MENU

Fun & Interesting

A Writer's Comprehensive Guide to Backstory (S16:E6)

K.M. Weiland 3,974 1 year ago
Video Not Working? Fix It Now

http://helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/ https://www.instagram.com/authorkmweiland/ https://open.spotify.com/show/3TItQzF4IHVKxpDLAEnxSY https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/helping-writers-become-authors/id319307387?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Welcome! I'm K.M. Weiland, the award-winning and internationally published author of acclaimed writing guides such as Structuring Your Novel and Creating Character Arcs. I mentor authors on story theory, technique, and all the wild and wonderful highs and lows of the writing life! *** Use this essential guide to backstory to share the history of your characters and story world with your audience at just the right moments. Read transcript here: https://helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/guide-to-backstory TIMESTAMPS What Is Backstory? 01:41 Backstory Creates Character Motivation 02:56 The Ghost in Your Character's Backstory 04:32 How Much Backstory Do You Need? 08:02 Three Methods to Convey Backstory 1. Sharing Backstory With the Backstory Drip 10:05 2. Sharing Backstory in a Prologue 14:21 3. Sharing Backstory in Flashbacks 15:52 The Single Most Important Rule About Backstory 19:41 *** Backstory: The Importance of What Isn’t Told: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/backstory-importance-of-what-isnt-told/ Backstory Techniques: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/prologues-vs-flashbacks/ The Only Rule About Backstory That Matters: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/rule-backstory-matters/ Your Character’s Ghost: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/character-arcs-4/ What’s the Difference? Your Character’s Ghost vs. Wound vs. Lie vs. Weakness: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/whats-the-difference-your-characters-ghost-vs-wound-vs-lie-vs-weakness/ Book - The Anatomy of Story by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052Z3M8A Book - Creating Character Arcs: https://kmweilandstore.com/b/bsmu1 How to Write Character Arcs: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-character-arcs/ Most Common Writing Mistakes: Info Dumps: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-pt-50/ The Sneaky Secret Life of “As You Know, Bob…”: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/as-you-know-bob/ Find Out if Your Prologue Is Destroying Your Story’s Subtext: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/find-out-if-your-prologue-is-destroying-your-storys-subtext/ Most Common Writing Mistakes: Flabby Flashbacks: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-are-your-2/ Video - How to Plan and Structure Multiple Plotlines in Your Stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJMy4tfjaUg *** Image Credit: State of Play (2009), Universal Pictures. Video edited by Usvaldo de Leon, Jr. *** Enjoy my content? Find my books on writing here: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/store/ Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KMWeiland Join my mailing list: http://helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/mailinglist *** BOOKS For more on archetypes, check out my book Writing Archetypal Character Arcs: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/writing-archetypal-character-arcs/ For more on character arcs, check out my book Creating Character Arcs: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/creating-character-arcs/ For more on story and scene structure, check out my book Structuring Your Novel: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/structuring-your-novel/ For more on theme, check out my book Writing Your Story's Theme: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/writing-your-storys-theme/ WORKBOOKS Outlining Your Novel Workbook: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/outlining-your-novel-workbook/ Structuring Your Novel Workbook: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/structuring-your-novel-workbook/ Creating Character Arcs Workbook: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/book/creating-character-arcs-workbook/ GUIDED MEDITATIONS Archetypal Character Guided Meditations (previews): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbZBlFLPzJi3R6y75uvOB94clqk4qucPC COURSE Creating Character Arcs Course: https://kmweilandstore.com/b/mBoHK *** Want me to answer your question in a future video? Ask it in the comments below! #CharacterArcs #plot #storystructure #threeactstructure #AmWriting #WritersLife #Writetip #writer #writerscommunity #writers #igwriters #writerslife #instawriters #writersnetwork #igwritersclub #writersblock #instawriter #screenwriter #writerlife #writerscorner #writercommunity #writerssociety #writers_den_ #poetsandwriters #writersociety #womenwriters

Comment