In a post on Writers in the Storm, Lisa Hall-Wilson offers advice on inserting backstory into novels told through close third person or deep point of view. “Deep POV wants readers limited to what the POV character can see, hear, know, feel, understand, learn, etc.,” she writes. “And that can feel pretty limiting, but if we can stretch our creativity to remain in deep POV, the backstory can enhance the story experience without boring or losing readers.”
In the real world, we often connect our current experience to what’s happened in the past. This helps us navigate the present, understand the stakes, and make decisions. While this happens in a split second, you have more time to describe this connection on the page. “Make sure that thread is clear for readers,” Hall-Wilson says. “Give your character an organic reason to think of the past – what has brought it to mind?”
This may arise naturally when your narrator is considering her own past, but what about instances when the reader needs information about someone else? Hall-Wilson suggests giving those characters a shared past and then create a scenario that triggers the relevant thought or memory. Use body language that your narrator can observe or sensory details, such as sound and scent. Also consider what element brings the memory to the surface, whether that’s a conversation, emotion, or thematic resonance.
Always be careful to give the reader only the information they need in the moment to keep the story moving forward and provide context. “Generally, readers need far less backstory than we want to give them,” Hall-Wilson says. In many cases, you’ll only need a sentence or two, or even a sentence fragment. Further, remember that most people don’t dwell on bad memories. Instead, we ignore them or recontexualize them, only touching on them when necessary.
Hall-Wilson also notes a pitfall of backstory – it tends to answer questions about your story, which can derail suspense. Try to raise at least as many questions as you answer. If your reader needs a specific piece of information from backstory, drop hints to other information that you’ll provide later.
