If it works best for your story to start in the present andthenflash back to cover an important backstory, resist the urge to rely on cliches—like someone dozing off or daydreaming, telling the entire incident, and then being jarred back to the present. We see that so often that it’s...
many writers shy away from using them, or champion a “rule” that they should never be used in serious writing, because they’ve seen them done so poorly in the past. Herein lies the conundrum: most of the time, when a flashback scene is done well, you don’t notice it ...
Here are a few writing tips for moving elegantly between different time periods in your narrative: 1. Use verb tense shifts to move between the flashback and main narrative. Whenever your narrative or characters recall a memory from a time before the story began, you have two choices. If ...
Below are just a few classic examples, each brings a distinct flair and personality to writing flashbacks. Some simply start in the present and tell the entire story through one giant flashback. Others bounce back and forth strategically to tell a more nuancednarrative. ...
The problem with these is that they take readers offstage to visit the past. Even if they reveal something important to the story, the danger is the cliché of a character daydreaming or actually dreaming and — after the flashback — being jarred back to the present by something or someon...
There are a few different ways you can work background information into your writing. Let’s look at where exposition can show up in your story. 1. Narrative exposition Narration makes up the bulk of your story. This is the description, the action tags, all the words you use to give th...
If you’ve been wondering: “How do I write a memoir effectively?” Don’t make the mistake of thinking that learning how to write a memoir is just like writing a journal entry, or even an autobiography. In this article, we’ll explain the differences, and walk you through the entire ...
Flashback structure: Start with a specific moment and then weave in earlier events that led to it. Free-flowing style: Allow your thoughts and feelings to guide your writing, jumping between events and perspectives. 3. Use Sensory Details: To make your writing vivid a...
Have I made it easy for the reader to visualize this? What role does the setting play in how the scene unfolds? When does the scene happen? Is it in chronological sequence with preceding events? Or is it a flashback? Who is in the scene? Do you need more or fewer characters? What ...
Flashbacks are a great way to ratchet up suspense, whether it’s an isolated flashback that shows something shocking or a series of flashbacks that build toward the final reveal. Some novels even maximize the dramatic impact by setting their narratives half in the present day and half in flash...