Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Welcome Guest Author Jennifer Lewis!
The Dreaded Backstory
“Backstory”—the very word can make a writer shudder. Isn’t that the barrage of useless and often boring information about your characters’ past that can bury your story alive in the first chapter? Well… yes, BUT! A personal history also fleshes out your characters and turns then into three-dimensional individuals with their own foibles and issues that feed your conflict and breathe life into your story.
I find it essential to know the details of my character's past, even if I don’t intend to reveal every aspect of it in the book. I also ask questions that often help to crystallize the conflict of the story:
What does this character most fear?
What is this character’s secret wish?
What is this character’s primary flaw? And how will this flaw be healed by the relationship?
Once I ask these questions I often close the file and forget all about them, but somehow, after I’ve asked them, the characters come to life and I can write the story.
My current book, Millionaire's Secret Seduction, is the first in my three book Hardcastle Progeny series. The books revolve around tyrannical billionaire Tarrant Hardcastle, who goes in search of the illegitimate children he once scorned, because he’s dying and needs an heir for his retail empire.
The hero of the first book, Dominic Di Bari, is both disgusted and intrigued by the father who once refused to claim him, but now wants to clutch him to his elegantly tailored bosom. Here’s my original description of Dominic’s life and the questions I asked about his motivations when I first sat down to plot the book:
The backstory: Dominic’s mother was a beautiful Italian girl involved in the nightclub scene in Manhattan. Just an ordinary girl from a working class background, but so lovely and such a great dancer she could hang with anyone. Had an affair with 35 year old Tarrant (who was always buying champagne). He was handsome and charming and swept her off her feet. When she got pregnant by accident (she was catholic) she told him and he blew her off very rudely and insisted it couldn’t be his. Her parents threw her out and she went to stay with a single aunt in Lima, Ohio, who taught her how to make it as a single woman/mother. She worked very hard at a 
succession of dead end office jobs with the intention that her son should never lack for anything. Paid for him to go to catholic school. He showed entrepreneurial tendencies from kindergarten and finally convinced her to save the money she was paying for his school and give it to him to invest in his own business. He turned 10K in to a million in four years. The first thing he did with his money was buy his mom a beautiful house and a nice car—it was the proudest moment of his life and nothing has topped it. Loves women and treats them with respect. Idolizes his mother who is worthy of it—a very nice and hard working woman. She does something business-y for the company now—accounting? His mother really wants him to marry and give her grandchildren (wants him to have the family she couldn’t give him.) He tells her he will, when he meets a woman as wonderful as her. Has unresolved issues over his missing father that he’s never addressed, because he pretends it’s all nothing to him.
When I actually wrote the book, Dominic grew up in Miami, not Lima. There’s no mention of his mother working for his company and he doesn’t worship her in a way that might scare off women! And I added another twist that deepened the conflict—Dominic’s mother had tried to claim child support, and his father, Tarrant Hardcastle, had denied paternity. Dominic learns this as a teen and destroys the scrapbook he’d created to idolize his father.
What does Dominic most fear? Abdicating responsibility. Letting down the people he loves—that’s what he always resented his absent father for.
What is Dominic’s secret wish? To be the kind of father his own never was. To be a patriarch of a family the way he is with his business, dependable, fun, creative and loving.
What is Dominic’s primary flaw that will be healed by relationship? He’s very demanding, hard on himself and others, incapable of compromise—an all or nothing person. Has never experienced or negotiated divided loyalties, or managed to accept people despite their flaws.
During the story, Dominic experiences divided loyalties—with bells on: While he grows closer to his dying father, he starts to fall in love with Bella, a chemist at the company who is trying to steal back a formula she believes was swindled from her father. The backstory for both characters is crucial to driving the plot. I had rather a lot of it to reveal, and I tried to weave it as seamlessly as possible into the action, so you only learn new elements of their history when they’re necessary to move the plot forward.
The other two heroes in the Hardcastle Progeny series, Argentine vintner Amado Alvarez, and New Orleans restaurateur Louis DuLac, have very different backstories and issues—partly because they never knew about their famous father. I had a lot of fun taking the original theme and bending it in all sorts of different directions for each story.
If you are a reader, do you look for backstory to help you understand the characters’ motivations, or do you start groaning when it slows down the action? If you are writer, do you struggle to keep the backstory from derailing the first chapter (or two, or three) or do you enjoy exploring and incorporating it? One person who leaves a comment will win a signed copy of Millionaire’s Secret Seduction.
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Welcome back, Jen!
Always love having you here, and always love your heroes! Tarrant sounds fantastic... and I like how you make him devoted to his mother, but not a mamma's boy, always a good trap to avoid. ;)
I think the thing I learned the most about backstory over the last few years is not to be afraid of it -- I've read several contest entries where some new writers try to avoid as much backstory at the start as possible, and the reader has no idea why the characters are acting the way they are. Backstory is needed, especially in category, and especially at the start -- and how you reveal it is the key. Obviously an info dump is not desirable, but how do you suggest getting around offering what's needed at the start, but not overdoing it?
I like to know the characters' backstories, but I don't like to see them actively blaming their backstory for their own shortcomings, for instance blaming their whoring mother for their own damaged relationships, LOL, but I would rather see it play out in a way they DON'T realize how the past has affected them in their actions, the way they think, etc... and they have to realize that to get over it.
I hope that makes some sense -- it's how I attempt to handle backstory -- sometimes my characters do realize how their past has hurt them, and they look at it as a challenge, but they don't whine about it (such as in Pick Me Up), and other times, they've repressed how much it has affected them, and they have to acknowledge that (Talking in Your Sleep).
Great topic, :) I love your questions, and I plan to use them today!
Sam
Hi Sam!
Thanks for having me back on cigars :-) I so agree that backstory is necessary to get you involved with the characters. I read a book this weekend (not a romance) that had so little information about the characters that I just couldn't seem to care what happened to them.
I like to start with action, then weave backstory in. Desire author Emilie Rose once shared some awesome advice on where to begin a book: start on the day that's different. This implies a certain amount of backstory (which this day is different from) yet you're starting with some fresh action. I think Emilie is the person who gave me those questions I mentioned too. She's a genius :-)
BTW, Tarrant is the dying father--Dominic is the hunky illegitimate son. This series has the largest cast of characters I've ever dealt with and even I get confused sometimes!!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
sorry...
I didn't look back up to get my names right -- that's what happens when I trust my memory, LOL.
That is fantastic advice. I have been blocked on an ms I have been working with for a month or so, just the synopsis and first chapters, and I have been so frustrated, about to throw it out, and I realized, between your blog and comments from some cps, that I need more character work, and more backstory work. Even the bit I did this morning started exposing some better layers and connections for how new book should be working...
Amazing how important it is to know this stuff...but also to get the backstory right... it hinges into motivations so critically...
Sam
Perfect Timing
Hi Jen and Sam! This is absolute perfect timing for me as I struggle to get to know my characters. In the past, I used character worksheets that I felt took me longer to do than the writing of the book. These three questions will be invaluable to my process. Thanks for sharing them!
Happy to help!
Hi Heather, I also use character interviews. I blogged about one of those here last year, LOL. These questions really get to the meat of the matter--I find them so helpful.
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
You know what's amazing...
Is how much those three little questions unlock... I really opened some serious stuff in my current book this morning using them. And it's nice because it's short... I sort of shy away from using any kind if longwinded planning tools, but this was short, sweet, but very generative -- took me about 10 minutes to fill it out for two characters, and it opened things up nicely...
Sam
Glad they helped!
I find those questions can really make the conflict (and its resolution) come together nicely. I'm not a big "craft" person in general, but it's nice to have a prompt that makes you say "ahhhhhhh!"
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Hi Jen.
The book sounds yummy.
I'm polishing a first chapter now, and yeah, it's tough. I think what makes it hard is that you have to reveal the backstory somehow, but still make the action dependent on the present. Does that make sense? Whatever happens in chpt. 1 can't be motivated by fears/issues in the backstory, or else the characters seem over-dramatic and a little nuts.
I find this a lot in newbie manuscripts. The woman who's angry at a man in front of her because he reminds her of her father, e.g. No, no, no! The anger has to be motivated by the man in front of her for a real, present reason--then the backstory thrown in as an aside. It's a very tricky balance.
Anyway, that's my 2cents and it's HARD to write chpt 1. Very hard.
It's also so hard not to get stuck on it. Which I am now. So I"m getting back to work....
Can't wait to read Dominic's story!
Thanks Diana!
I think that figuring how to wrangle backstory is one of the toughest parts of the learning curve in becoming a writer. I know I've read contest entries and wondered if the entire 2-3 chapter entry couldn't be, er, cut. Backstory was a killer in my current series because there was a lot of it (the whole setup of Tarrant finding his son, the son being bitter, etc)that needed to be in there right up front so I really had to push myself to make it work. I hope it did, LOL.
I'm a bit stuck in my current WIP, and right now I'm wondering if it's because I haven't put in ENOUGH backstory.... Good luck with getting out of Ch 1 alive!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Great Questions
I'm trying to deepen the internal conflict with my two characters so these are perfect questions as I continue my revisions.
Back story is tough. You want enough for it all to make sense but you don't want it to overshadow the present day story.
Hi Anne!
Since I've read your story, I think you're succeeding ::grin:: Reunion stories really throw some fat on the fire, don't they? You want people to know how it was before, but you need to keep the action in the present ::sigh::
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Hi Jen,
Really excellent post. I've started using these questions, too. I never liked the character sheets because I often felt I was forcing characteristics onto my characters just because there was a line on the character sheet. However, your three questions really get to the heart of the matter. I usually focus on greatest fear, greatest desire. I dangle one the desire in front of the character and then make her face her greatest fear to get it.
Your book sounds excellent. I'll be looking for it.
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie
I love the idea of the character having to go through their greatest fear to get their greatest desire.
Now all I have to do is confront my fear of looking at what my resolutions were last month, so I can post on your thread....
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Backstory
As a reader I find the backstory of the characters to be helpful in understanding the character. It needs to be either in a prologue or intertwined subtiley in the story and I don't want it to excuse the character for acting in a unethical way. Hope this makes sense.
Hi Ellen
I like prologues too, though I don't think I've ever used one. They can be a good way to convey backstory as "action" if there's something important that happens years before the main story.
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Fear
I love the sound of this series. I actually was on your website a few weeks ago--I think I followed a link from a blog or a comment on a blog...and I thought the series sounded great. What a fantastic way to link the stories.
I find the "Biggest Fear" question to be one of the most useful ones. It drives so much of the conflict when I write because I like to strip the characters and have them face their biggest fear. If I know what that fear is, it's easier to write a strong conflict and black moment.
Can't wait to pick up your books.
Thanks Ellen!
I'm glad the series idea intrigued you. I've been having so much fun with it :-)
I agree with you on the "biggest fear." Sometimes I'm really surprised by what it turns out to be.
I hope you enjoy the stories!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Howdy Jen!
When I'm reading, I'm usually looking for a steady, unnoticeable stream of backstory. Info coming as I need it or being withheld in a way that makes me curious. It's a goal for me in my writing too. I fear the dreaded info dump, but I loves me some backstory. I just enjoy characters with complicated pasts. :)
Hug,
Dee
Hi Dee!
Complicated pasts make characters interesting :-) And you're so right about the need for info being a page turner--I guess that alone is a good reason not to do the upfront info-dump!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Hi Jennifer!
I like some backstory so I can understand the characters but I like it to be woven into the story a little bit at a time so I wonder about things and want to read more.
Hello Maureen!
I agree. I like backstory doled out just when I need it. If there's too much all at once, or we learn something that doesn't seem relevant, I'm likely to forget it 8-)
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
I like backstory. It helps
I like backstory. It helps me understand and get to know the characters better.
Hi Estella!
I agree. I find I need to know at least a little bit about what makes a character tick--right from the outset--to care about what happens to them.
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
I love the backstory; it
I love the backstory; it gives so much more into a character's personality. I like it when it moves the story ahead and you have a reason why he/she does something or is contemplating doing something.
Hello Buddy!
So true. When you know someone's backstory it can add real tension when you see them about to make a mistake they've already made, or something similar.
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Thanks Jen!
Fab questions! I'm using the first two, but not the last one, which seems to me to be crucial. Must go talk to my hero about this...
Backstory is such a problem for me as a writer. I have given up on several potentially good stories just because the first couple of chapters seemed to be going nowhere- now I realise it was because they were backstory and the story hadn't even started yet!
My WiP has had three Chapter Ones so far for the same reason- all backstory. Which is great for me to know, but not so fun for the poor reader getting a massive infodump!
I love the premises for your series!
Hi there, Mulberry!
Getting buried in backstory from the get-go is SUCH a common problem. A lot of writers learn that no matter how experienced they are, the first 2-3 chapters they write will be backstory, and they'll just cut them once they get past them. I think we feel worried that the reader doesn't know our characters the way we do, so we just have to deluge them with every detail. It's so cool that you've realized what you were doing. Maybe now you can go back and breathe life into those stories by starting exactly when the action gets cracking, and not a moment before!
I hope the chat with your hero goes well ::wicked grin::
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
Hi
Hi Jennifer,
Congrats on the new release. I'm looking forward to reading your Hardcastle Progeny series. I really enjoyed Declan's story. I appreciate it when an author gives a backstory to the lead characters. I do think it helps the reader understand where the hero and heroine are coming from and why act a certain way.
Hi Jane!
I'm glad you liked Black Sheep Billionaire. There was a lot of backstory in that one, too. I hope you enjoy the new series :-)
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com
And the winner is...Reader Ellen!
Sam sent me your email so I'll drop you a line to find out where to send your copy of Millionaire's Secret Seduction.
Thanks for participating!
Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com