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@sarah-inkdragon *bows in return* You’re welcome! Characters who don’t get anything from their backstory are internally inconsistent and they break a basic rule of logic – cause and effect. We have to keep this in mind when we’re writing. Readers pick up on this very quickly when we do it wrong. :'( XD

@devastate-lasting Something you said reminded me that I should clarify that backstory can be either present in the story, or not, depending on how you want to do it. From how I understand the term, it’s just the way we determine where in the timeline the story takes place. Anything that takes place before the beginning is backstory in terms of the character’s arc, growth, and development. But it can be included in the actual text as flashbacks, or through other kinds of non-linear storytelling.

After what we’re going to talk about next week, I hope you won’t be saying “backstory isn’t that important”! But you’ll have to wait and see!

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Yes, everyone. This discussion will be continued next week, but from a slightly different angle. At the beginning of the week, I was going to do a mid-week post, but I’ve decided this deserves more time.

So for now, with the two days left we have in the week, I’d like to make myself available to answer any questions about backstory (especially in relation to character voice). Or if anyone has anything more to add, speak! 🙂