In a new post on Writer Unboxed, Barbara Linn Probst offers advice on when, why, and how to use flashbacks. “A story, by definition, is something that moves through time,” Probst writes. “Sometimes, we also want to know what happened earlier, before the story began.”
Usually, this happens when knowledge of a character’s past will help the reader understand their choices in the present. “In other words: the reason for the foray into the past comes from something that’s happening right then and there, in the present,” Probst explains. “By ‘reason,’ I mean both necessity and timing: when a chunk of backstory is revealed, why, and how.”
Flashbacks can be a brief in-present time memory, a reaction that links the past and present, or an entire scene.
When crafting a full scene, you can present a character’s backstory vividly, as it happens in the then-present time. The key to full-scene flashbacks is your entrance and exit strategy. “First, there has to be an entrance portal that provides a natural, credible reason for the character to recall the event right now,” Probst says. “Ask yourself: What evokes the memory for the POV character and draws the reader into the back story scene?” Likewise, you need a reason to break the character’s reverie and bring them back to the present. “It’s good if the second transition can echo the first one, like a bookend,” Probst suggests.
When you insert the flashback as an interior reflection – as your character recalls a memory – it needs to fit into the scene where you drop it. Again, something happening in the present-day scene should prompt the character’s recall. When you transition out of the flashback moment, you should also show the passage of time, while your character is lost in reflection. “If she’s with others, she might suddenly realize that she’s missed an entire segment of the movie or song or conversation,” Probst writes. “If she’s alone, she can realize that her coffee has grown cold or the rain has stopped.”
When your reader already knows about the past event you want to remind them about, your flashback can take the form of a brief response or reaction. A scent, color, or another character can trigger a memory that creates that emotional response.
Probst says conveying a flashback through dialogue should be done with caution. “The credibility of this sort of confession hinges on whether (and why) the other character needs to learn about this memory right now,” she says. “Perhaps the conversation is a crucial moment in their changing relationship in the front story—for example, a moment of risk or trust that is needed in order for the protagonist to engage this character as an ally. The backstory revelation thus serves an essential front-story purpose.” If not, consider moving the flashback to a scene where it’s more appropriate or find another way to convey the information.
Finally, Probst says we shouldn’t drop too much backstory too soon. While you might want your reader to understand your hero’s motivations, curiosity is what keeps pages turning. “There’s rarely a disadvantage in letting a question simmer, waiting before you pull back the curtain,” she writes. “To drop hints, let the tension grow just as it does in the front story, let the threads start to connect, and then—pow, the longed-for revelation.”
