Leslie here, happy to welcome to the coop the fabulous Barbara Howard, author of the just-released The Taste of Rain, book one in the Clover City Files, as well as many other books, with a beautiful take on the importance of back-story.
OF MERMAIDS AND MYSTERIES
I love meeting my characters for the first time. They introduce me to their fears and childhood traumas, lovers, phobias, triumphs, and all the bone-rattling potholes of their lives. I call it the pre-writing process. It’s the massive iceberg of work and discovery created before page one of the manuscript and holds up the shiny new story for the world to see. The submerged portion of my world that gives the plot its buoyancy. And answers those pesky questions like, “Why would they do that?”
Ah yes, the backstory. *chef’s kiss*
Why would anyone in their right mind enjoy spending months writing all those pages that no one is ever going to see? Good question. As a quilter, I spend countless days searching for the most beautiful fabric, only to cut it into tiny pieces. So, I admit, you may have room to wonder about me. But hear me out.
Creating a backstory for each character can seem like a time-consuming task. And it can be, especially if you’re working with a large cast of characters. But I give it my best energy and dedication because I’ve found that it puts legs under everything else that comes later.
When readers understand a character’s past experiences and the reasons behind their actions, they are more likely to empathize with them. A well-developed backstory can give readers a sense of what a character has been through and can make them more invested in their journey.
I’m able to keep a character’s behavior and words constant throughout the story when I am aware of their past. And it helps me avoid inconsistencies that can cause readers to lose interest.
I recall closing my laptop after an evening of editing my story, Final Harvest, and closing my eyes to get some rest. Within minutes, I sat straight up and said, “Traci would never say that.” So, back to the manuscript to take away my words and replace them with phrasing through the protagonist’s voice. Whew, crisis averted. Not a major crisis, relatively speaking, of course, but you get it.
A well-written background gives the narrative an additional dimension. It offers chances for character growth and exposes underlying motives that advance the story. Remember the time worn, rugged piece of advice that holds your hand throughout the editing process as you kill your darlings, “Does this move the plot forward?” Backstory is the ace up your sleeve that guarantees the combustion of motivation and conflict for your scenes.
I can invent fresh concepts and unexpected narrative turns when I have a solid grasp of my characters. I knew the ending of my story, Milo’s Journey before starting to write the manuscript. An occurrence in his backstory was vital to the story’s denouement, and the character’s biography revealed an unexpected link to another character.
The time I spend underwater developing character backstories is my favorite part. It’s the most important step in my writing process. Yes, extra time and work may be required, but the results in terms of character development and plot complexity are definitely worth it.
So, how much time do you spend under the sea when writing your story? Do you love it? Or do you dread holding your breath to complete that step?
ABOUT BARBARA, author of mystery stories featuring a female amateur sleuth, diverse characters, and a dash of romance:
Barbara Howard is a mystery author of over a dozen books, including the trilogy, Finding Home Mystery Series; Final Harvest, Charlotte’s Revenge, and Milo’s Journey. She is a first generation tech geek turned master gardener. She returned to her Midwestern hometown after an extensive career as a Department of Defense Project Manager at the Pentagon and spends most of her time treasure hunting, spoiling her fur-babies, growing veggies, and plotting whodunits.
Website: http://www.authorbarbarahoward.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhowardphipps
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/barbarahoward
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarahowardauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/barbarahoward
About The Taste of Rain, The Clover City Files Book One
College student and part-time health aide, Amira Connors, wants nothing more than to graduate and successfully launch a non-profit with her latest crush, Attorney Darius Browne. But when a nursing home patient (Claire Stewart) shares shocking details surrounding her husband’s death, Amira pieces together the fractured memories and helps law enforcement identify the actual killer. But is he? Or have Claire’s ramblings entangled Amira into becoming the next target?
Chicks on the Case 
Fascinating post, Barbara! The time spent creating backstories is like reminds me of a pebble tossed into a still pond. You never know where the ripples will stop, and each has the potential to touch the lives of other characters.
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Oh, that’s a beautiful way to imagine it.
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Barbara, I agree with you about the importance of a character backstory. But as a pantser, just as I don’t have a detailed plot outline for my story so it can develop organically as I write it, I prefer that my character backstories be very general as well, so details about the characters can emerge during the writing process. I guess I just don’t like to feel “locked in” by a bunch of predetermined information. I know that some of the most interesting (to me) and unexpected aspects of my characters have spontaneously arisen as I’m crafting a scene.
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Yes, there’s always room for growth and surprises even for us plotters!
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What a marvelous post, Barbara. I agree wholeheartedly about the importance of truly “knowing” the characters you invent. Mine are so real to me that I’ve even caught myself wondering if I could ask my protagonist a question about something, lol.
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, and congrats on the new book!
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Thank you so much for having me. It’s an honor to be a Guest Chick!
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Congrats on the new book.
I can see where all that information is important for the author. My issue as a reader is when they feel we have to know all this information, too, and give it to us as a data dumb early in the book. That just kills the momentum. Yes, sometimes we do need to know it, too, and I appreciate the characters who are able to weave it into the story with boring us.
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Hi Mark, I totally agree with you. During his masterclass, David Baldacci displayed stacks of very large binders that he created during the research for a novel. It was all distilled into one page in the final manuscript. He advised to complete all the necessary research but leave it out.
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What a great post! Thanks so much for guesting with us, Barbara.
I tend to do short backstories but I always discover new things about my characters as I write them – and then incorporate it into their backstory!
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Love that evolution process for you! Sounds fun. 🙂
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Hi Barbara! Unrelated, but I’m SO EXCITED about the wedding anthology with our stories in it! Squeeeee!
As far as backstory goes, I’m right there with you. I have to know my characters well enough to know what they’ll do in whatever situation I throw them in. If I don’t, I run the very real risk of annoying my readers and wasting my time. There’s nothing worse to me than writing myself into a corner or having to throw out huge chunks of work!
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Yes! The wedding anthology project has been so much fun. I think every author has a tear-stained deleted scenes folder somewhere under their desk. 🙂
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Barbara, congrats on your new series–The Taste of Rain sounds amazing!–and thanks for hanging out with us on Chicks today. I’m a pantser, and I rarely even know who the killer is until I’m 2/3 through the book. I usually know the victim and the “how” from the start–but not the “why.” I suspect everything is worked out beforehand somewhere in my subconscious, though, because it takes me forever to get started. And if I try to write any character details beforehand, poof! The connections disappear. Sigh.
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Gotcha. Sounds like your characters like to keep you in suspense also! 🙂
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Barbara,
Thanks for this insightful post.
The backstory is pretty important. At least for each main character, whether they are recurring or just the one book.
The minor/walk-in characters I tend to not do any backstory. What’s your take on that?
And I also can’t wait for the wedding anthology to come out. Gotta see what you authors came up with. My imagination is running wild with the gazillion possibilities!
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Hi Hestia! Oh– great question. I think it depends on if you have a twinkling notion that a series is being born. Placement of those minor characters can be pivotal in the series. For example, I killed off a minor character from book one at the midpoint of book two. I had to position the death in a credible way. I think minor characters can be like scaffolding around the interactions between the more prominent characters. They can help move people and things around the world. So (in my head) they need to be fully formed.
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Great post, Barbara! I love making up character profiles for the people who populate my books. And congrats on your series & the anthology!
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Thanks, Jennifer!
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Thanks for hanging out with us, Barbara, and congratulations on the series and anthology!
I love doing a deep dive into my characters’ backgrounds, motivations, needs, etc. Like Leslie, sometimes they feel so real that I think about them outside of the writing process. I’ve caught myself thinking, “Oh, gosh, Constantine would love that!” many times.
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That’s so cool. We love our characters. Then we put them through so much trouble! 🙂
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So so true!!
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