(This was originally posted on another blog, but I reposted it here.) Backstory, for me, is any kind of “telling” about something that happened at any time but the present moment of the story. For one, the “telling” aspect of backstory jolts me right out of that lovely fictional dream. Most of the time, “telling” backstory also disrupts some really interesting dialogue and I don’t want to read some paragraph of narrative—I want to get back to the conversation! For example: She opened the door. “Jake.” The name burst from her mouth, almost like an expletive. Her blood pulsed at the base of her throat, blocking her windpipe with its rapid-fire tempo. She was going to pass out—she gasped in a bolus of air. He smiled, highlighting the dimple on his left cheek. “Hey, darling.” He leaned more against the doorframe so that he towered over her. She shuddered, but couldn’t get her feet to move backward. “What are you doing here?” “Come to see my favorite girl.” He acted as if ...
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