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The Ins And Outs Of Backstory, Part 1
A recent Writer’s Digest article, “Building Backstory” by Larry Brooks, stated that a novelist should show only ten percent of his character’s backstory — the “iceberg principle” he called it. Suspense...
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The Ins And Outs Of Backstory, Part 2
As we established in part one of this short series, backstory should be used sparingly, sprinkled throughout the novel, but rarely included in the opening. Super agent and writing instructor Donald...
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The Ins And Outs Of Backstory, Part 3
Learning to handle backstory correctly is vital. Some agents and editors talk about it as the element that shows an author is either a competent professional or still in the “learning” stage....
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The Ins And Outs Of Backstory, Part 4
In the previous three parts to this short series, I’ve discussed the importance of making backstory a natural, organic part of the story; two techniques to use suggested by Hallie Ephron in her...
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Curiosity Versus Confusion
Some clarity creates curiosity; too little creates confusionSome time ago I read an article in the Writer’s Digest by Steve Almond in which he stated what he considers to be the writers Hippocratic...
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After The First Five Pages
Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages alerted novelists to the need to create an intriguing opening. But the truth is, writers need to keep readers interested beyond that first scene. After the initial...
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Revisions Make All The Difference
From time to time a novelist needs to change something in a story. Perhaps a minor character is flat or comes across as a stereotype and needs to be fleshed out with his own personality or backstory....
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Keep ‘Em On The Line
So readers are hooked with a great beginning. How does the novelist keep them engaged from that point on? Perhaps the best way to look at this subject is to start with what does not keep readers...
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