I often hear that flashbacks in fiction are always bad. Is that true? If not, then how do you know if the flashback in your novel is working? And what do you do if it isn’t?
Caroline posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page:
I am writing in first person and having difficulty with inserting back story. Currently my dilemma is with flashbacks. To use or not to use them, and if so how much is too much, or when is the best use of them? Frequently when I resort to a narrative in a flashbacks place I think what I have written is boring and stiff. What is your take on the flashback?
Randy sez: A flashback has one thing going for it and one thing going against it.
What’s good about a flashback is that it’s written in “immediate scene”–meaning that it’s shown happening right here, right now, minute by minute, without summary. That’s the most compelling kind of fiction (although if your novel is 100% immediate scene, something is probably wrong).
What’s bad about a flashback is that it’s yesterday’s news. Or last year’s news. In extreme cases, it can be last millennium’s news. It’s backstory. Flashback is a compelling way to show backstory, but it’s still backstory.
If you’re going to use a flashback, a generally good rule of thumb is to wait until the reader absolutely, positively MUST know the information contained in the flashback. Then show as little of the flashback as possible. Then return to the main story.
No reader on the planet ever said, “Wow, I’m going to buy this book because I’m dying to hear what happened before it takes place!”
Nope. Readers buy a book because they’re dying to hear what happens DURING THE MAIN STORY.
Backstory is a necessary part of any story. Strong backstory makes a strong story. But in writing fiction, practice the fine art of withholding information. That creates mystery. It creates suspense. It keeps your reader reading.
Can you hold off on showing any flashbacks until at least 25% of the way into your story? If not, then maybe the real story isn’t your story. Maybe your real story is the backstory and you should have started sooner.
Can you hold off on showing any flashbacks until you’re 75% of the way into your story? If so, you might have a real killer of a story. Remember, as long as you’ve got a secret, your reader wants to know it. Once you’ve told the secret, your reader no longer wants to know it.
Delay, delay, delay on that pesky backstory, whether it’s a flashback or any other kind.
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Blog of the Day: Barry Eisler recently turned down a two-book deal for half a million dollars with a major publisher in order to self-publish in e-book format. Is Barry crazy? Not hardly. Read a mammoth 13,000 word dialogue between Barry and his buddy Joe Konrath on e-books, legacy publishing, agents, self-publishing, and money on Joe’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing.
I’m currently re-reading Love in the Time of Cholera and planning on designing my second novel on this structure where a huge part of the book tells us what happened in the past and it works brilliantly. I would love to hear Randy’s comments on this.
Great points, Randy. I finished writing a flashback not long ago for my novel, and now I’m rethinking it. I like it, and it sets up what will come up later in the book (the flashback doesn’t contain a “secret” but it is more of a character/plot set-up device).
But I’ve already been struggling, trying to decide if it’s necessary to the story. I’m torn with that, so perhaps I’ll leave it in until I get feedback from some readers.
In any case, I wanted to add that many writers have a tendency to approach flashback scenes as expository, explanatory passages (I know that’s my natural instinct). “The main character did this because back when he was ten, he had a bad dream…” kind of thing. I think that to answer the question “What Makes a Flashback Sizzle?” it’s important to underline the “show, don’t tell” rule because this is where it can get forgotten.
~Graham
post your story on wattpad up to the flash back part and say right on the first page your posting it for feedback. Then go into the club forum in the menu, and click the improve your writing link. In that forum go into the find a critic here thread. Find a critic you like and pm them telling them what you need help on, make sure you do the payment they want from you after they have agreed to do it. They will help speed up any editing considerably. I went from struggling with a bad story filled with grammar, punctuation mistakes, lack of transition words, head-hoping and fragmented sentences to something thats gotten much better.
Half a million? Yikes! He’s got guts & faith. Wow. Will definitely have to read that post!
Being wary of flashbacks is excellent advice. Flashbacks are much beloved by new writers. To zip back in time is something we can’t do in real life, but in a novel we aren’t constrained by the inexorable clock and calendar, so back in time we go for a nifty flashback. Flashbacks are used by new writers often for no other reason than they can.
But they shouldn’t, for the same reason that back-story should be minimal: flashbacks slow the story—actually, flashbacks entirely stop the story—and usually they are much more interesting to the writer than the reader. Readers mostly want to know what will happen, not what has happened. They want to look forward, not backward.
Ah that explained things perfectly. tk for your post. Action adventure, interesting things. humm.
What about a story structure depending on flashbacks? I mean something like a man remembering episodes of his life.
The main story would be (for example) some kind of voyage to the final confrontation with his nemesis. This confrontation would take up the last part of the story, the rest of the voyage would be the framework for the flashbacks, showing previous conflicts with the enemy.
This structure would allow to show a life long antagonism between the hero and his antagonist, where you can skip long periods of time in an easy way.
Could this kind of structure work?
In The Neverending Story, Sebastian is reading from a book during the entire story. The author solved this cleverly with 2 different fonts and a slightly different style, as if the book inside the book is written by a different author. The book Sebastian is reading was written a long time ago, and the whole thing reads as a constant back-and-forth between the present and flashbacks (the book). It works amazingly well. Though not technically the same as flashbacks, it shows that a story built around recounting things from the past can work.
I would like to know your take on what the difference is between flashbacks and writing a story with multiple timelines. The timelines could even be blurred, as in you don’t know exactly when or where it happened. I’ve read stories where there are more than one level of this, and it works. I’m riveted. I’m guessing having the reader trust you enough to go along with the ‘timeline is not important’ take is very hard indeed.
@Christophe: I don’t think The Neverending Story really counts as flashbacks though since it is revealed that the book he’s reading is actually taking place as he reads it, and that Sebastian can actually influence what takes place in Fantastica (Fantasia, if you prefer the film version). So more like a case of intertwined storylines that meet up, imho.
This is great advice, I was planning on putting a flashback the novel I am writing, but now I think a little extra mystery would add to the excitement of the story.
Thanks for all the great tips and advice! They are so helpful to me!
Erin
Many supposed “rules” for writing exist, but those rules work until they don’t. I can find many examples of great authors who broke the “rules” and did a fantastic job of it. In the end the only rule that really exists is it a good read, which is vague, I know, but great writers develop an instinct for how to break the rules and make it work, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez for Love in the Time of Cholera or One Hundred Years of Solitude. Prologues are a good example of something agents hate, because most writers use them badly but which masters use well. The beginning of Tale of Two Cities is a prologue but so poetic, who cares? So break the rules! But be wary that it takes a lot of work to get it right and make it work. Poor flashbacks can drag a story down, but in the end, that’s the standard you should judge it by. Read it back to yourself. Just some thoughts.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this post! I was totally rattled by the usual opinion that flashback-backstories are an absolute no go and a sign of poor writing and beginners. My flashbacks are almost at the end of book one and a climax that makes the story for book two possible. I was totally blocking myself after having been on a mad blogs and writer’s pages trip. I guess I’ll just go ahead and do “my thing” after all! 😉
I revised my story yet again fixing pesky head hooping (sometimes 3 times in one chapter oops!) Now that each of my three povs have their own chapter (when appropriate in the story_ I need to fix this dream sequence flash back for my min pov. I’d appreciate some advice on this. Right now I have a few paragraphs of this dream placed in when ever she goes to sleep. Every other chapter or so. Should I leave it as it is or take it out bit by bit and have the main pov tell the other characterizers slowly? My story is in wattpad their is a link above. if it breaks for some reason look for the story Soul Tears. If anyone decides they want to help, after you have joined wattpad pm me with what kind of payment you want (payments on wattpad being: a follow, a comment in your book, a critique of your book. I can also make very nice book covers. Thank you to anyone that helps <3
From my book the main pov has fallen asleep:
Looking at her again, watching as she rolls over. Occasional mutterings from her as she sleeps. Parcival inches closer before her he listens intently. She mutters, “It’s all my fault…it’s coming.” Merryn grows quiet once again.
Closing his eyes the man calms down, opening them, he scoots back over to the cooking pot. Stiring it with a stick, waiting for it to bubble.
this part below is in italics on wattpad:
Smiling to herself with the newest iron-filled pouch she lifted.
After all that nobleman will not be hurting for this.
She puts it in her vest without delay where it vanishes from sight. Now making her way through the huge city. Majestic trees providing cool shade along side the homes. Song birds fluttering in and out of the leaves as she walked by. Gardens dot the spaces between the houses.
The streets are filled with soft pink petals falling to the ground, blanketing them. A large water fountain sits in the middle of the city. Several sprouts here and there send cascading water from it into the air, creating several miniature rainbows overlapping. Climbing up the tall house careful not to make a sound, Merryn overlooks the whole city. It’s the largest she has ever been in before, after a while she climbs back-down.
Calling the shadows to cloak her body, in moments the cool sensation flows over her. Sneaking down the alleyway; intent on getting to the palace.
If I can manage to fill a few pouches, it’ll be a long time before I go hungry again.
Making her way to the castle after a time of rushes in and out of the alleyways, through the gardens, and the busy bustling people, ergo she emerges on the castle.
The spears were the same golden hue as the castle bottom. Next she gazes above to the top of the castle admiring the rounded roof that is decorated with two large golden bird wings. It stood before her its grand splendor beckoning her to discover its secrets within. A round open air entrance is near the bottom to the left.
Being that this is so guarded I had best avoid trying to enter here.
Two guards stood in black armor here from head to toe. They hefted the longest spears she had ever seen. The tips of them passed with ease over the top of the guards heads.
How could they hold up such top heavy weapons? Magic perhaps?
Slinking over to the right side, of the building while avoiding the guards. Most of the time there are guards standing beeneath of the windows. But today, they were off on a mission. She had overheard a baker talking about this while grabbing some flat bread from his stall this morning. Sliding off her pack not making a sound, and opening it takes out a metal grappling hook. Setting the hook down on the ground.
Grabbing the rope that is in her pack, and picking up the hook in one hand while tying the rope to it with the other. Sneaking closer to the castle, and with each step as she goes closer to the lower window. Twirling it around, it makes a soft whirring sound. Then, she tosses the grappling hook above in the air aiming for the window. It clinks onto the upper edge.
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