tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post3699974667530417847..comments2024-03-28T08:02:30.691-04:00Comments on The League of Extraordinary Writers: The BackstoryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-43971429545192811052010-11-17T09:44:57.260-05:002010-11-17T09:44:57.260-05:00Thanks guys! I'm reading The Scorch Trials rig...Thanks guys! I'm reading The Scorch Trials right now, and Dashner does a great job of giving the reader little hints about how the world came to be, what it's like now, etc. to a MC who knows nothing.Elana Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05877856005992028912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-67971960569302140832010-11-13T10:12:53.082-05:002010-11-13T10:12:53.082-05:00Super helpful post. Elana, your suggestions of how...Super helpful post. Elana, your suggestions of how to deal with it make a lot sense. Thank you!Tina Laurel Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04482757085942311091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-86995015968383941772010-11-12T20:10:04.307-05:002010-11-12T20:10:04.307-05:00I don't tend to look for that information. I c...I don't tend to look for that information. I can guess depending on the world that is created now. I think unless its something different (no plague, wars, and natural disasters) then perhaps the information should be provided. But that's just me.E. Arroyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634213563563094173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-85511002208229139202010-11-12T19:44:49.944-05:002010-11-12T19:44:49.944-05:00Great topic, Elana. Backstory is a thin tightrope...Great topic, Elana. Backstory is a thin tightrope. As a reader, I need to know what's going on in the world or I get lost, but I don't want to spend pages learning about the hows and whys of a world. <br /><br />And as a writer, it's an even thinner rope to walk. For me, there's so much of the world in my head, and I'm so excited about the world I created, I have to be careful I don't lay the whole thing out in page after page of glowing detail. I know I find it all immensely interesting, but that kind of detail would bore the daylights out of anyone not inside my head. <br /><br />The best books are the ones that sprinkle a little, layer a little and let you infer a little. =o)B.E. Sandersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04336115135400388268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-42764556289198650612010-11-12T18:29:29.543-05:002010-11-12T18:29:29.543-05:00Good post. I agree that some backstory is necessar...Good post. I agree that some backstory is necessary, and if it's done right, sometimes it doesn't even feel like an infodump. In fantasy I like to add it on a need to know basis, when the characters would want to know something.IanBontemshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13942749761260327580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-65549347794925892762010-11-12T17:37:38.546-05:002010-11-12T17:37:38.546-05:00That balancing act is hard. I really don't lik...That balancing act is hard. I really don't like huge infodumps, so I'm okay with bit by bits revealing the world instead.Lydia Kanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00484415427764822386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-13934302663597009442010-11-12T15:10:13.147-05:002010-11-12T15:10:13.147-05:00Definitely have to sprinkle backstory evenly inste...Definitely have to sprinkle backstory evenly instead of in big chunks.amberargylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058327741777322247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-602677332467109202010-11-12T14:35:04.982-05:002010-11-12T14:35:04.982-05:00I've noticed that myself, especially with all ...I've noticed that myself, especially with all the dystopians I've been reading lately. They drop you into this cool (or scary) world and tell a great story but I want to know what happened? Where did the world go wrong that we ended up *here*? <br /><br />Of course, like with fantasy & science fiction, too much backstory kills the atmosphere. But I need some. It's a balancing act but it's necessary. Too much=overload. Too little=too many unanswered questions or confusion.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402266791214015301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-14064230685730728692010-11-12T13:40:06.683-05:002010-11-12T13:40:06.683-05:00Backstory is very, very important to me. If there&...Backstory is very, very important to me. If there's not enough it will frustrate me because I want to know if this new dystopian world is realistically possible. It should be for the most part. For that to happen though, the reader needs explanations. Of course, I don't want a whole essay on it but I would need clues at the appropriate points in the novel. I dislike asking the same question such as 'What happened in this world?' for the entirety of a novel, it overshadows the rest of the reading experience.Kulsumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05621874342698613171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-72410295731079285962010-11-12T13:18:39.834-05:002010-11-12T13:18:39.834-05:00I like to fill in some of the details myself. If I...I like to fill in some of the details myself. If I get too much backstory and it's not up front I feel like I've been tricked when it comes late. <br /><br />Putting a few hints in early is sufficient. Leaving out completely is not a good idea.Perry Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11873656902637709407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-8118270407553320702010-11-12T11:43:25.290-05:002010-11-12T11:43:25.290-05:00It's nice to have some bridge but it doesn'...It's nice to have some bridge but it doesn't have to be super developed and like Kathryn said: sprinkled like spices.lotusgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06663641163048764869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-46414401431730906772010-11-12T11:29:23.305-05:002010-11-12T11:29:23.305-05:00I agree. There should be something. But just like ...I agree. There should be something. But just like any other book, it should be put in like spices: sparingly, scattered, subtly. Like you said, a line here and there is enough. IF you do it creatively and not take the person out of the story. Make it into a question that the reader is trying to figure out and then answer it at the appropriate time, in an appropraite way.Kathryn Packer Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16506942804607936833noreply@blogger.com