Flashbacks - good or bad??

Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:42 pm Post subject: Flashbacks - good or bad??

I had this idea come to me this afternoon at work (it was a slow day) and as I'm getting my barebones outline of events setup, I've realized that I started the story 7 years after a "major" event.

Would a "short" little chapter where the main character goes through past memories work alright to fill the reader in close to the beginning of the story? or should I even worry about it and just let things happen?

A woman's past comes back to bite her on the butt so to speak, though not in an entirely bad way. I'm just not sure at this point what would be a better way to get the information out there. Might be putting the cart before the horse right now, but I'm a few pages in and the thought ambushed me as I was typing away here.
_________________

~

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject:

If the "major event" is backstory, don't shovel it on too thick in the front story. Let the reader in on a few details here and there, when needed and only when needed.

Remember that a good rule of thumb is that a good story is one that starts with something that changes a protagonist's life. We often give a brief look at the "ordinary world" of the protagonist, but then BOOM! dump her into something that changes everything for her.

In your case, if that Big Change happened seven years ago, you might reconsider your opening. But if that 7-years-ago event has just risen it's ugly head to screw up her life NOW, that would work. But you sometimes don't need to tell the reader what that event even was until later in the story. Dribble that backstory in slowly.
_________________

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:45 am Post subject:

Thank you very much Candice. Very Happy

It is a major event so to speak, but easy enough to figure out with a little kid running around. I think I have a device factored in that would allow for random memory leakage from time to time that should work.
_________________

~