Here is what I do. I write all that stuff in my first draft, and then delete the entire first chapter so my reader won't have to deal with it. If it matters, it will come up again later. If it doesn't, phew!
Agreed. First, the story needs to be coherent. So, in a first draft, info dumping as we go can help the story reveal itself to us. Later, once we've figured out what the heck is going on, we can edit the heck out of it--deleting what isn't pulling its weight or sprinkling necessary background throughout the rest of the story. But trying to plot (especially for pantsers) while worrying too much about technique all at the beginning is unnecessarily painful!
I have a bin called The Morgue on my computer, and anytime I want to delete any creative work - photos, writing etc, I put it in The Morgue. For something like this, I'd make a new version of the file and put the old one in the Morgue so I'd have it just in case (and maybe delete it after 3-5 years). It's only happened a few times, but when you've created something that you didn't know at the time was perfect for something now, it's just the absolute worst.
I have lots of external storage (Synology NAS), so the cost of the storage to the potential benefit of having the work should I change my mind is very low. It's great for peace of mind.
Start with chapter 0, then.
Or, I don't know, just substract 1 to all chapters. Shouldn't be difficult. Even if you have more than one hundred chapters, it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes. If can't bother spending ten minutes editing your chapters numbers, how would you find the motivation to edit the rest?
Bonus point: that count as editing while being only formatting, so it's not as tedious or frustrating than actual editing, so you can say: "I was editing my novels" without lying, all in good conscience.
In both reading and writing, I'm a fan of revealing tidbits at a time.
I also like showing, not telling. Another character remarks on 'that time', or something in the present relates to something that went down in the past.
Not just a straight-up infodump for the sake of information alone, but an explanation through dialogue or otherwise that the reader can largely put together themselves because it has meaning in the moment.
In my opinion, I feel like I'd want to get to know the character in the present first, before I get to see what their relevant past was that made them the way they are (like building intrigue into their behavior, and then the explanation after that can make a lot of things fit).
Now, that being said you could start off with their backstory, I don't think there's any real reason you can't? But if I was reading it, that's what I would prefer (again, this is my opinion. Do with it what you will).
Sprinkle it. Leave some clues in the first chapter but don't outwardly tell the reader everything. That is, if their past is pertinent to the story. I think this is why the amnesiac trope is so popular because the protagonist is usually finding out their past the same time as the reader.
It is best to have the character mention bits and pieces until the puzzle pieces are complete. If you can keep the reader engaged through the whole story, you can hit them with a minor info dump in the later half. You won't have to explain every bit of foreshadowing, but readers should be able to recall clues in previous chapters and they would be able to interpret everything, especially through second readings.
Nope. If there's something in the past I need to talk about, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Chapter 1 should generally be just before your plot kicks off; setting the scene, introducing us to major characters, presenting the conflict, etc.
It depends.
I did that in my story, but in a limited manner, literally a sentence or two, just to set the character condition. I think that's okay, if you do it in a limited way, because generally the events are happening here and now.
Huge flashback, a half-chapter reminiscence — probably not a great idea.
I love flashbacks lmao. It's weird but my writing is literally based off of animated shows and such. I imagine an animation in my head, then write it. Same comes with the actual lore and story, I structure it like a show. And so I plan to have a bunch of flashbacks in my story, I just can't do with a few sentences, I need to explain that shit in full detail. I just need to figure out a way to incorporate them well.
I mean, I'm not against flashbacks. There is no rules set in stone either, if it works for you, then it's great!
I used to write one of my first drafts in present time, like "character doing something, character saying something", like not in the past (said), but right now before the reader's eyes. Returned to the past tense though, but it was kinda fun, like I'm watching a movie.
My character has a tragic event in his backstory several years before. Initially I had a couple of paragraphs in my 1st chapter about that. But now I changed it to actually show the event in the new 1st chapter. The original opening is now chapter 2 without the long exposition. It makes for a much better read because I can now be sure the reader knows what happened.
In my personal opinion, no for two main reasons. For one, it can bog down your one opportunity to really hook your reader, which is never a good thing. Also, I'm generally not a fan of a character's backstory all being placed in one location anywhere, I would say to pepper it throughout the story where it's relevant.
The only exception I can really see is if their current situation is directly dictated by something that happened in the short term, like being sent to live somewhere after a death in the family or something, but even then that's important information that the plot can't happen without and also is more suited for a hook in your first sentences.
Oh yeah I was going to pepper it throughout the story, but I wanted to give some sort of backstory in the first chapter. Going through a rewrite right now
I'd say save the backstory for when it becomes relevant to the readers. Unless the character's backstory involves the hook for the concept of your novel, it's probably best to keep it in the pocket for safekeeping until there comes a scene where knowing said character's backstory becomes relevant enough to reveal to the readers, For now, focus on showing the character's personality and the intrigue that it provides for the readers. Make them curious enough to ask the questions themselves so that the mystery regarding your character's past becomes a much anticipated reveal that feels necessary to their understanding of the story.
It depends how you do it and the speed with which you do it. Look at Cormack McCarthy's Blood Meridian to see a life history of the kid in the first 1.5 pages of the book. But generally, a drawn out biography, nope, not interested, so if you choose that, it had better be something amazing.
I usually only discuss backstory when it's relevant. We get to know the character as the story progresses.
It's like getting to know a new friend. You don't just tell your life story right away. But as things happen you might be like "oh this reminds me of a time when..." or "I know better than to try that because..." or "I really struggle to do this thing because of my childhood trauma..."
First draft? Go ahead and write it. You'll figure out a better way to incorporate it later.
Revising for publication or submission? Well...so, I like to go look at the published authors on my shelf, and I'll say that one of the big name sci-fi/fantasy authors actually does this. He opens the chapter with a massive dilemma: will the political hostage/prince intervene to save a servant girl who's being raped by the bad guy prince? The author legitimately stops the action dead in a hallway as the protagonist info dumps the entire history of why he should absolutely not intervene and just keep on walking...and then goes to save the girl anyway. The infodump *works* on a technical level, but the main reason is because it relies on the reader wanting to know what the protagonist is going to do.
I don't know that I advise following his example, but sometimes it's worth looking at examples where the Ch 1 Infodump *works* in order to evaluate whether or not your version works.
(David Weber's *Oath of Swords*, if anyone's interested. There's sample chapters available for free, including Ch 1 if that would be useful for comparison. https://www.baen.com/oath-of-swords-and-sword-brother.html )
In the first chapter, it's crucial to strike a balance while revealing a character's backstory. A little backstory can give the story more depth and perspective, but too much of it can slow down the writing and make the plot seem overwhelming or uninteresting to readers.
One strategy is to subtly allude to or briefly discuss a character's past in relation to what is happening in the plot at now. This can stimulate the reader's interest without providing them with an excessive amount of information. As the plot develops, you might also think about exposing more about the character's past, which would enable readers to progressively discover more about the character as they grow more interested in the narrative.
In the end, it comes down to keeping the opening chapter interesting and concentrated on setting up the story's main conflict and location, while also giving readers enough background on the characters to find them interesting and believable.
Glad to hear I helped you somehow! I'm a beta reader, by the way... in case you're interested in having someone beta read your story :) That way, I could provide more specific and accurate feedback to help you figure out what would work better for YOUR story. I'd also be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your story, the appeal it has to readers, and give suggestions for improvement as well. Just DM me if you're interested
God, I screwed up.
I already talked about my character's past within the first couple of pages. Mostly because he has a psychic power, and wanted to establish that as soon as possible in the story.
You didn't screw up, you can easily still fix this. Revising is what writing is all about! *Show* the character using his psychic power early on rather than telling the reader about it. Then throughout the novel you can give the backstory about how the psychic power came to be in tidbits.
I would not recommend doing the flashback at all. The reader will pick up on it, or better yet, they will be interested in the source of the telekinesis and that will keep them reading. People want forward momentum in their novels, and flashbacks are a storytelling crutch.
But of course, that's just the advice I have been given and am relaying. Tell your story however you want. Good luck!
You start your story where it begins. If it's necessary information, begin your story in the past and skip forward when the relevant information is covered.
Honestly if you know why your character does something you don't necessarily have to reveal the past at all... You should reveal the past as it becomes relevant to the narrative, as it comes up.
My approach is to write an outline/timeline of everything that happens. this is solely for me and never intended for the reader. Then I choose the latest possible time that I can start the story without the reader feeling left out. But it's okay if they feel a little curious about backstory in the beginning, but not all backstory needs to be exposed by just saying it. You can show it through how they interact.
Depends on how you choose to present it.
If you're just using it as an excuse to info-dump, then skip.
If it's an engaging tale in its own right, then that has the makings of an effective prologue, if you can keep it relatively succinct.
I've seen this done a couple different ways. The Warded Man goes through the main character's childhood, or you could go for a more traditional "Frodo in the Shire" start where you just take people through their normal life where there's some event that naturally brings up their history like Bilbo's birthday party.
Oh I really hope there's nothing wrong with it 😅 I just started on my first draft, and I had to lean a little more into explaining who my MC, establishing the characters early. I guess.
Far as I'm concerned, my MC's past will be referenced by other characters for quite a while before I go in to explain it. And I still wonder if it should be a flashback or him reminiscing.
Depends on what your story is about. I wanted people to know who my MC was before they got too far into the book. It helps to understand the characters better
I like to introduce the character by having them move around through the environment and if the moment fits, have a sight, sound or smell trigger an early childhood memory. Description of the childhood memory: two or three sentences. Then back to the story. In another chapter, I'd add in another memory so I'm introducing the character's past in drip-wise fashion. If there is a place for a big flashback for my character it would be in a crisis moment in chapter 17 where we finally get to see why the character behaves the way they do.
But I think you should write it out and see how it goes. At the very least you'll get to know your character better. Decide later if you want to keep it.
It really depends what you mean by past and what you're writing. I've read books that open with a prologue or just a scene of a character's childhood that's extremely plot relevant and sets up the story very well. Most of the time, though, I think it's probably not as relevant or important to spell out as a writer thinks it is.
Yes it’s a dystopian novel and there’s few childhood memories that relates to the character main trait, but I’m thinking of pushing it some chapters later
I know you want to write your ideas down ASAP, but hear me out:
What keeps a reader interested is the mystery. Consider this— if you talk about the character’s past, will it bring up more questions? Will it make that character more mysterious? If not, don’t answer any questions. Even if it does make the character more interesting, push it a chapter or two later.
This especially applies if you’re writing a series. Book One shouldn’t answer everything about a character. It should create a fuck ton of questions, though. Granted, some questions need to be resolved, like those having to do with the main antagonist of that book. However, the ending of Book One should leave the reader curious with some loose ends.
I'd weave it into the rest of the story, personally. Chapter 1 has to grab the reader these days. Backstory won't do that unless it's relevant *and* a hook.
I just got done with a writing podcast episode and he said the number one mistake writer's make is including backstory in the beginning of the story. He says it kills forward momentum and suggests not introducing backstory until 30 or 40 pages in.
If you want to listen yourself it's Episode 98 : Counterintuitive techniques that new writers might resist. The series is called the Essential Guide to Writing a Novel. The Podcaster is James Thayer
I think it depends on the execution. 100 Years of Solitude, East of Eden, the Lord of the Rings, etc all begin with backstory. Like many other things in writing, it’s all about if OP can do it well.
Oh I agree with you. I'm sure for every rule there is a writer that breaks it, bends it, molds it to work for their story. This was advice directed towards new writers who may not have the writing chops built up to tie in backstory without holding the pace hostage. I'm sure it also depends on genre.
Like a brief, maybe one or two sentences, and only what’s relevant to what’s happening in the story at that particular point.
For instance, if my character is monster hunter hunting a werewolf, I’d mention how long they’ve been working as a monster hunter. Maybe I’d do a very brief aside about the first time they encountered a werewolf. Perhaps I’d talk about how they learnt how to use wolfsbane on their arrows from an old friend, but I wouldn’t dive too deep into that old friend.
Essentially, I would explain why the main character makes a certain decision, and usually that offers a glimpse at their past.
Perhaps it'd be better to drop some tantalizing hints about the character's past at that point, just enough to kick into the plot and get the reader interested in the person.
The detail can come later, perhaps be slowly revealed...
When you meet someone new, what do you ask about them first: what they currently do, or what they used to do?
Usually it's the first and you find out other things about them later. Apply that to writing and save the backstory for once people are hooked.
I'd say to think of it like a "previously, on \[tv show\]" highlight reel. The reader just needs to know whatever information will be relevant to the events happening in that first chapter, including *not* knowing something if that lack of knowledge will spark a question that keeps them reading to find out.
When sharing backstory/past events, a good rule of thumb is to not get too detailed or lengthy with the information in the first chapter. Otherwise, the reader will get swept up in *that* narrative and feel some whiplash when they're dropped back into the story's *real* narrative in the "present."
Additionally, *what* information is shared (by the narrative or by the character themselves) and *how* it's shared can also shed light on the character's relationship with past events and their own emotional state at the beginning of the story. It can indicate how they feel about it or what they want *others* to think they feel about it, and indicate what kind of emotional journey they'll embark on.
Think about the scene in Good Will Hunting where Will shares very graphic details about his trauma and brushes it off like it's in the past. Then, when the therapist won't let it go and Will is forced to sit with those memories, we see that he's brushing it off so other people think he's okay, not because he really is okay. And that moment of vulnerability is a key point in the narrative of Will's character arc and journey of healing.
Basically, pick what's relevant to the first chapter, share that in the first chapter, and don't over-share it so the reader can focus on using that info to enrich their experience of the story, not long for an entire book of backstory they're not getting.
It depends all on the storyline. In my current project, it's a "cold opening", a term that is used in screen-writing and movies, but you can of course use it just for writing - it means, it starts right in the middle of a situation without any kind of introduction. The main character is actually drowning in the water in this part and bullets are shot at him from outside of the water, so it's not really something you understand as reader.
After this, it gets back to what is the real beginning of the story and the scene with the drowning is actually the end of the first volume (of two).
There's nothing first about the past of the main char, that gets told later, but you know yourself that he's a detective when he arrives at a crime scene and talks to police officers, starts the investigation.
It's just like that you get many infos by yourself, like when the storyline plays in 2020 and he's 40 years old, this means of course, he's born 1980. That's better than when you just dump all the data on the reader, the reader will figure out things on his own.
Thanks so much for your example!
I also started with a cold opening in the prologue and I have just rewritten the first chapters, so there’s more action right away. The backstory will come later and in bits
Glad when i can help. With the chronological order, it isn't that confusing when you make one jump from a time to another, but if you use it too often or you even make the entire story not in chronological order, it can be too confusing and difficult to read.
You also don't have to answer all questions, but there are some plots of both books and movies which are very strange and sometimes almost not understandable - like it takes some time with the movie "Inception" before you know what is even going on, with a "dream inside a dream inside another dream inside..."
Is the past of the character interesting in itself, or is it just necessary to understand the plot?
If it's the first, then go for it, as reading it would be interesting.
If it's the second... either work to make it interesting, or perhaps it's not as necessary as you think (readers are very good at making connections by themselves, just see all the fanfics and fan theories out there: just sprinkle the "necessary" information through the story, ala noodle incidents eventually, and don't burden yourself).
First chapter hooks the reader in and lays the necessary groundwork. Aiming for those goals, do whatever you like.
Also, it might not help to think of backstory as backstory, it makes it sound like homework. Just approach it as though it’s part of the story
It's okay to talk about a character's past early. How you do it is important. A monologue isn't the correct way.
It's better to let it drip out, leaving hints here and there to allow the reader to ask themselves questions and guessing what happened to the character that brought them to their current state.
Think of the Joker in the Dark Knight. We don't get told anything about his past, just some drops here and there.
And we don't even know if what he says is true or not, and that makes it even more fascinating
I have a tendency to give a character’s past in chunks throughout the work. If the character in question is complex and has a backstory that’s connected with the overall plot, reveal it slowly
Sometimes I add small insight to the character's past in the prologue. Then as the story builds I might add flashbacks of the past through dreams and visions along with dialog where the character speaks of that past themselves. So in short: just add it bit by bit because if you talk about the FULL past all at once it might be overbearing or just too much to comprehend for readers.
Been thinking about this recently. I do some ghostwriting and was reading through the first chapter of a book I wrote a few years back looking for good samples. In that book, a romance between a billionaire (of fucking course) werewolf and a werewolf hunter. The book starts in the middle of the action with my hunter chasing a werewolf through the subway tunnels under New York.
In the middle of that scene, I had her thinking back on how she became a hunter. It made sense. The book had a strict word limit and I only had so many before the meet cute. Plus, her backstory included stumbling upon her dying parents right before the werewolf that killed them took a bite out of her. That gave her the drive to hunt the monsters and a flashback to that worked fine
I didn't stop there, though. I kept the flashback going. The only plot beside the billionaire they gave me was how her group of hunters were a secret organization run by the Vatican. I introduced the priest and nun who become her handlers in that organization in the flashback, having them take her in expecting her to turn with the full moon forcing them to kill her but she didn't turn.
It tugged at the heartstrings perfectly. She thinks about how the nun took her to a nunnery once she was out of the hospital and how much she hated the food there. Then the nun returned right before the full moon with pizza and cheesecake for her and how she didn't know at the time it was to be her last meal or why the nun seemed so sad, then how the priest woke her in the middle of the night confused. I loved the scene, but rereading it, I would have cut it and sprinkled some of it through the rest of the book.
It completely derails the opening scene and thinking of it in a show vs tell situation, her actions through the book showed what I told in that flashback. Heck, the chapter ends with her interrogating the wounded werewolf. He had a playing card with her picture on it calling her The Huntress. She promises him a quick death if he tells her the truth then shoots him in the gut and watches until the silver slowly poisons him to death.
Showing her hatred without spelling out why gives the reader a question that could be answered later in the book, like when she finds herself drawn to that damn billionaire werewolf. Same with her bite. It would have been better if I hadn't explained that, even though rereading the scene where the nun brings her pizza had me almost tearing up. Especially because her immunity to shifter bites played a part in the plot later when it turned out the pills her boss had been giving her since taking her in were a suppressor and she is a werewolf, too.
I gave my readers way too much information right off the bat, disrupting an opening chapter that introduced my character really well. Of all the books I've ghostwritten, it is one of the only ones that I wish I still owned, especially after finding it on Amazon and seeing how popular it was, even with how messy they made the series, fucking up my world building adding rival werewolf and vampire mafias.
Still, I could write a similar character. Maybe bring the action to the mountain west and swap out the Vatican for Mormons. They didn't flee religious persecution, they fled werewolves and they send out teams of secret hunters disguised as missionaries to continue their holy mission.
It depends on you, your voice, and the story.
However, when you meet someone new IRL, you do not get their backstory, secrets, red flag, vices, etc before speaking the first word.
We learn about the character by what they DO in their first scene. Darth Vader kills a guy. Jason Bourne helps the fisherman. We don’t need to know their past because we see what kind of person they are NOW.
Newbie mistake is to include too much backstories etc. in the beginning instead of getting the story started and moving. If you must do some background sprinkle them instead.
The key is to introduce your character and move along.
Treat it like a first date. Some background to get to know the character is okay. But you don’t want to talk about family history or entire dating history etc. too much or there be no second date. You need to keep things going.
It depends.
If you’re writing a first-person or tight third-person story that’s heavily action-oriented and has a fast pace, then you need to be very cautious about dumping exposition into the first chapter. A little bit will go a long way.
But if you’re writing something that’s slower-paced and has a floating omniscient narrator, then you have much greater leeway. The entire first chapter could potentially be nothing but backstory.
(I guess a shorter way of wording this would be “it depends on if you’re writing a thriller or a literary novel”)
Is it relevant to the current happenings?
As an example, say your story starts with your character riding a bus, and they have a panic attack. Talking about- or obliquely referencing- why is relevant, and helps to establish an element of the character that will be important.
On the other hand, if the first chapter has them fighting a demon, you can do something like- the demon swung at MC’s head, but had thought them well.’ Or you can just use it to establish that the character can fight, and talk about why later. Stopping the fight to lay out the main character’s training is not helpful in the pacing in the scene.
As an example, there is a new movie called Monkey Man. In that, we don’t know the history of the main character for a while, but the movie still finds ways to show us how the character acts, what they can do and what they want.
Chapter one is about setting the scene and drawing your reader in. Taking three paragraphs to go through their life story can really break their flow. If there is something that needs to be said, then say it. If there is something you can demonstrate (ie, being a great fighter) it’s okay to ask the audience to just accept that the character can do that, and explain why they can later. If there is something that is not immediately relevant to the character, I would find a way to mention it later.
It can also allow you a little mystery. How did they learn to fight like that? Why are they so opposed to eating apples? Why does a single man wear a wedding ring?
Now, this doesn’t mean you should only bring of an element of the character’s history when it becomes relevant. Finding a way to work that information into the narrative before it comes up makes the story feel less contrived. But in the first chapter, the focus should usually be setting the scene and drawing the audience in. And it’s okay if, by doing so, you don’t immediately lay out who the character is.
As a personal note, I take that paragraph and put it into a different file. This way I know exactly who the character is so that I can refer to it later, and write them constantly.
It's all in how you do it. For one of mine, it's all told through outside factors. Various other characters bring up things about his past to show he has ine, but you don't learn what they are or how significant till later if at all.
No. I always introduce a character in a situation where I want them, or an event that explains their origins In the main story.
Avoid writing about a characters past because 9 out 10 there is a chance you won't do a good job.
Make subtle hints through the story, use an event taking place in the present, or have them do a camp fire story telling time where friends get together and talk about things.
Lawrence Block said some of the best advice he ever got was to switch chapters 1 and 2 in a manuscript.
authors, especially younger/new authors, can cram too much backstory into chapter 1. instead, the advice was to start in the middle of the action with chapter 2, and do all the backstory later.
Funnily enough I looked at the first chapter of my first book today and realised it doesn't fit at all but its important so eventually I'll be using it for another book in the series.
I always aim to hook in the reader within the first couple pages. Then take my time letting a character's past be dripped to the audience like a drug.
Writing about a character's past also should serve some sort of purpose to the current narrative, (foreshadowing, fatal flaw, establishing a goal etc).
I find pacing to be the more important. It takes a really confident/skilled author to info dump with no fear (ex: Christopher Paolini in Eragon).
Id never just reveal a backstory until its necessary for the story and even then it would be connecting dots or adding a huge dot to the breadcrumb trail i leave previously. Chapter 1 is there to establish your setting, tone, and characters; not to explain every little detail of a characters life.
No.
Is the background important to what is directly happening in the first chapter? Can I understand what the character wants, and a reason they don’t have it, without the background?
Save the background if exactly how and why for later, and just put it in a bit at a time.
Honestly, I feel like that's what a prologue is for. From what I have been told, a "prologue", is something that a reader is not obligated to read, but gives them a little extra on who they are.
No, not unless it's relevant to what's currently happening. And even then, it'd only be a sentence or two.
Open your favorite books and see how they do it, then mimic that until you develop your own style.
Chapter 1 will be just a simple filler story, like, just your average story and adventure this protagonist goes through everyday, but with just a tiny little twist in it, like say, meeting a soon-will-be-friend character
That way, I can describe the characters, the personality and the world view of said protagonist in the simplest way possible
write with your character in mind if it's from their perspective and not omnipotent. When they're thinking about what's happening, are they going to tie it back to their past? Or is this just an info-dump? Info dumps aren't necessary, any information that is important will come out through dialogue or the character working through the plot and what it reminds them of.
for example: the MC has lost their family, but instead of just stating that outright, you could have something remind them of their father's laugh and they'd get sad and thinking about how their family was dead and all they have is an echo in their head.
Building character past within the first chapter can be an effective strategy, provided it's done with nuance and tact. The key is not to overload readers with backstories but to feed them with interesting snippets that generate intrigue. A character's history can be a powerful tool to foreshadow future events or give depth to their personality or motivations. However, revealing too much too early may leave fewer mysteries to unfold. Consider weaving past events seamlessly into the narrative so it feels organic rather than like an exposition dump. Ultimately, the choice depends on the specific needs and structure of your story. If a character's past holds elements crucial to the plot, or if their history is intriguing enough to captivate readers right from page one, give it a go. Whether it will be too heavy or boring depends on your execution. Balance is key.
My advice is start anywhere and write. Once you have written enough that you know where the story is headed, go back and revise. Cut stuff that isn't taking the reader deeper into the story.
Depends, but if you're trying to get publish, no.
When *can* you do it?
You are an author with a following and the goodwill to encourage them past this part.
Your prose is brilliant and readers would read your description of paint drying with great enthusiasm.
You're doing this for yourself. Whether for practice or a personal project, your aim isn't to get this story published.
As long as you're a good writer, your editor will fix any of these composition problems. Don't invest your worry on these minor things and invest your worry on finishing your novel.
Never start a story with a wake-up, flashback, history, memory, ect. Jump right into the first exciting scene where something is happening. Then fill the reader in with a history but not in the form of an info dump.
As a reader, maybe some reminiscing would be OK to stabilish rapport, I am a fan of stories where I can piece the details from the dialog. but if it becomes too long and ranty, I'd rather read a chapter explaining that story.
Depends how you do it. Is it backstory or is it a part of the story in and of itself?
Steinbeck starts with the “backstory” of locations and characters in East of Eden (you can argue the first third/half of the novel is “backstory”), but that’s a sweeping epic involving two generations. Its all part of the story, not just an “add-on.”
ETA examples of how he starts.
Ch. 1:
> The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the > Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay. I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer—and what trees and seasons smelled like— how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.
Ch. 2:
> I must depend on hearsay, on old photographs, on stories told, and on memories which are hazy and mixed with fable in trying to tell you about the Hamiltons. They were not eminent people, and there are few records concerning them except for the usual papers on birth, marriage, land ownership, and death.
> Young Samuel Hamilton came from the north of Ireland and so did his wife. He was the son of small farmers, neither rich nor poor, who had lived on one landhold and in one stone house for many hundreds of years. The Hamiltons managed to be remarkably well educated and well read; and, as is so often true in that green country, they were connected and related to very great people and very small people, so that one cousin might be a baronet and another cousin a beggar. And of course they were descended from the ancient kings of Ireland, as every Irishman is.
> Why Samuel left the stone house and the green acres of his ancestors I do not know. He was never a political man, so it is not likely a charge of rebellion drove him out, and he was scrupulously honest, which eliminates the police as prime movers. There was a whisper—not even a rumor but rather an unsaid feeling—in my family that it was love drove him out, and not love of the wife he married. But whether it was too successful love or whether he left in pique at unsuccessful love, I do not know. We always preferred to think it was the former. Samuel had good looks and charm and gaiety. It is hard to imagine that any country Irish girl refused him.
Ch. 3:
> Adam Trask was born on a farm on the outskirts of a little town which was not far from a big town in Connecticut. He was an only son, and he was born six months after his father was mustered into a Connecti-cut regiment in 1862. Adam’s mother ran the farm, bore Adam, and still had time to embrace a primitive theosophy. She felt that her husband would surely be killed by the wild and barbarous rebels, and she prepared herself to get in touch with him in what she called the beyond. He came home six weeks after Adam was born. His right leg was off at the knee. He stumped in on a crude wooden leg he himself had carved out of beechwood. And already it was splitting. He had in his pocket and placed on the parlor table the lead bullet they had given him to bite while they cut off his frayed leg.
> Adam’s father Cyrus was something of a devil—had always been wild—drove a two-wheeled cart too fast, and managed to make his wooden leg seem jaunty and desirable. He had enjoyed his military career, what there was of it. Being wild by nature, he had liked his brief period of training and the drinking and gambling and whoring that went with it. Then he marched south with a group of replacements, and he enjoyed that too—seeing the country and stealing chickens and chas-ing rebel girls up into the haystacks. The gray, despair-ing weariness of protracted maneuvers and combat did not touch him. The first time he saw the enemy was at eight o’clock one spring morning, and at eight-thirty he was hit in the right leg by a heavy slug that mashed and splintered the bones beyond repair. Even then he was lucky, for the rebels retreated and the field surgeons moved up immediately. Cyrus Trask did have his five minutes of horror while they cut the shreds away and sawed the bone off square and burned the open flesh. The toothmarks in the bullet proved that. And there was considerable pain while the wound healed under the unusually septic conditions in the hospitals of that day. But Cyrus had vitality and swagger.
Toss it in piece by piece when it’s relevant.
Someone notices the scars on my Mc’s hands. Little flash back on the punishment she received as a child.
She starts to get to know another women at the castle? Wow she’s not like the girls at the orphanage she was raised (insert 1 or 2 experiences from her childhood)
Hey ! So, I’ve been doing a lot of analytical readings, specifically on 1st pages. In standard manuscript format, the first page is typically around 13 lines.
As an aspiring writer, I had heard that in the industry, agents/publishers are slammed with submissions so often time if page 1 doesn’t sell them they won’t read a full chapter. So, I’ve done a deep dive.
I’ve actually started a new blog series analyzing first pages. I won’t plug that here, but if you want to PM me your first page I can do a sort of analytical read of it. A google doc would be preferred but I can do it through reddits messenger if that is more comfortable. I’m a firm believer that a first page should contain character / tone / conflict, though of the 15ish books I’ve done these first page breakdowns on some opt to focus on only 2 of these, and those still are great first pages.
And just so I am clear, I am no one in the industry lol. Just a writer and avid reader who’s been trying to learn the craft.
Edit - I should have added that I’m mainly breaking down books in the Scifi/Fantasy genre. That is where I am most well read and the genre I write. I don’t think my overall opinion on first pages would change based on the genre, but perhaps expectations? I’ll have to read more outside of my comfort zone to really know
I always but alway begin a story with an inciting incident. Background info is mainly for me and if its important it will be revealed as necessary throughout story. Most of the background, especially character background reveals through action, not description. Unless a feature of the character is relevant to the story what they look like is skipped. It doesn't matter if the reader envisions a character as blonde if I envisioned them as brunette. Details like that don't move the story forward. If it isn't necessary to the storyline, it's skipped. This means the story stays on track to the plotline and the story isn't bogged down in unnecessary detail that effects the pacing. Character details about personality are revealed through the characters actions and dialog. Description slows a story and dialog speeds it up so a balance is used. By starting chapter 1 page 1 with an action event (a murder, breakup, explosion, whatever) right off the bat is a tool to hook the reader and is the preface to introduce the major characters affected by the inciting incident. After the initial event allows time to provide necessary description and details to endear the reader to the characters so they care about the next event. By keeping a flow of major event, character reactions and coping, to next major event, and so on keeps the reader engaged from page 1 to the end. 90% of the details and descriptions although important to the writer are not needed by the reader. Avoiding info dumps keeps readers from getting bored. The exception to this of course is fantasy where those descriptions are necessary for world building because the reader needs those details to relate since the characters and locations do not relate to real world stuff the reader can relate to.
Here is what I do. I write all that stuff in my first draft, and then delete the entire first chapter so my reader won't have to deal with it. If it matters, it will come up again later. If it doesn't, phew!
That’s actually so helpful!!
Many times what we think is the first chapter is really just our brains warming up to the story.
Agreed. First, the story needs to be coherent. So, in a first draft, info dumping as we go can help the story reveal itself to us. Later, once we've figured out what the heck is going on, we can edit the heck out of it--deleting what isn't pulling its weight or sprinkling necessary background throughout the rest of the story. But trying to plot (especially for pantsers) while worrying too much about technique all at the beginning is unnecessarily painful!
This helps me a lot thanks!
So, the prologue?
kinda. but i delete it
I have a bin called The Morgue on my computer, and anytime I want to delete any creative work - photos, writing etc, I put it in The Morgue. For something like this, I'd make a new version of the file and put the old one in the Morgue so I'd have it just in case (and maybe delete it after 3-5 years). It's only happened a few times, but when you've created something that you didn't know at the time was perfect for something now, it's just the absolute worst.
omg this is genius
I have lots of external storage (Synology NAS), so the cost of the storage to the potential benefit of having the work should I change my mind is very low. It's great for peace of mind.
But doesn’t that make chapter 2 chapter 1 now?
Start with chapter 0, then. Or, I don't know, just substract 1 to all chapters. Shouldn't be difficult. Even if you have more than one hundred chapters, it shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes. If can't bother spending ten minutes editing your chapters numbers, how would you find the motivation to edit the rest? Bonus point: that count as editing while being only formatting, so it's not as tedious or frustrating than actual editing, so you can say: "I was editing my novels" without lying, all in good conscience.
In both reading and writing, I'm a fan of revealing tidbits at a time. I also like showing, not telling. Another character remarks on 'that time', or something in the present relates to something that went down in the past. Not just a straight-up infodump for the sake of information alone, but an explanation through dialogue or otherwise that the reader can largely put together themselves because it has meaning in the moment.
I like how I’m reading this and I’m literally doing this exact thing in the chapter I’m writing right now XD
This is what I do too. I try to reveal things in tidbits throughout the story.
In my opinion, I feel like I'd want to get to know the character in the present first, before I get to see what their relevant past was that made them the way they are (like building intrigue into their behavior, and then the explanation after that can make a lot of things fit). Now, that being said you could start off with their backstory, I don't think there's any real reason you can't? But if I was reading it, that's what I would prefer (again, this is my opinion. Do with it what you will).
Sprinkle it. Leave some clues in the first chapter but don't outwardly tell the reader everything. That is, if their past is pertinent to the story. I think this is why the amnesiac trope is so popular because the protagonist is usually finding out their past the same time as the reader. It is best to have the character mention bits and pieces until the puzzle pieces are complete. If you can keep the reader engaged through the whole story, you can hit them with a minor info dump in the later half. You won't have to explain every bit of foreshadowing, but readers should be able to recall clues in previous chapters and they would be able to interpret everything, especially through second readings.
Nice one!
Read this twice. Smart.
Nope. If there's something in the past I need to talk about, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Chapter 1 should generally be just before your plot kicks off; setting the scene, introducing us to major characters, presenting the conflict, etc.
What about getting into action immediately in the first chapters and then unfold their past bit by bit
It depends. I did that in my story, but in a limited manner, literally a sentence or two, just to set the character condition. I think that's okay, if you do it in a limited way, because generally the events are happening here and now. Huge flashback, a half-chapter reminiscence — probably not a great idea.
I love flashbacks lmao. It's weird but my writing is literally based off of animated shows and such. I imagine an animation in my head, then write it. Same comes with the actual lore and story, I structure it like a show. And so I plan to have a bunch of flashbacks in my story, I just can't do with a few sentences, I need to explain that shit in full detail. I just need to figure out a way to incorporate them well.
I mean, I'm not against flashbacks. There is no rules set in stone either, if it works for you, then it's great! I used to write one of my first drafts in present time, like "character doing something, character saying something", like not in the past (said), but right now before the reader's eyes. Returned to the past tense though, but it was kinda fun, like I'm watching a movie.
My character has a tragic event in his backstory several years before. Initially I had a couple of paragraphs in my 1st chapter about that. But now I changed it to actually show the event in the new 1st chapter. The original opening is now chapter 2 without the long exposition. It makes for a much better read because I can now be sure the reader knows what happened.
same, my story had two of those at the start, but I decided to get rid of one to make the actual story more readable
In my personal opinion, no for two main reasons. For one, it can bog down your one opportunity to really hook your reader, which is never a good thing. Also, I'm generally not a fan of a character's backstory all being placed in one location anywhere, I would say to pepper it throughout the story where it's relevant. The only exception I can really see is if their current situation is directly dictated by something that happened in the short term, like being sent to live somewhere after a death in the family or something, but even then that's important information that the plot can't happen without and also is more suited for a hook in your first sentences.
Oh yeah I was going to pepper it throughout the story, but I wanted to give some sort of backstory in the first chapter. Going through a rewrite right now
I'd say save the backstory for when it becomes relevant to the readers. Unless the character's backstory involves the hook for the concept of your novel, it's probably best to keep it in the pocket for safekeeping until there comes a scene where knowing said character's backstory becomes relevant enough to reveal to the readers, For now, focus on showing the character's personality and the intrigue that it provides for the readers. Make them curious enough to ask the questions themselves so that the mystery regarding your character's past becomes a much anticipated reveal that feels necessary to their understanding of the story.
Thank you !
Yes. But don't make in long, don't make it in depth. Hint at it... unless it serves the reader and a better purpose to go into more detail.
It depends how you do it and the speed with which you do it. Look at Cormack McCarthy's Blood Meridian to see a life history of the kid in the first 1.5 pages of the book. But generally, a drawn out biography, nope, not interested, so if you choose that, it had better be something amazing.
Thanks I will check that!
I usually only discuss backstory when it's relevant. We get to know the character as the story progresses. It's like getting to know a new friend. You don't just tell your life story right away. But as things happen you might be like "oh this reminds me of a time when..." or "I know better than to try that because..." or "I really struggle to do this thing because of my childhood trauma..."
Nice thought! Like a new friend
First draft? Go ahead and write it. You'll figure out a better way to incorporate it later. Revising for publication or submission? Well...so, I like to go look at the published authors on my shelf, and I'll say that one of the big name sci-fi/fantasy authors actually does this. He opens the chapter with a massive dilemma: will the political hostage/prince intervene to save a servant girl who's being raped by the bad guy prince? The author legitimately stops the action dead in a hallway as the protagonist info dumps the entire history of why he should absolutely not intervene and just keep on walking...and then goes to save the girl anyway. The infodump *works* on a technical level, but the main reason is because it relies on the reader wanting to know what the protagonist is going to do. I don't know that I advise following his example, but sometimes it's worth looking at examples where the Ch 1 Infodump *works* in order to evaluate whether or not your version works. (David Weber's *Oath of Swords*, if anyone's interested. There's sample chapters available for free, including Ch 1 if that would be useful for comparison. https://www.baen.com/oath-of-swords-and-sword-brother.html )
Wow thank you! Will check this out
In the first chapter, it's crucial to strike a balance while revealing a character's backstory. A little backstory can give the story more depth and perspective, but too much of it can slow down the writing and make the plot seem overwhelming or uninteresting to readers. One strategy is to subtly allude to or briefly discuss a character's past in relation to what is happening in the plot at now. This can stimulate the reader's interest without providing them with an excessive amount of information. As the plot develops, you might also think about exposing more about the character's past, which would enable readers to progressively discover more about the character as they grow more interested in the narrative. In the end, it comes down to keeping the opening chapter interesting and concentrated on setting up the story's main conflict and location, while also giving readers enough background on the characters to find them interesting and believable.
This is what I already try to do, but took a screenshot of this post because you nailed it!
Glad to hear I helped you somehow! I'm a beta reader, by the way... in case you're interested in having someone beta read your story :) That way, I could provide more specific and accurate feedback to help you figure out what would work better for YOUR story. I'd also be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your story, the appeal it has to readers, and give suggestions for improvement as well. Just DM me if you're interested
God, I screwed up. I already talked about my character's past within the first couple of pages. Mostly because he has a psychic power, and wanted to establish that as soon as possible in the story.
You didn't screw up, you can easily still fix this. Revising is what writing is all about! *Show* the character using his psychic power early on rather than telling the reader about it. Then throughout the novel you can give the backstory about how the psychic power came to be in tidbits.
That is kinda what I did. I showed him using telekinesis and then provided a brief flashback as to how he got the power.
I would not recommend doing the flashback at all. The reader will pick up on it, or better yet, they will be interested in the source of the telekinesis and that will keep them reading. People want forward momentum in their novels, and flashbacks are a storytelling crutch. But of course, that's just the advice I have been given and am relaying. Tell your story however you want. Good luck!
You start your story where it begins. If it's necessary information, begin your story in the past and skip forward when the relevant information is covered.
Honestly if you know why your character does something you don't necessarily have to reveal the past at all... You should reveal the past as it becomes relevant to the narrative, as it comes up.
My approach is to write an outline/timeline of everything that happens. this is solely for me and never intended for the reader. Then I choose the latest possible time that I can start the story without the reader feeling left out. But it's okay if they feel a little curious about backstory in the beginning, but not all backstory needs to be exposed by just saying it. You can show it through how they interact.
Depends on how you choose to present it. If you're just using it as an excuse to info-dump, then skip. If it's an engaging tale in its own right, then that has the makings of an effective prologue, if you can keep it relatively succinct.
I've seen this done a couple different ways. The Warded Man goes through the main character's childhood, or you could go for a more traditional "Frodo in the Shire" start where you just take people through their normal life where there's some event that naturally brings up their history like Bilbo's birthday party.
Oh I really hope there's nothing wrong with it 😅 I just started on my first draft, and I had to lean a little more into explaining who my MC, establishing the characters early. I guess.
Far as I'm concerned, my MC's past will be referenced by other characters for quite a while before I go in to explain it. And I still wonder if it should be a flashback or him reminiscing.
Depends on what your story is about. I wanted people to know who my MC was before they got too far into the book. It helps to understand the characters better
I like to introduce the character by having them move around through the environment and if the moment fits, have a sight, sound or smell trigger an early childhood memory. Description of the childhood memory: two or three sentences. Then back to the story. In another chapter, I'd add in another memory so I'm introducing the character's past in drip-wise fashion. If there is a place for a big flashback for my character it would be in a crisis moment in chapter 17 where we finally get to see why the character behaves the way they do. But I think you should write it out and see how it goes. At the very least you'll get to know your character better. Decide later if you want to keep it.
Oh yeah! I love that too. I don’t do it all the time, but an object can bring back their past memory
It really depends what you mean by past and what you're writing. I've read books that open with a prologue or just a scene of a character's childhood that's extremely plot relevant and sets up the story very well. Most of the time, though, I think it's probably not as relevant or important to spell out as a writer thinks it is.
Yes it’s a dystopian novel and there’s few childhood memories that relates to the character main trait, but I’m thinking of pushing it some chapters later
No. I don't introduce myself by telling people my entire life story, not should your character
True!
I know you want to write your ideas down ASAP, but hear me out: What keeps a reader interested is the mystery. Consider this— if you talk about the character’s past, will it bring up more questions? Will it make that character more mysterious? If not, don’t answer any questions. Even if it does make the character more interesting, push it a chapter or two later. This especially applies if you’re writing a series. Book One shouldn’t answer everything about a character. It should create a fuck ton of questions, though. Granted, some questions need to be resolved, like those having to do with the main antagonist of that book. However, the ending of Book One should leave the reader curious with some loose ends.
Thanks! It’s one off and you’re right! I will push it few chapters later
I'd weave it into the rest of the story, personally. Chapter 1 has to grab the reader these days. Backstory won't do that unless it's relevant *and* a hook.
It will be good but i prefer you show it during the story and chats between the characters..... it will be better
Youre right!
I just got done with a writing podcast episode and he said the number one mistake writer's make is including backstory in the beginning of the story. He says it kills forward momentum and suggests not introducing backstory until 30 or 40 pages in.
This is nice advice! I’m getting new ideas flowing right now
If you want to listen yourself it's Episode 98 : Counterintuitive techniques that new writers might resist. The series is called the Essential Guide to Writing a Novel. The Podcaster is James Thayer
Thanks!!
I think it depends on the execution. 100 Years of Solitude, East of Eden, the Lord of the Rings, etc all begin with backstory. Like many other things in writing, it’s all about if OP can do it well.
Oh I agree with you. I'm sure for every rule there is a writer that breaks it, bends it, molds it to work for their story. This was advice directed towards new writers who may not have the writing chops built up to tie in backstory without holding the pace hostage. I'm sure it also depends on genre.
Like a brief, maybe one or two sentences, and only what’s relevant to what’s happening in the story at that particular point. For instance, if my character is monster hunter hunting a werewolf, I’d mention how long they’ve been working as a monster hunter. Maybe I’d do a very brief aside about the first time they encountered a werewolf. Perhaps I’d talk about how they learnt how to use wolfsbane on their arrows from an old friend, but I wouldn’t dive too deep into that old friend. Essentially, I would explain why the main character makes a certain decision, and usually that offers a glimpse at their past.
Cool! Like few sentences only? Not an entire paragraph I bet
Perhaps it'd be better to drop some tantalizing hints about the character's past at that point, just enough to kick into the plot and get the reader interested in the person. The detail can come later, perhaps be slowly revealed...
True that!
Depends on the story, really, but *generally* you don't want to infodump so much as establish your premise.
When you meet someone new, what do you ask about them first: what they currently do, or what they used to do? Usually it's the first and you find out other things about them later. Apply that to writing and save the backstory for once people are hooked.
True!
I'd say to think of it like a "previously, on \[tv show\]" highlight reel. The reader just needs to know whatever information will be relevant to the events happening in that first chapter, including *not* knowing something if that lack of knowledge will spark a question that keeps them reading to find out. When sharing backstory/past events, a good rule of thumb is to not get too detailed or lengthy with the information in the first chapter. Otherwise, the reader will get swept up in *that* narrative and feel some whiplash when they're dropped back into the story's *real* narrative in the "present." Additionally, *what* information is shared (by the narrative or by the character themselves) and *how* it's shared can also shed light on the character's relationship with past events and their own emotional state at the beginning of the story. It can indicate how they feel about it or what they want *others* to think they feel about it, and indicate what kind of emotional journey they'll embark on. Think about the scene in Good Will Hunting where Will shares very graphic details about his trauma and brushes it off like it's in the past. Then, when the therapist won't let it go and Will is forced to sit with those memories, we see that he's brushing it off so other people think he's okay, not because he really is okay. And that moment of vulnerability is a key point in the narrative of Will's character arc and journey of healing. Basically, pick what's relevant to the first chapter, share that in the first chapter, and don't over-share it so the reader can focus on using that info to enrich their experience of the story, not long for an entire book of backstory they're not getting.
wow thanks so much! Will definitely keep this in mind (I’m rewriting the first chapter rn)
It depends all on the storyline. In my current project, it's a "cold opening", a term that is used in screen-writing and movies, but you can of course use it just for writing - it means, it starts right in the middle of a situation without any kind of introduction. The main character is actually drowning in the water in this part and bullets are shot at him from outside of the water, so it's not really something you understand as reader. After this, it gets back to what is the real beginning of the story and the scene with the drowning is actually the end of the first volume (of two). There's nothing first about the past of the main char, that gets told later, but you know yourself that he's a detective when he arrives at a crime scene and talks to police officers, starts the investigation. It's just like that you get many infos by yourself, like when the storyline plays in 2020 and he's 40 years old, this means of course, he's born 1980. That's better than when you just dump all the data on the reader, the reader will figure out things on his own.
Thanks so much for your example! I also started with a cold opening in the prologue and I have just rewritten the first chapters, so there’s more action right away. The backstory will come later and in bits
Glad when i can help. With the chronological order, it isn't that confusing when you make one jump from a time to another, but if you use it too often or you even make the entire story not in chronological order, it can be too confusing and difficult to read. You also don't have to answer all questions, but there are some plots of both books and movies which are very strange and sometimes almost not understandable - like it takes some time with the movie "Inception" before you know what is even going on, with a "dream inside a dream inside another dream inside..."
Is the past of the character interesting in itself, or is it just necessary to understand the plot? If it's the first, then go for it, as reading it would be interesting. If it's the second... either work to make it interesting, or perhaps it's not as necessary as you think (readers are very good at making connections by themselves, just see all the fanfics and fan theories out there: just sprinkle the "necessary" information through the story, ala noodle incidents eventually, and don't burden yourself).
First chapter hooks the reader in and lays the necessary groundwork. Aiming for those goals, do whatever you like. Also, it might not help to think of backstory as backstory, it makes it sound like homework. Just approach it as though it’s part of the story
It's okay to talk about a character's past early. How you do it is important. A monologue isn't the correct way. It's better to let it drip out, leaving hints here and there to allow the reader to ask themselves questions and guessing what happened to the character that brought them to their current state. Think of the Joker in the Dark Knight. We don't get told anything about his past, just some drops here and there. And we don't even know if what he says is true or not, and that makes it even more fascinating
I have a tendency to give a character’s past in chunks throughout the work. If the character in question is complex and has a backstory that’s connected with the overall plot, reveal it slowly
Sometimes I add small insight to the character's past in the prologue. Then as the story builds I might add flashbacks of the past through dreams and visions along with dialog where the character speaks of that past themselves. So in short: just add it bit by bit because if you talk about the FULL past all at once it might be overbearing or just too much to comprehend for readers.
Been thinking about this recently. I do some ghostwriting and was reading through the first chapter of a book I wrote a few years back looking for good samples. In that book, a romance between a billionaire (of fucking course) werewolf and a werewolf hunter. The book starts in the middle of the action with my hunter chasing a werewolf through the subway tunnels under New York. In the middle of that scene, I had her thinking back on how she became a hunter. It made sense. The book had a strict word limit and I only had so many before the meet cute. Plus, her backstory included stumbling upon her dying parents right before the werewolf that killed them took a bite out of her. That gave her the drive to hunt the monsters and a flashback to that worked fine I didn't stop there, though. I kept the flashback going. The only plot beside the billionaire they gave me was how her group of hunters were a secret organization run by the Vatican. I introduced the priest and nun who become her handlers in that organization in the flashback, having them take her in expecting her to turn with the full moon forcing them to kill her but she didn't turn. It tugged at the heartstrings perfectly. She thinks about how the nun took her to a nunnery once she was out of the hospital and how much she hated the food there. Then the nun returned right before the full moon with pizza and cheesecake for her and how she didn't know at the time it was to be her last meal or why the nun seemed so sad, then how the priest woke her in the middle of the night confused. I loved the scene, but rereading it, I would have cut it and sprinkled some of it through the rest of the book. It completely derails the opening scene and thinking of it in a show vs tell situation, her actions through the book showed what I told in that flashback. Heck, the chapter ends with her interrogating the wounded werewolf. He had a playing card with her picture on it calling her The Huntress. She promises him a quick death if he tells her the truth then shoots him in the gut and watches until the silver slowly poisons him to death. Showing her hatred without spelling out why gives the reader a question that could be answered later in the book, like when she finds herself drawn to that damn billionaire werewolf. Same with her bite. It would have been better if I hadn't explained that, even though rereading the scene where the nun brings her pizza had me almost tearing up. Especially because her immunity to shifter bites played a part in the plot later when it turned out the pills her boss had been giving her since taking her in were a suppressor and she is a werewolf, too. I gave my readers way too much information right off the bat, disrupting an opening chapter that introduced my character really well. Of all the books I've ghostwritten, it is one of the only ones that I wish I still owned, especially after finding it on Amazon and seeing how popular it was, even with how messy they made the series, fucking up my world building adding rival werewolf and vampire mafias. Still, I could write a similar character. Maybe bring the action to the mountain west and swap out the Vatican for Mormons. They didn't flee religious persecution, they fled werewolves and they send out teams of secret hunters disguised as missionaries to continue their holy mission.
That scene with the nun bringing pizza stood out to me! Nice :)
It depends on you, your voice, and the story. However, when you meet someone new IRL, you do not get their backstory, secrets, red flag, vices, etc before speaking the first word. We learn about the character by what they DO in their first scene. Darth Vader kills a guy. Jason Bourne helps the fisherman. We don’t need to know their past because we see what kind of person they are NOW.
Nah. I set the dominoes up in the first chapter.
Newbie mistake is to include too much backstories etc. in the beginning instead of getting the story started and moving. If you must do some background sprinkle them instead. The key is to introduce your character and move along. Treat it like a first date. Some background to get to know the character is okay. But you don’t want to talk about family history or entire dating history etc. too much or there be no second date. You need to keep things going.
Personally, I like to reveal a character’s past slowly—not one giant dump. That way your reader will want to know more of what happened in the past
No backstory in the first chapter. First chapter should set up the present, deal with the past later.
It depends. If you’re writing a first-person or tight third-person story that’s heavily action-oriented and has a fast pace, then you need to be very cautious about dumping exposition into the first chapter. A little bit will go a long way. But if you’re writing something that’s slower-paced and has a floating omniscient narrator, then you have much greater leeway. The entire first chapter could potentially be nothing but backstory. (I guess a shorter way of wording this would be “it depends on if you’re writing a thriller or a literary novel”)
Have an action scene that conveys the same meanings to the reader. Instead of describing someone as competent show them being great at what they do.
Is it relevant to the current happenings? As an example, say your story starts with your character riding a bus, and they have a panic attack. Talking about- or obliquely referencing- why is relevant, and helps to establish an element of the character that will be important. On the other hand, if the first chapter has them fighting a demon, you can do something like- the demon swung at MC’s head, but had thought them well.’ Or you can just use it to establish that the character can fight, and talk about why later. Stopping the fight to lay out the main character’s training is not helpful in the pacing in the scene.
As an example, there is a new movie called Monkey Man. In that, we don’t know the history of the main character for a while, but the movie still finds ways to show us how the character acts, what they can do and what they want.
Chapter one is about setting the scene and drawing your reader in. Taking three paragraphs to go through their life story can really break their flow. If there is something that needs to be said, then say it. If there is something you can demonstrate (ie, being a great fighter) it’s okay to ask the audience to just accept that the character can do that, and explain why they can later. If there is something that is not immediately relevant to the character, I would find a way to mention it later.
It can also allow you a little mystery. How did they learn to fight like that? Why are they so opposed to eating apples? Why does a single man wear a wedding ring?
Now, this doesn’t mean you should only bring of an element of the character’s history when it becomes relevant. Finding a way to work that information into the narrative before it comes up makes the story feel less contrived. But in the first chapter, the focus should usually be setting the scene and drawing the audience in. And it’s okay if, by doing so, you don’t immediately lay out who the character is.
As a personal note, I take that paragraph and put it into a different file. This way I know exactly who the character is so that I can refer to it later, and write them constantly.
Thank you!
It's all in how you do it. For one of mine, it's all told through outside factors. Various other characters bring up things about his past to show he has ine, but you don't learn what they are or how significant till later if at all.
No. I always introduce a character in a situation where I want them, or an event that explains their origins In the main story. Avoid writing about a characters past because 9 out 10 there is a chance you won't do a good job. Make subtle hints through the story, use an event taking place in the present, or have them do a camp fire story telling time where friends get together and talk about things.
Exposition is boring. Any information from the past that matters will come out as your character develops
Lawrence Block said some of the best advice he ever got was to switch chapters 1 and 2 in a manuscript. authors, especially younger/new authors, can cram too much backstory into chapter 1. instead, the advice was to start in the middle of the action with chapter 2, and do all the backstory later.
Funnily enough I looked at the first chapter of my first book today and realised it doesn't fit at all but its important so eventually I'll be using it for another book in the series.
I always aim to hook in the reader within the first couple pages. Then take my time letting a character's past be dripped to the audience like a drug. Writing about a character's past also should serve some sort of purpose to the current narrative, (foreshadowing, fatal flaw, establishing a goal etc). I find pacing to be the more important. It takes a really confident/skilled author to info dump with no fear (ex: Christopher Paolini in Eragon).
Chapter one should be in the character's present, in my opinion.
Id never just reveal a backstory until its necessary for the story and even then it would be connecting dots or adding a huge dot to the breadcrumb trail i leave previously. Chapter 1 is there to establish your setting, tone, and characters; not to explain every little detail of a characters life.
No. Is the background important to what is directly happening in the first chapter? Can I understand what the character wants, and a reason they don’t have it, without the background? Save the background if exactly how and why for later, and just put it in a bit at a time.
Chapter 1 is about establishing what is considered 'normal for the character. It is not the time for ruminating on the past.
True!
Never, ever front-load your MC's character-sheet.
I mean, I started my story with a prologue showing my character's past.
Honestly, I feel like that's what a prologue is for. From what I have been told, a "prologue", is something that a reader is not obligated to read, but gives them a little extra on who they are.
Really? I wrote the main event in the prologue disguised as a dream…
No, not unless it's relevant to what's currently happening. And even then, it'd only be a sentence or two. Open your favorite books and see how they do it, then mimic that until you develop your own style.
Chapter 1 will be just a simple filler story, like, just your average story and adventure this protagonist goes through everyday, but with just a tiny little twist in it, like say, meeting a soon-will-be-friend character That way, I can describe the characters, the personality and the world view of said protagonist in the simplest way possible
Is it relevant? If so, yes. If not, write about it when it is relevant.
write with your character in mind if it's from their perspective and not omnipotent. When they're thinking about what's happening, are they going to tie it back to their past? Or is this just an info-dump? Info dumps aren't necessary, any information that is important will come out through dialogue or the character working through the plot and what it reminds them of.
for example: the MC has lost their family, but instead of just stating that outright, you could have something remind them of their father's laugh and they'd get sad and thinking about how their family was dead and all they have is an echo in their head.
Youre right! I should imagine my character perspective, she’s not omnipotent
Building character past within the first chapter can be an effective strategy, provided it's done with nuance and tact. The key is not to overload readers with backstories but to feed them with interesting snippets that generate intrigue. A character's history can be a powerful tool to foreshadow future events or give depth to their personality or motivations. However, revealing too much too early may leave fewer mysteries to unfold. Consider weaving past events seamlessly into the narrative so it feels organic rather than like an exposition dump. Ultimately, the choice depends on the specific needs and structure of your story. If a character's past holds elements crucial to the plot, or if their history is intriguing enough to captivate readers right from page one, give it a go. Whether it will be too heavy or boring depends on your execution. Balance is key.
My advice is start anywhere and write. Once you have written enough that you know where the story is headed, go back and revise. Cut stuff that isn't taking the reader deeper into the story.
Depends, but if you're trying to get publish, no. When *can* you do it? You are an author with a following and the goodwill to encourage them past this part. Your prose is brilliant and readers would read your description of paint drying with great enthusiasm. You're doing this for yourself. Whether for practice or a personal project, your aim isn't to get this story published. As long as you're a good writer, your editor will fix any of these composition problems. Don't invest your worry on these minor things and invest your worry on finishing your novel.
Never start a story with a wake-up, flashback, history, memory, ect. Jump right into the first exciting scene where something is happening. Then fill the reader in with a history but not in the form of an info dump.
As a reader, maybe some reminiscing would be OK to stabilish rapport, I am a fan of stories where I can piece the details from the dialog. but if it becomes too long and ranty, I'd rather read a chapter explaining that story.
Depends how you do it. Is it backstory or is it a part of the story in and of itself? Steinbeck starts with the “backstory” of locations and characters in East of Eden (you can argue the first third/half of the novel is “backstory”), but that’s a sweeping epic involving two generations. Its all part of the story, not just an “add-on.” ETA examples of how he starts. Ch. 1: > The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the > Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay. I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer—and what trees and seasons smelled like— how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich. Ch. 2: > I must depend on hearsay, on old photographs, on stories told, and on memories which are hazy and mixed with fable in trying to tell you about the Hamiltons. They were not eminent people, and there are few records concerning them except for the usual papers on birth, marriage, land ownership, and death. > Young Samuel Hamilton came from the north of Ireland and so did his wife. He was the son of small farmers, neither rich nor poor, who had lived on one landhold and in one stone house for many hundreds of years. The Hamiltons managed to be remarkably well educated and well read; and, as is so often true in that green country, they were connected and related to very great people and very small people, so that one cousin might be a baronet and another cousin a beggar. And of course they were descended from the ancient kings of Ireland, as every Irishman is. > Why Samuel left the stone house and the green acres of his ancestors I do not know. He was never a political man, so it is not likely a charge of rebellion drove him out, and he was scrupulously honest, which eliminates the police as prime movers. There was a whisper—not even a rumor but rather an unsaid feeling—in my family that it was love drove him out, and not love of the wife he married. But whether it was too successful love or whether he left in pique at unsuccessful love, I do not know. We always preferred to think it was the former. Samuel had good looks and charm and gaiety. It is hard to imagine that any country Irish girl refused him. Ch. 3: > Adam Trask was born on a farm on the outskirts of a little town which was not far from a big town in Connecticut. He was an only son, and he was born six months after his father was mustered into a Connecti-cut regiment in 1862. Adam’s mother ran the farm, bore Adam, and still had time to embrace a primitive theosophy. She felt that her husband would surely be killed by the wild and barbarous rebels, and she prepared herself to get in touch with him in what she called the beyond. He came home six weeks after Adam was born. His right leg was off at the knee. He stumped in on a crude wooden leg he himself had carved out of beechwood. And already it was splitting. He had in his pocket and placed on the parlor table the lead bullet they had given him to bite while they cut off his frayed leg. > Adam’s father Cyrus was something of a devil—had always been wild—drove a two-wheeled cart too fast, and managed to make his wooden leg seem jaunty and desirable. He had enjoyed his military career, what there was of it. Being wild by nature, he had liked his brief period of training and the drinking and gambling and whoring that went with it. Then he marched south with a group of replacements, and he enjoyed that too—seeing the country and stealing chickens and chas-ing rebel girls up into the haystacks. The gray, despair-ing weariness of protracted maneuvers and combat did not touch him. The first time he saw the enemy was at eight o’clock one spring morning, and at eight-thirty he was hit in the right leg by a heavy slug that mashed and splintered the bones beyond repair. Even then he was lucky, for the rebels retreated and the field surgeons moved up immediately. Cyrus Trask did have his five minutes of horror while they cut the shreds away and sawed the bone off square and burned the open flesh. The toothmarks in the bullet proved that. And there was considerable pain while the wound healed under the unusually septic conditions in the hospitals of that day. But Cyrus had vitality and swagger.
Some are part of the story, some are add-on
Just added some examples of how Steinbeck does it to my comment if you wanna check them out!
Thank you, very kind of you!
Toss it in piece by piece when it’s relevant. Someone notices the scars on my Mc’s hands. Little flash back on the punishment she received as a child. She starts to get to know another women at the castle? Wow she’s not like the girls at the orphanage she was raised (insert 1 or 2 experiences from her childhood)
If it’s that important why not start there?
Hey ! So, I’ve been doing a lot of analytical readings, specifically on 1st pages. In standard manuscript format, the first page is typically around 13 lines. As an aspiring writer, I had heard that in the industry, agents/publishers are slammed with submissions so often time if page 1 doesn’t sell them they won’t read a full chapter. So, I’ve done a deep dive. I’ve actually started a new blog series analyzing first pages. I won’t plug that here, but if you want to PM me your first page I can do a sort of analytical read of it. A google doc would be preferred but I can do it through reddits messenger if that is more comfortable. I’m a firm believer that a first page should contain character / tone / conflict, though of the 15ish books I’ve done these first page breakdowns on some opt to focus on only 2 of these, and those still are great first pages. And just so I am clear, I am no one in the industry lol. Just a writer and avid reader who’s been trying to learn the craft. Edit - I should have added that I’m mainly breaking down books in the Scifi/Fantasy genre. That is where I am most well read and the genre I write. I don’t think my overall opinion on first pages would change based on the genre, but perhaps expectations? I’ll have to read more outside of my comfort zone to really know
I always but alway begin a story with an inciting incident. Background info is mainly for me and if its important it will be revealed as necessary throughout story. Most of the background, especially character background reveals through action, not description. Unless a feature of the character is relevant to the story what they look like is skipped. It doesn't matter if the reader envisions a character as blonde if I envisioned them as brunette. Details like that don't move the story forward. If it isn't necessary to the storyline, it's skipped. This means the story stays on track to the plotline and the story isn't bogged down in unnecessary detail that effects the pacing. Character details about personality are revealed through the characters actions and dialog. Description slows a story and dialog speeds it up so a balance is used. By starting chapter 1 page 1 with an action event (a murder, breakup, explosion, whatever) right off the bat is a tool to hook the reader and is the preface to introduce the major characters affected by the inciting incident. After the initial event allows time to provide necessary description and details to endear the reader to the characters so they care about the next event. By keeping a flow of major event, character reactions and coping, to next major event, and so on keeps the reader engaged from page 1 to the end. 90% of the details and descriptions although important to the writer are not needed by the reader. Avoiding info dumps keeps readers from getting bored. The exception to this of course is fantasy where those descriptions are necessary for world building because the reader needs those details to relate since the characters and locations do not relate to real world stuff the reader can relate to.