Saturday, July 25, 2015

Too Much Backstory?

As a lover of all things super-hero, a startling realization recently struck me; whoever created them really hated parents - all of them.  It doesn't matter if the soon-to-be hero was born on earth or not, their parents had to die.  And of course, the role of supporting character must be given to an aunt, an uncle, a completely random and conveniently childless couple, etc.

Is this an oversight, or some terrible super-hero cliche? Is there a super-hero club that only orphans can attend?  Or does that particular train of backstory add something of credibility to a protagonist's selfless or determined motives to save the world?

How important is backstory, exactly? It seems that writers, in general, struggle more with this singular question than nearly any other specific element of drafting, and nearly every conceivable method of introducing, splicing, cramming, shoving or surgically injecting backstory into plots has been attempted.  Methods, (for better for worse) include:
  1. Narrator voice-over introduction
  2. Starting as a child and then fast-forwarding twenty some-odd years.
  3. Starting as a child and then showing twenty some-odd years.
  4. The dreaded flashbacks in all their varieties.  (More on that later.)
  5. Long single-take conversations where characters recount their life stories.
  6. Action set-pieces where characters find a moment to breathe amongst the non-stop action, and simultaneously use the air from their gasping lungs to carry out fluid conversations focusing on childhood grievances that couldn't possibly matter at a point and time such as this.
  7. The mystery approach to backstory where authors allude to a character's woeful past by giving unexplained tails and ticks.
  8. Mysterious reveals through dialog mixed in through the reading. 
  9. Creating intrigue by never confirming a character's backstory, and instead offering multiple, conflicting speculations about it from an outsider's perspective.
  10. Introducing the character as normal and then dropping a twisted, surprising history that completely changes the course of the story.
  11. Building up the character as evil, or good, and then slowly feeding the reader facts to erode and entirely replace that notion.
The list goes on.  In the end, however short the novel may be, they're really about the story. I've even seen stories told from the end to the beginning.  (Props for creativity.)  Still, frustratingly few seem to grasp the concept.  (Screen writers, I'm talking to you.)  Just go to rotten tomatoes.  Almost any movie has reviews complaining about one of two eventualities.  The movie is slow and boring with too much story and not enough happenings, or the opposite; the movie is fast and boring because no feeling of attachment to the characters is generated.  

Generally speaking, backstories live in a three-way relationship with the type of character, and the reader's perspective to him.  Mysterious approaches work more naturally for supporting characters, or when the book's main point of view examines the character as an outsider.

Finally, I think we can all agree that flashbacks are terrible.  If they happen too soon in the story, they might as well not have been a flashback at all.  If the book starts strong and then sacrifices its momentum to later fill in character details, it can be taken as misleading or disappointing.  On the other hand, a book's pace should always increase, so waiting too long for a flashback can break the third act, which is even worse.

Also, I find myself particularly irked when characters stair sincerely into each others eyes and spout any more than two chapter's of backstory in a single setting.  At one point during Twilight, when Bella and Edward are in the meadow, their conversation dragged on so long that not only did I forget about anything that might have been building in the storyline, but it nearly erased my own sense of identity.

For brevity's sake, let's assume that a backstory's delivery doesn't have to be fancily or surgically injected into the story.  It just has to be good.  Let's just assume that simpler is better, and that it should (or shouldn't) come out naturally.  Really, if the character is well-defined in our minds, it will reflect in who they are enough that they don't need to sit us down and monolog to us for half an hour for us to get it.


All-to Common Examples

1.  The evil villain.

The first tendencies are probably to either make him a victim of heinous crimes or wrong-doing, or to simply set him up as already in power and simply "bad."  The latter is my most frequent complaint about villains, even the compelling ones.  After the novel is finished, I find myself asking questions like, "Why would he risk everything like that?  What was his motivation, other than just being the bad guy?"

2.  The hero.

And the number one approach goes to the underdog!  For some reason, the heroes have to start at the bottom and work their way up, which really sucks for them, as they have to lose everything so they can regain it in the sequel.

3.  The thriller.

Easy.  The guy has a history that could give Jason Bourne nightmares, and then gets betrayed and has to avenge himself as a fugitive.  We don't need to know anything about what the character needs or believes, because he already has "enough" motive.

4. Action Flick.

There is no alternative, someone dear to our protagonist must be kidnapped or otherwise taken away from an unrealistically perfect relationship.  Not much backstory is needed, apparently.  In these cases, characters rarely find themselves spilling their guts about what their fathers did or didn't do.

5.  Romance. 

Someone died, and make no mistake, you're going to hear about it in a one-on-one conversation that makes the Odyssey look like a plot summary.


Using backstory to Build Character.

In my own writing, I try to stay as far away from the expected as possible.  One of my favorite things is finding a winning combination of unlikely elements.  That, however, is not easy or even possible to do all the time, and as always, a little goes a long way.  Instead, nearly any type of backstory can be a compliment to a character if it fits the story's arch, and is allowed to build the character rather than define him.  (That's right, chew on that for a second and a half.)

It's time to meet a few Johns.  These Johns live in a parallel universe of an action thriller.  It's a normal world.  A seemingly normal pursuit that indirectly draws them into the larger conflict and eventually places them in the position of hero, where they demonstrate courage and save the world...or at least, a large portion of it.

1. John Stoically Tragic

This John has a hard life-story.  A tail of misfortune that has left him virtually alone.  He has a stiff upper-lip, however, and never portrays himself as disadvantaged or a victim.  In fact, the only reason we know his past heart-aches is because occasional happenings reluctantly prod him to reveal these tidbits that gradually shape our opinion of who he is. 

This approach, while simple, would lead to a believable hero, because we've seen him demonstrate the tendencies needed.

2. John Mopelly Tragic 

Cousin to John S., John M takes quite an opposite approach.  He looks for every opportunity to offer excuses as to why he cannot or should not.  He has a good heart, but wears his pain on his sleeve.  It makes it hard for him to get a meaningful relationship, a fact he is not shy to flaunt.  But then when someone does come along, it makes it that much more "special."  The special thing about John Mopelly, however, is that the reader soon becomes aware that John's own view of himself, and his actual abilities are not the same.  It can be a fun way to go about a series of impossible feats where no one is more surprised by each than John.  That's a refreshing take to the stereo-typical image of our hero walking away from a massive explosion without giving it so much as a second glance.  It also gives us a better place for character progression and would make intentionally heroic doings more meaningful.

3. John Averajish

John A. really doesn't have a "backstory."  Or he does, but it's such a real-world story that details aren't worth mentioning.  Instead, with John A, we will focus on his current story.  What he likes, or doesn't.  Especially, what he believes.  We come to understand his well-defined structure of beliefs and values.  This offers readers a chance to bond with, or anticipate a character's actions.  It also gives a writer the chance to have some real fun and see what it would take to force John to go against his own beliefs, or what happens when he falls short of them.

4. John Au'Contraire

Talk about a contrasting backstory.  This guy was brought up on the wrong side of society.  He had enough evil crammed into his impressionable mind that he should be killing children in their sleep for kicks.  But instead, he's a simple, nice and mild-mannered guy who managed to make something of himself.

As details of his past come out, we can constantly surprise the reader, as it's so far from what we would expect.

NOTE OF CAUTION: Don't give into the temptation to give him a "unique set of skills" that are long dormant and waiting to awaken at the slightest provocation, effectively turning him into an elite spy.  Instead, use this contradiction to strengthen the firmness of his current standing, and how the way he is, quirks and all, are not incidental, but are each a victory.

5. John Mau'Contraire

Let's take things the other way.  This guy still has the perfect life.  His parents are ALIVE and well, prosperous, he had good opportunity, and still has support.  But he's become somewhat of an anti-hero.  While still generally well-meaning, he has allowed his ambitions to get a little out of hand and take him to places he would not have consciously chosen to go.  As he begins to lose things that used to matter to him, he only blocks them out and becomes harder.

When this guy gets drawn into conflict and simultaneously out of his rut, it can be a real eye-opener  and showcase his character progression nicely.

Conclusion
A backstory can strengthen a character by supporting or contrasting to his current beliefs, by giving him motivation or robbing him of it.  It serves its purpose as long as it takes its rightful place as part of the character, and as long as it never overshadows the actual story that is taking place.

Note: Now that I have two kids, I no longer have time for revising, so typos must be taken "as is."

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