'fix this later.' Later was now.

Keep Reading...

More than once, I've talked about needing to give characters the right skill sets before they're needed so it doesn't come across as too convenient or contrived. Likewise to plot events. If my hero is going to discover a critical clue at the garage where he takes his car to be repaired, I need a logical way to get him there. True, he could have a breakdown on the road, but that starts to fall into that, 'My, how convenient" category. But what if, much earlier in the book, his admin reminds him that's he's overdue for the routine maintenance on his official work vehicle. Now, the need for him to be at the garage is established, and he can show up when I need him to.

On the flip side, I'd set up that a character always carried a clean, white handkerchief. I had a vague idea that it would come in very handy later on, but as the book progressed, I found I wasn't going to come back to it after all. Those setup paragraphs got cut.

So, all in all, I spent a day dealing with continuity, and another day moving forward. There are still a few spots where I need to decide what happens next, but sometimes, in a mystery, those questions make perfect page-turning scene breaks, especially when you're writing multiple POV scenes. So, Justin gets a text message. What does it say? Is it really from his grandfather, who rarely uses a cell phone? don't know yet -- but I'm sure it'll come to me while I'm writing the next scene from Gordon's point of view.

We're about to head off on a 5 day cruise. Internet, if any, will be sporadic (and expensive). So, although I intend to schedule blog posts, it's unlikely I'll have time to respond to comments. Don't let that stop you, though!

Tomorrow, I've got a special guest, one of my crit partners. What makes him special as far as being a CP goes, is, 1) he's an XY, and 2) he's a computer programmer. So what's he doing critiquing my romance novels? And what's he doing writing fantasy and science fiction? Check in tomorrow to find out. Word has it that he's going to be talking about me, and I'll be at sea, with no way to defend myself.

Tuesday Trivia

What I'm reading: Contest entries. 1 of 7

What I'm writing: Chapter 3, scene 2--still--but it's getting there.

I'd forgotten I volunteered to be a contest judge until I got my packet of manuscripts yesterday. I enjoy reading them because they adjust my focus to being critical, and as I find noteworthy bits and pieces, both good and not-so-good, I find I'm more tuned in to what's working and not working and why in my own work.

The Dear Author and Redlines and Deadlines blogs have some interesting discussions and questions about e-books and e-publishing.

The bed was made when I came home from the Y this morning. Does it count if I know he did it because he read yesterday's blog? Hmmm....

Comic strip, PC & Pixel by Thach Bui for June 10th, sent to me by a friend:

Quote of the day, which seems fitting as I'm still wallowing in nailing the first three chapters:

A note of caution: The temptation with a complex plot is to throw everything at the reader at once. Resist this with all your might! In the opening chapters, it's better to hint at the backstory rather than reveal it through lengthy flashbacks, which can bog the story down. Let it unfold gradually.

~Eileen Goudge
The Writer, June 2007

Guest Blogging about Back Story at Title Magic

Everyone knows characters have full, rich lives. Experiences that shaped them into who they are on the page. Some writers will write pages and pages of 'autobiography' for their characters before typing word one. After all, if a reader doesn't care about a character, why will they read the book. And how can they care if they don't know anything about her? Right? Wrong.

I'm over at Title Magic today, discussing back story. Please drop by and leave a comment. Pretty please?

Friday Followups

What I'm reading: No One Left to Tell, by Jordan Dane

What I'm working on: Revised Chapter 1, scene 2 of Fozzie's book.

Bits and pieces:

Handyman Lane
The handyman company sent a different worker (a guy, this time) to do the final fix-ups. He's a professional painter, and he tells me the original crew did not do what they contracted, and did a poor job overall. Seems that when we opted out of the orange peel finish, they should have put a skim coat on the walls and primed them. I guess I'll call the company and see if there's a financial adjustment, because I sure as heck am not going to sit through all the painting again. Meanwhile, the guy promises to do what he can to touch up some of the holidays, and he'll mount the wall mirror and hook correctly this time.

Character names -- while on the flight to Syracuse, I looked in my seat pocket and found the boarding pass of whoever sat there on the previous flight. "Rhys Ainsworthy". Gotta use that in a book someday. And who do you 'see' belonging to that name?

Back story
Yesterday, I devoted most of my time to hunkering down with the new WIP. Since I'd brainstormed many of the plot points with my daughter, it was "simply" a matter of putting the words on the page to show it. But it does raise the issue of 'how much back story does the reader need?' I now know almost everything about my heroine's (Torie at the moment) past. But putting it front and center will only slow the pace. Still, the reader has to have a reason to care about a character, and in the early pages of the book, readers are still getting a handle on who's who. Does a reader want to know all about Torie's childhood? I don't think so. Not now, anyway.

I also brought in a new character or two--it's easier to deal with exposition if you can show it in scene rather than using long passages of interior monologue or narrative. I try to limit myself to no more than 2 or 3 short paragraphs when I'm dealing with back story. This means my heroine's best friend gets to live a little longer, because I needed her around to explain what the heck the characters are doing there in the first place.

Another pitfall is the Maid-Butler (or As You Know Bob) dialog. Two people who know what's happening don't talk about the details, or 'spell out' definitions. Cops know what AFIS and CODIS are. It's always easier to have a lay person on scene, so the pros can (patiently) explain what they've just said.

Also, another pebble in the road. One of the new characters is a guy--but he's not the hero. Readers of romance want to get a handle on h/h as soon as possible. I didn't have a clue about this expectation (there are no rules) when I wrote Finding Sarah and actually introduced a non-hero as the first male on the page. It worked, but I had a lot of questions during the draft process. Heck, Allison Brennan killed one of the "very likely the hero' characters halfway through the book.