A strong backstory will provide context for everything that happens in your story.
Your protagonist existed long before your story starts. Their life, like all of us, had some ups and downs. These ups and downs created who they are today. And now, at the start of your story, their learned behavior will dictate how they face the challenges you’re about to toss their way. For this reason, starting with backstory is not only important to your story, it’s imperative. It allows readers to understand the characters’ motivations and actions.
For a moment, let’s consider the alternative.
You decide on a main character (MC). You name her. Give her hair color, height, and describe her style of clothing. You have a great plot idea and put your MC in the middle of the action. You write.
But you haven’t investigated her backstory – and her reaction to what happens to her will most likely be arbitrary. But you go with it. And then, like a seasoned storyteller, you throw an obstacle at your MC. You make something up on the fly. If you continue in this way, you could end up with an interesting story, but you will more than likely end up with one that gets comments like:
What does the character want/need?
Why does the MC react this way?
What is the story about?
What is at stake?
Getting questions like these is a one-way ticket to an agent’s slush pile, never to be seen again. Or worse, you get stuck halfway through and can’t finish the darn thing.
Books and blogs on backstory often start by describing the character’s age, race, hair type, and eye color. To me, these are bare minimums and matter little to your story. A reader will not care about a character’s eye color unless it’s important to the story—a specific eye color only passed down to the future ruler of the land. Rather, the very first thing you need to know is why your character is the way he is. And that comes after determining what you want to say in your story…what’s the point of writing this book?
The reason for this—knowing the point of the story—determines what backstory you’re going to dig for. It’s not just any backstory. It’s specific to the point of your story.
So, where to start? With an example, of course.
First determine what you are trying to say? What is the point of your story? Since this is a blog about backstory, let’s assume the point is love conquers all. And specifically that parental love is the strongest of all the kinds of love. The backstory we’ll be mining, then, is all about a character’s relationships, not just any relationships, but parental relationships. What if your MC had a rocky relationship with her parents and took off when she was young, never looking back? Now that she’s a mom, maybe she and her child are dealing with the same things your MC did with her mother. Now we know the type of backstory you’re after…
And, if you subscribe to the “write what you know” camp, you will write from your personal experience with parental relationships. Whether yours or someone you know.
Let’s try it.
Imagine if this woman, who’s having a hard time with her teenage daughter, remembers all the things her own mother did for her. But she had seen those actions as controlling rather than protective. So, she rebelled. Ran away from home at 16. Ended up having a child at 18, and now at 34, she has a daughter who is the same age as her when she ran away. I see conflict, depth, and tension already! Her backstory will now reveal her character arc. With a quick look into the past, we defined a problem involving the MC and her daughter, and another between the MC and her mother. Will the MC forgive her mother or will she repeat the same mistakes with her own daughter?
What do we know now?
We know the MC wants a better relationship with her daughter and most probably, her mother.
We get why the MC reacts the way she does – it’s because she went through the same thing.
We know what the story is about – parental love.
We know what’s at stake – her relationship with her daughter and rebuilding a relationship with her mother.
Now would be a good time to spend some time writing backstory from your MC’s point of view.
Write a scene that shows what her life was like before she ran away. What happened? How did she feel? Reinforce this emotion and troubled relationship by writing a few more scenes leading up to the young woman leaving home. What compelled her to leave?
Now you know a lot about your protagonist. At no time did we need to talk about hair color or style, her clothes, or the car she drives, because that’s not what the story is about. You can definitely include that in the story (to add depth later, give indications of her social class, or her preferences which may further define her), but that’s not the backstory you need when building your story at the start.
Equipped with all the work you’ve just completed, use this backstory throughout your novel.
Use the information you’ve created to complete a high-level outline (plot) including your inciting incident, rising action, revelation, and climax. Working with a book coach is one way to help you discover your backstory and plot your book.
As you add other significant characters to the story, do the same thing to mine their backstory. First, figure out how they fit into the story, then use that to find events in their past that shaped them and fit this story.
So, next time you’re beginning a novel, or trying to fix your WIP, search your main character’s backstory to fit your point. Then develop your plot with that backstory in mind. Your story narrative will have depth, will be interesting, and may lead to interest in your manuscript.
Happy writing!
Continue the Conversation:
Using this method, what were you able to discover about your main character that you didn’t know before?
How might this benefit your future writing?