What to do with backstory?

[CountVanBadger]

I'm nearly done writing XNPC (the first book, anyway) and something just occurred to me: out of the seventy or so chapters that make up the book, seventeen of those chapters are flashbacks that explore the backstory of one of the main characters. How they met the rest of their party, how they eventually got into the situation they were in at the beginning of the book, etc. It's good information to have, and sheds light on why certain people act the way they do, but it'll just take a little tweaking to make it so that the reader doesn't need the flashbacks to understand what's going on in the main story. I figured my readers wouldn't appreciate being pulled away from the main story for seventeen chapters in a row, so I spread the flashback chapters out across the entire book. Now I'm wondering if maybe it'd be a good idea to take them out of the book entirely and turn them into their own separate novella. That way the main book can be entirely focused on what's happening in the present, and my readers can check out the other book if they care. Maybe I could even make the backstory novella Patreon exclusive or something. In fact, maybe I could make that a running thing, where every once in a while I put out another novella diving deeper into one of the main characters' backstories.

I think I may have already talked myself into this, but what do you guys think?

 

[Corty]

My readers like it. Originally I added them as extra, skippable chapters as a bonus while keeping up the normal schedule. Now, I just add them.

 

[Eldoria]

Make it the prequel series especially if the backstory contains lore that affects the main story timeline (sequel).

 

[foxes]

I hate flashbacks. Reading them is like stumbling. And yes, I skip them. It's better to write everything from the beginning, where it all begins. It should make it no less interesting. A story is good when its main body contains references. And these should be planted at the beginning of the book.

 

[Placeholder]

> hate flashbacks

Not all readers.

Banks's Use of Weapons has an ABABAB format, and is more readable for it.

Takeaway is to have decent test readers.

 

[OCQueen96]

I'm nearly done writing XNPC (the first book, anyway) and something just occurred to me: out of the seventy or so chapters that make up the book, seventeen of those chapters are flashbacks that explore the backstory of one of the main characters. How they met the rest of their party, how they eventually got into the situation they were in at the beginning of the book, etc. It's good information to have, and sheds light on why certain people act the way they do, but it'll just take a little tweaking to make it so that the reader doesn't need the flashbacks to understand what's going on in the main story. I figured my readers wouldn't appreciate being pulled away from the main story for seventeen chapters in a row, so I spread the flashback chapters out across the entire book. Now I'm wondering if maybe it'd be a good idea to take them out of the book entirely and turn them into their own separate novella. That way the main book can be entirely focused on what's happening in the present, and my readers can check out the other book if they care. Maybe I could even make the backstory novella Patreon exclusive or something. In fact, maybe I could make that a running thing, where every once in a while I put out another novella diving deeper into one of the main characters' backstories.

I think I may have already talked myself into this, but what do you guys think?

I would include them. Those who don't like the flashbacks will skip past it, and those who like flashbacks will enjoy them. It's impossible to write a book that pleases absolutely everyone.

 

[tiaf]

Do they affect the readability of the main story?

Will the main story feel shallow without it? Will the reader not understand the MS without it? -> add

I hate flashbacks when they
a) break the tension too much
b) are too long and don't seem connected to the ms
c) are about characters I don't care about

They can be a good refresher and add depths. Depends all on your story and how you want it to flow.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I would keep it. You can always "Legend of Huma" it later (in the 80s, TSR Hobbies put out a series of novels set in the Dragonlance game setting, and they all referenced a great hero of the past, Huma. When Richard A. Knaak wrote "Legend of Huma" as a standalone book ... he ignored most of the details revealed before, and only focused on key elements for his story; when the "true story" came out, it contradicted a few points in the later novels, clarified several and gave the readers a whole bunch of new characters, including Kaz the Minotaur - essentially this was the backstory but about 75% different from what was believed true about 200 years later).

 

[Deleted member 128077]

Personally, I hate flashbacks. It feels like the story grinds to a halt while reading, and ultimately I just don't care. However, a prequel book is a much better idea.