How to write previous relationships.

[c37]

There are two characters in my novel who share a past, and it will be referenced in future multiple times. How can i write the relationship between them without confusing the readers?

 

[NapLovingImmortal]

Thats the neat part. You dont.

 

[c37]

Thats the neat part. You dont.

Then how can i convey that they shared a past?

 

[LuoirM]

Wdym share a past? They met? They literally live the same life then one day split into two souls with two lives? Like Road To Vegas in Family Guy?

 

[c37]

Wdym share a past? They met? They literally live the same life then one day split into two souls with two lives? Like Road To Vegas in Family Guy?

No a toxic relationship, where one used the other for their needs.

 

[LuoirM]

No a toxic relationship, where one used the other for their needs.

Please elaborate on the phrase "They share a past" please kind shire

 

[c37]

Please elaborate on the phrase "They share a past" please kind shire

Umm they used be in a relationship, where one used the other's influence and got what he needed. After that he left her. This is the gist of their past.

 

[rileykifer]

I don't know if I'm missing context, but I don't see how simply mentioning two characters shared a past would confuse the readers. Just drop a sentence of two of how they met in the past. Maybe the first scene you write of them meeting, you could summarize what happened the last time they saw each other within a few sentences. Just make sure to keep it short and simple to avoid an info-dump.

 

[LuoirM]

Umm they used be in a relationship, where one used the other's influence and got what he needed. After that he left her. This is the gist of their past.

Why would you assume it'll confuse the readers? Is your purpose to make it vague but noticable by having dialogues that leaves hint like the girl says "I used to be with a bad man." and the man says "That reminds me of this one woman..."

It's quite... Hard to make it confusing, is your purpose for the readers to find out about them, or to not

 

[Feudyn]

Hang on, you mentioned that in the future it will be referenced multiple times, right?

So, instead of racking your brain trying to write something out that you may possibly over-explain anyway, why don't you let the reader's imagination do the explaining for you?

Infer, my friend. It can be quite powerful.

 

[c37]

I don't know if I'm missing context, but I don't see how simply mentioning two characters shared a past would confuse the readers. Just drop a sentence of two of how they met in the past. Maybe the first scene you write of them meeting, you could summarize what happened the last time they saw each other within a few sentences. Just make sure to keep it short and simple to avoid an info-dump.

The problem is i started my chapter 1 abruptly, one complain i received is how the story just starts right off without any beginning, i am worried if the same thing might happen to the relationship too.

 

[rileykifer]

The problem is i started my chapter 1 abruptly, one complain i received is how the story just starts right off without any beginning, i am worried if the same thing might happen to the relationship too.

I took a quick look/skim and from what I picked up, the beginning seems okay to me. I prefer when stories dump you straight into action instead of giving a long-winded history lesson. (I do think the opening scene could benefit from a bit more interiority from the main character. Like, why was he tired? It could give a bit of background on him. But keep those kinds of details short. Like, 1-2 sentences short.) I think it'll be fine if you just mention their past in exposition or reveal it through dialogue. Readers will then understand that this isn't a case of insta-love, or a rushed relationship.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Hang on, you mentioned that in the future it will be referenced multiple times, right?

So, instead of racking your brain trying to write something out that you may possibly over-explain anyway, why don't you let the reader's imagination do the explaining for you?

Infer, my friend. It can be quite powerful.

I learned about inference and the mystery it brings the hard way.
wrote a trilogy. It was what I think of as "web novel" style, I guess.
s-p-r-a-w-l.
anyways, editing was a real bear. Reading a million words, editing as I go.
multiple reading passes, think we all been there.

the weird part came when I edited "backwards".
IE, the third volume first, then read and edited the second, and finally the first volume.
Starting at the second volume, sort of dumped the reader into things and they were just starting to go on.
I was amazed as it had been a while since I had read it, and how much I was able to grasp from inference.
things that had gotten "routine" after the first volume established them as canon.
these things were moderately shocking to just "boom" there going on in the second volume.

I then used these characters and all these many volumes as "back story" and just set about creating as an experiment, a tight 225 page paperback out of this world. A stand alone pulp novel. I liked the results, it created a stand alone I liked.
I ended up making three of these and treating them as serials in a pulp genre. As in, trad pulp.
its how i learned or taught myself the power of inference.
I mean you can *say* a million times, some well established writing advice thing.
you can read it a million times, too.
but seeing the thing for yourself, is more powerful in some way.

sorry for rambling.

 

[JordanIda]

There are two possibilities.

One, the past between the characters will color how they interact when they meet again. If it does, that's your entree to explain why they're being weird around each other.

Or two, the past between the characters has no meaningful effect on how they deal with each other now. In which case, their history has no bearing on the action, and the reader won't care, so just forget about it.

You don't have to tell your readers every time your characters take a dump.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

You don't have to tell your readers every time your characters take a dump.

webnovel fortune cookie there.

(anyone but me find it annoying, that the word "webnovel" activates a spelling error red line under it? We're on a WEBNOVEL site, for the love of god.)

 

[c37]

I took a quick look/skim and from what I picked up, the beginning seems okay to me. I prefer when stories dump you straight into action instead of giving a long-winded history lesson. (I do think the opening scene could benefit from a bit more interiority from the main character. Like, why was he tired? It could give a bit of background on him. But keep those kinds of details short. Like, 1-2 sentences short.) I think it'll be fine if you just mention their past in exposition or reveal it through dialogue. Readers will then understand that this isn't a case of insta-love, or a rushed relationship.

oh you took a look at the prologue. I was confused for a minute. I probably have to re-edit prologue. I've only written as a sneak peak into my world carrying over ever character into the main story.

 

[Feudyn]

I then used these characters and all these many volumes as "back story" and just set about creating as an experiment, a tight 225 page paperback out of this world. A stand alone pulp novel. I liked the results, it created a stand alone I liked.
I ended up making three of these and treating them as serials in a pulp genre. As in, trad pulp.
its how i learned or taught myself the power of inference.
I mean you can *say* a million times, some well established writing advice thing.
you can read it a million times, too.
but seeing the thing for yourself, is more powerful in some way.

sorry for rambling.

It's amazing how a simple change of perspective on your own work can open up the way to different creative avenues. And it's quite cool that you came across your just because you decided to edit in reverse.

 

[MFontana]

Thats the neat part. You dont.

Beat me to it... but here's the meme anyway.

Umm they used be in a relationship, where one used the other's influence and got what he needed. After that he left her. This is the gist of their past.

See the meme? Do the meme.


You SHOW it through present-day interactions. Maybe have one or both of them, or others who witnessed what happened from the outside, mentioning it in passing.
You don't need to go into detail on the past events.

If you absolutely still want to do so...
Limited PoV Flashbacks would be the most effective literary device to use.
Just don't do it too often. And don't reveal everything all at once either.
An alternative literary device... Dreams.
From the PoV character who experienced the events. From their perspective.

 

[DismaiNaim]

Umm they used be in a relationship, where one used the other's influence and got what he needed. After that he left her. This is the gist of their past.

Avoid any and all expository or info dump and have them interact with one another naturally. Let your audience infer from there.

Here's an example from my own work. You can paint a whole relationship in only two lines.

Juliara came by with a scoop of shredded meat soaked in thick, brown gravy and dotted with sliced olives.
“Thank you Juliara,” I said.
“Fuck off,” and she walked away.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Well, they should have an initial reaction to each other reflecting how the relationship ended - if they left on good terms, they should be friendly, casual. If they left on bad terms, cool, maybe even adversarial.
Since you mention the relationship was toxic, odds are one of them still views it positively and the other is kind of horrified to see their former "partner" again. Those kinds of meetings are challenging but fun to write.
Once you get past the initial reaction, then the dialogue should hint at their past. If you NEED to show the past, then use a flashback.

For example, here's how I handled two characters who meet again (at a murder scene, one as a witness, the other a detective) about six to eight years after last seeing each other:, in Between Earth and Pyrroth

The officers spread tape across the door and waited with Malcolm out on the stairs until a pretty young woman with long red hair tied back in a severe bun, and wearing a neatly pressed light brown suit let herself in and started up the stairs. She saw Malcolm, paused for a moment, and then asked “Malcolm Eisenstein? Is that you?”
“What? Ross - Audrey Ross? You made detective? Congratulations!” he replied, clearly surprised by her presence
“Just last month. Second youngest woman in the department to do so, ever” she replied proudly. “You our witness, then?”
“Well, I reported it. Didn’t see much. Mostly I ah, well, mostly I just kind of puked my guts out,” he admitted, flushing slightly.
“I did the same with the first two bodies I saw,” she said quietly as she pushed past him, “nothing to be ashamed of. Are you going to stick around for some questions?”
“Unless the boss calls me in for an emergency, sure,” he replied. She flashed him a smile with dazzling white teeth, and then joined the uniformed officers. Malcolm only heard a little of what was said but did catch “if it were not for the decapitation, I would think we caught a serial killer given what happened to that jeweler yesterday.”
Shortly after that, the Crime Scene Unit team arrived. They escorted him out of the building, took his prints for elimination and asked him to wait.
About twenty minutes (that felt like a year) passed, and then Detective Ross came down to talk to him. “Okay, Malcolm, I have just a few questions and then you can be on your way. First: did you see anyone else when you discovered the bodies?”
“Bodies? Oh gee, is there another? I just saw Mike and hightailed it out of there, after my stomach emptied.”
She made some marks in a notebook. “Why were you coming here?”
“I was supposed to meet him this afternoon. He actually had some martial arts pointers he was going to give me. Apparently not the best pointers, if they couldn’t keep him alive but, even so…”
A light chuckle escaped the detective’s lips as she made some more notes. “You were only aware of one body then?”
“I saw there might have been something else but really did not want to know more,” he said.
“You seem nervous. You shouldn’t be, unless you are lying or withholding information. Next question: do you know one Arman Prakhesh?”
Malcolm began: “No I… oh wait, is that the guy who runs Prakhesh Jewelers? I don’t actually know him but my sister does, and buys a lot of stuff from him.” Malcolm realized he was beginning to relax now.
“Then you don’t know of any connection between him and Michael Ungnaught?” Detective Ross asked.
“Unless he was planning to propose to his girlfriend and housekeeper, uh, Kim I think her name was, or something like that, and was getting a ring from Prakhesh, no, none at all,” Malcolm answered truthfully.
“An engagement ring. That would make sense with some documents found there,” the pretty detective replied, thinking out loud “Thanks for that bit. Now, do you know how I can get in contact with one, ah, David West?”
“I can give you his cell number. We share an apartment. But he had to leave town very quickly this morning so I don’t know when you could get hold of him, but why?”. Malcolm asked, his nervousness returning.
“The victim had some notes mentioning David and a few old photos with him in them, so he might be a person of interest - even more so if he left town suddenly. Do you know of either Michael or David getting any kinds of threatening mail or phone calls?”
Finally able to give a completely honest answer, Malcolm again relaxed: “Not to my knowledge. I could look through Dave’s mail when I get home, if that might help.”
“Set it aside and we'll go through it if he doesn’t return in a day or two. Now you left your contact information with one of the Uniforms, right?”
“Correct. Reznik,” he answered.
“Okay,” the detective added, making a few more notes, and then closing the notebook. “I have only one more question and then you’re free to go, though we may need to interrogate you further if more evidence turns up.”
“Fine. Go ahead,” he replied.
With a sly smile, the redhead asked: “Why did you take Caroline Winters to Senior Prom? I was so sure you were going to ask me!”