Writing What are your thoughts on flashback?

[Deleted member 206441]

What do you think of them?

Love? hate? Like them long? Like them short? Like them in big lumps or little bits?

 

[Supperset]

Depends on how the delivery is and how frequently the flashback happen. I don't have a particular like or dislike regarding flashback other than if they start to become frequent in a story.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Used to explain a situation, provide insight to a character, or show how the hero(es) survived a cliffhanger, they can be great.
But they can also be overused.
Then again, in a comedy they can also be a blast - remember one that had a character having a flashback in a flashback in a flashback, realizing it and just jumping out because it was getting too silly.

 

[Arkus86]

Depends how they are used. They can be great when providing important background information at a suitably dramatic moment, for example.
As for length, if your readers start forgetting what was happening before the flashback, it's probably time to stop.

 

[Macha]

I hate it when it turn out the entire story is a flashback. Don't happen too often. But weird that it happened twice.