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How much backstory?



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Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:50 am
JasonMorris says...



Hey YWS, I have a question on backstory. How much backstory of the main characters need? Do main characters need a lot? Do secondary characters need any? Do villains need any? What are your thoughts?
  





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Thu Nov 06, 2014 4:15 am
Kale says...



It really depends on the story. Some forms are not suited for including any sort of backstory, like really short stories. Some types of story don't require backstory either, like action-oriented stories where the focus is on the actions more than the characters.

And then you have stories that need backstory in order to work. Mysteries require backstory to establish motives and methods, for example, and almost all character-driven stories include backstory as a way to flesh the characters out and make them more relatable and real.

How much backstory you need is something you'll figure out either as you plan the story, as you write it, or as you revise it. The simplest way to learn how much backstory you need is to write out the story and then get feedback from other people. In time, you'll develop your own sense of what's too much or too little.
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Thu Nov 06, 2014 4:18 am
Rosendorn says...



Cool question!

So, for me, I'm one of those people who puts the most amount of backstory work in protagonists and antagonists; my character creation method relies on knowing a fair chunk of backstory, therefore I live by the idea "who you were is what you become". By knowing where a character's come from, I can get some idea where they're going, what their motivations are, what their values are, what's hurt them, and what's made them happiest. I put this amount of work into protagonists and antagonists, because I love complex, human villains who are more than their villainous acts.

I then pick how much backstory characters get based on their proximity to the protagonists or antagonists and how much impact they'll have on the plot, which can lead to some very odd character development choices.

For example, if I had a one shot character— a character who'll never show up again in the story— who actually has the ability to change the direction of the plot based on how they interact with other characters, I will pour large amounts of backstory into them so I know exactly how they'll change the direction of the plot. However, I can have a repeating character who doesn't impact the plot much who'll hardly put any backstory into them. I'll focus more on core values and role within the work.

As Kyll said, it really depends on the story. I write fantasy novels, so I have a lot of room for backstory. However, different genres and different story types have different allowances. Some short stories can have a lot of backstory to them, but you kinda have to justify the amount of backstory because it's a short story.

What is super important to know is motive and core values, which you can accomplish with minimal backstory.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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