How to Weave Backstory Into a Novel

Including Necessary Background Without Info-Dumping

Oct 9, 2009 Marg McAlister

How can authors fill in the backstory without interrupting the story flow? There's a skill to knowing what story background to include, and what to leave out.

The last thing authors want is to stop the forward pace of the story with an ill-timed diversion into the past – yet all too often this is what happens. The reason? The writer feels it's imperative that readers understand the background – so they 'dump' it into the narrative, whether it should be there or not.

What is "Info-dumping"?

Info-dumping is exactly what it sounds like: information that is dumped in one large, untidy pile in the middle of a story. The author decides that this information is absolutely necessary, so he takes the first opportunity to insert it into the narrative. The trouble is, it doesn't fit there. The attempt to force-feed information is so obvious that the writer might as well be holding up a sign: for the reader: "You have to know this NOW!"

What happens as a result? The reader is reminded that she is reading. That's one of the worst things that can happen, because readers who become truly absorbed in a story 'become' the viewpoint character. They forget all about the everyday world, because they have been transported to the world of the story.

Do they want to be suddenly jarred out of that world? Of course not. Yet that is exactly what happens when information that doesn't belong interrupts the flow of the story.

What is Backstory?

Backstory is any information from the character's past that the author feels has to be known by the reader. It can be an traumatic event that help to form the character's personality, or an explanation of how they came to be in a position of power, or a quick run-down on the character's early life. It can be an account of a clash between two characters, or an insight into what made two of the characters firm friends.

Naturally, all characters have a past, and all opening scenes in a novel have an inciting incident somewhere in the past. There has to be a backstory in any novel. It's up to the writer to weave in this backstory with as much skill and subtlety as possible. This involves two things:

Selecting how much backstory is necessary for the story
Knowing where and how to insert background information into the novel

How Much Backstory is Necessary?

Almost all writers fall into the trap of giving readers far more information than is necessary. Much of the time this happens because the writer is still getting to know the characters and story himself; he is actually writing his way into the story. This isn't so bad if the unnecessary detail is cut out later, but it's wiser to understand at the outset how to weave in backstory adroitly.

These are some good questions to ask:

Does the reader need to know this now to understand where the story is going?
Does the reader need to know this at all? How much backstory can be cut without affecting the story?
Could this information be better revealed later, to build suspense and tension?

Where and How Should Background Information be Inserted in the Story?

Background information should be 'dripped' into the story. Authors could liken it to blending a cake mix. The cake is not going to be a success if the ingredients are just dumped into the cake tin in separate clumps and then shoved into the oven. The story is not going to work if the author dumps background details in large blocks without blending it into the scene.

Add a detail here and a detail there. Give a hint about why the character acts a certain way, then expand upon it in a later chapter or scene.

Be especially careful when passing on information via dialogue: unless the author keeps the conversation moving smoothly and naturally, this can sound staged. ("You know how I feel about fires, David, it's been that way ever since our parents and sister died in the house fire in 1998, remember?" Duh. As if David needed reminding... )

Another potential trap in the middle of a scene of dialogue is to have an extended section of the narrative where a character stops talking to mull over something that happened in the past, simply to feed in information. In a scene of dialogue, any memories should be a very quick 'flash'; just a line or two.

If a writer is experiencing trouble weaving in backstory, it's a good idea to try colour coding. Take the scene that is causing concern (and usually, writers have a very good sense of what doesn't ring true) and highlight any parts of it that refer to the past. If info-dumping is the problem, it will be fairly obvious. Take it out, and assess how much of it must remain. Then think about how it can be blended into the narrative more smoothly.

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The copyright of the article How to Weave Backstory Into a Novel in Writing Fiction is owned by Marg McAlister. Permission to republish How to Weave Backstory Into a Novel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.