How to Reveal Backstory WITHOUT Using Flashbacks (Writing Advice)

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Күн бұрын

Learn how to unload backstory without stopping your story's momentum.
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Пікірлер: 332

@brittvaughn9447 Жыл бұрын

In real life, flashbacks aren't whole. They're little snippets here and there when something triggers them, and they don't play chronologically. I think that if you keep this in mind, you can do flashbacks well.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Great point. We don't often have time to sit and think about a past event in full detail.

@brittvaughn9447 Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty and it's not even about time, really. For me, flashbacks happen in little snippets when something gets triggered. So, I'll be walking along and hear a sound that takes me back to a moment in my past and I'll just freeze for a second or two, going back there. I don't really want time to dwell on those things, but it takes a second to snap myself out of it. It never really goes into a full chronological playback because I don't want it to. I want to come out of it, but sometimes those little snippets will hang around.

@pixiebells Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty The most perfect example of how to write a flashback is Don Draper's character in Mad Men. They're snippets of all of the horrible things he endured as a child and teen that made him who he is for better..and worse. It shows his cynicism & why he has such a bad idea of what a healthy relationship or sex is supposed to be like. But it also shows up his his grit, his innate creativity and his boundless ambition.

@PhoenixCrown Жыл бұрын

Very well said! Something triggers the flashback, so focus on that piece--and make it relevant to the plot.

@seanmurphy7011 11 ай бұрын

In real life we don't have a NARRATOR telling the story. Flashbacks are just fine.

@xensonar9652 Жыл бұрын

I had a flashback in a story I'm writing, but it got so long and so important that I decided to start the story there instead. I now plan on writing a trilogy, with the flashback becoming the whole first book.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Awesome! A lot of writers make the mistake of burying all the cool stuff in the past, so I'm thrilled to hear you started in the right spot

@michaelgillman2505 Жыл бұрын

In what I am currently writing, I'm using a dual timeline narrative. I suppose you could call it a series of flashbacks but it is more than that. Essentially you have present day and the main plot. But you also have chapters that are 20 years ago, focussing on a lot of the same characters as a coherent story itself. A good example of this in TV is/was Defying Gravity with Ron Livingstone. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing but I'm enjoying it :)

@Sacrengard Жыл бұрын

I might have the same issue, but maybe I instead use the flashback as a prologue (if its not too long)

@Sacrengard Жыл бұрын

@CyberPup 22 Yes, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade did it and it worked. The only problem is that it was a bit long. So if your flashback is not too long you can def do it

@GeorgeGeorgeOnly Жыл бұрын

Way to go! 😄

@rome8180 Жыл бұрын

Backstory IS character, in my opinion. We are the summation of everything we've done and had happen to us.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yep, and don't discount current actions as well

@thearcanehunter2736 Жыл бұрын

Sort of, but personality is character too. In fact, backstory is moreso a way to reveal character than character itself though, since experience as well as personality make up character, I would still consider backstory an essential part of character.

@FranciumBoron 8 ай бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNultyIndeed! “It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.”

@lettersinspired 3 ай бұрын

@@thearcanehunter2736I feel that backstory makes personality too, you already have your natural personality and your experiences in life help shape and expand it.

@oa5779 Жыл бұрын

A great example of perfectly used flashbacks is in the first Rambo movie when the small town cops are beating him in the cell and the short flashes of being tortured in Vietnam splice into the current action. You're there with him now, and the past, and his actions make total sense.

@ricktronimusprime7171 10 ай бұрын

Great example

@anjakuemski Жыл бұрын

The IV drip technique is also very useful for showing the reader a tiny bit of world building instead of huge info dumps. Just hinting at things that are beyond whatever is going on right now.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Absolutely--I love getting worldbuilding in small doses

@SimGunther Жыл бұрын

"A man called Otto" is a good study on how backstory is IV dripped through setting and brief flashes so that the eventual "backstory dump" later on doesn't feel forced because it's part of Otto's character growth throughout the story.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

I'll have to look it up--thanks!

@SoulDigester Жыл бұрын

I honestly can't find a good way to put in a flashback other than the pov character's dream. I have come across several books recently where characters would just vomit out their entire backstory and it really does take you out of the moment when you realize no human does that outside a therapist's office

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yeah, and the thing is, when you vomit backstory like that, there's no mystery to the character anymore. Lose-lose situation.

@EH23831 Жыл бұрын

Maybe you could have your character go to a therapist (several times so you can reveal it slowly) 😊

@danlewis7707 Жыл бұрын

Our mc walks around a corner and sees a wanted poster with their name on it. They look haunted and sad, but also angry. They start to avoid police and become increasingly paranoid around the public. A news broadcast in the background of a diner at night reveals details of a horrible drunk driving incident in which the perpetrator left the scene. We see our mc reaching into their pocket for a flask, hands shaking... But they hesitate as they look at a passing father and son sitting down for a meal. They start to hold back tears as the waitress comes to their table for their order. The mc places the flask in her hands and asks that she gets rid of it. Then they stand up,pay their check and walk toward two officers standing at the door. Just an example.

@andrewstambaugh240 11 ай бұрын

You can always make it short and jarring, like ptsd. The emotional weight is something to connect with. And vague can be good.

@5Gburn 10 ай бұрын

Try to find jump-off points linked to a present-day habit or a sense memory.

@AryaCyrus Жыл бұрын

It's great that you have both videos with your own advice and videos that summarize others’ books. But I think often your own insights are even better than the bestseller books you summarize.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate that. Books/guides and hands-on experience are both great teachers

@tortiecatman Жыл бұрын

Tip #1 was very helpful to help cement what I've been figuring out for myself. Reader feedback was that the my opening chapters were slow and needed to be cut down. I was putting tons of character exposition/backstory(that I thought was brief & fascinating) into the opening chapters and although there was conflict and drama in those chapters, none of it was related to the main conflict. I'm completely restructuring the first 4 chapters. Ouch.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yep, opening scenes should focus on raising questions rather than giving answers

@andrewstambaugh240 11 ай бұрын

My thought (with limited writing exp): characters _develop._ If you are trying to completely tell who they are, that's a lot at once, even for a single character. Instead, tell who they are by what they do.

@jhmoxl Жыл бұрын

flashbacks are like anything else, sometimes they work, but sometimes they take you out of the story. Two recent examples are "Knock at the Cabin" where I thought the flashbacks really did take you out of the pressure cooker that the situation in the cabin was in a way that made the movie less suspenseful and intense. They needed to show you the beauty of the love of the couple INSIDE the cabin, not to take us out to show it. The more bizarre was "A Man Called Otto" where they did an amazing job getting his backstory out in the course of the movie building to a moving scene where Hanks explains his wife's accident, his caretaking, and her death's effect on him to his friend who just recently met him so doesn't know why he has done and acted certain ways. For some reason the movie STILL includes flashbacks. I'm like you are paying Tom Hanks probably most of the budget and you are given him dialogue to explain his backstory, trust that the money is well spent and he doesn't need the help of two other actors showing us what happened directly.

@Writercatloverbakonn Жыл бұрын

I love this so much. I wrote a novel (I'm fifteen yrs old, but i haven't published it yet) And I am really glad I came across this video! Your the best!😊

@ask230 Жыл бұрын

Just came across your terrific content. I am not a writer, but I am enjoying it immensely. You are clear, personable and engaging. Thank you for sharing.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind words!

@CIorox_BIeach 9 ай бұрын

I love flaskbacks in shows where they're telling a story. When it starts with a present day conversation that leads into a story, and then fades to the past event and stays there for a good 15 minutes, it's awesome.

@scloftin8861 Жыл бұрын

I think my favorite flashbacks were in Forever Knight where we got them from the POV of each of the vampires periodically. Mostly they just have to relate to what's going on and be well written, however one chooses to use them. Or not use them.

@chris.awilliams7138 Жыл бұрын

Having read Steven King's 'Dark Tower' series, I can say with confidence that Flashbacks can be made to work. I think they work here because of the tone of the story, and rather than tell us why the characters have a certain habit, they tell us about why each character is the way the way they are as a complete personality. Seperately, flashbacks work well in the mystery genre, where the protagonist slowly builds up a flashback of an event they either never witnessed or forgot. Here it gives the viewer fresh perspectives on things that happened, it also helps with forward momentum in the story as the characters and the audience are finding information which is part of the characters' goals.

@paladox1771 19 күн бұрын

When the character suffers a traumatic event is a great moment to give us small flashbacks. The full scene can be revealed later at some point, but only if it's engaging and important to the story.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Do you love or hate flashbacks? Let us know!

@Shinwicked Жыл бұрын

Love them if done right.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Probably the best answer there is

@lennysmileyface Жыл бұрын

What about in the form of dreams or nightmares?

@kevinpeoples8702 Жыл бұрын

My all-time favorite use of flashbacks is the LOST TV series. I know it was contentious based on how it was written, but I really loved the flashback/flash forward storytelling technique.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Never got into Lost. I imagine they would've had to use many flashbacks given the whole deserted island scenario

@j.d.529 Жыл бұрын

It would have worked really well on lost if they would have actually had a decent end for the island. The future ruined the show lol. The flashbacks were the best part!

@sarahdiana8934 11 ай бұрын

Blade Runner uses a lot of these techniques. Pris's appearance and demeanor reveals something about her past. Deckard finds photos in Rachel's home that raise questions about her (and his) backstory. Roy Batty reveals backstory in his dialogue and introspection.

@Dark_Peace Жыл бұрын

I like flashbacks. Only if I care though, and if the flashback tells important info. I also like flashback episodes in series, when the whole ep is a flashback, told in some way or another. In Darling in the Franxx, there's 2 flashback eps. The 1th one is very good, one of the best ep of the show, it brings a lot of answers and recontextualises everything. But attentive viewers will also notice that it shows the origin of the little habits and quirks of the character. It links every detail setup in the previous episodes. The second one is cool too, but explains way more stuff that wasn't setup before. While watching, I made an entire mindmap of every detail to solve the show's mysteries by myself and with the 2nd ep, there was much more new info to add to my mindmap whereas with the 1th, it was mostly linking ideas together. Like 90% was already setup but the links were missing. Still, having a break from the characters we've been following since the beginning to get an episode from another character's point of view (and a different context since it's the past) is a nice break before the return of the action.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yep, important info (and how it's presented) is often the difference between a good and bad flashback

@mrkshply Жыл бұрын

The greatest flashback is in the Dresden series. It's hinted out throughout most of the book. We see how it affects the characters and their world and world view. It teases you until near the end when you flashback and experience it with the character. It's a great pay off

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Only read the first two books, and that was a long time ago. I'm guessing it happens later in the series?

@mrkshply Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty yup. The series begins very noir but quickly breaks away into something new. Subverts expectations. Themes become deeper with greater complexity. It's my favorite series

@familycorvette Жыл бұрын

Great video, Brandon. I am struggling with this very issue in my current project. I liked your comment about room furnishings. Screenwriter Robert Towne once said the entirety of Chinatown is the revealing of backstory. One of the best reveals is in the deputy water commissioner's office when Jack Nicholson sees the framed picture of John Huston on the office wall and asks, "Cross worked for the water department?" bringing out the story about Mulwray and Cross owning the water department.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Great example. I need to rewatch Chinatown one of these days. Only saw it once when I watched it to follow along with Robert McKee's book Story

@kingofkeys77 Жыл бұрын

This was exactly what I needed

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thrilled to hear it! Thanks for watching

@WarrioranglE777 11 ай бұрын

I think flashbacks are a crucial part of character development, especially when it comes to development of side characters or villains. But what makes a good flashback is one that does not detract from the flow of one's pacing or story flow. They can be done right and should be incorporated into works as long as they are used well.

@Hursimear 4 ай бұрын

I don’t know how I can tell your advice is good since I have no writing experience yet it just makes perfect sense to me bro

@shikishinobi Жыл бұрын

I’m okay with a flashback with the provision that it is obviously a flashback (written in italics is a good example) and that it has more meaning than just fleshing out backstory. A good flashback will drop a clue, hint or idea that gives the audience something to think about. Personally, I prefer to drop breadcrumbs or pieces into dialog which can be expanded on later. Like being at a theatre and recalling going there with dad. Later revealing the night with dad at the theatre was the last night before he got sick. Things like that. The IV drip.

@cosmicprison9819 Жыл бұрын

Your videos address a bunch of things that e.g. Abbie Emmons (who I’d consider the most helpful writing channel I’ve found so far) leaves unaddressed. Among others, because she very much has a “one-way-only” approach (where all characters need a misbelief, and internal conflict is only desire vs. fear, instead of, e.g., desire vs. duty, or some other conflict). In this particular case, because she loves flashbacks, and her debut novel is full of them.

@hyronvalkinson1749 2 күн бұрын

I have a four-part sci-fi where Parts 1 and 2 leave a lot of open questions, but Part 3 is time-travel similar to Endgame except they don't know where/when to go. The time travel is only possible because the villain broke time itself to grab an object he couldn't in the present. As the MC gets physically closer and closer to the event the villain is visiting, the land itself replays events further back in time, kind of acting like an arrow if you know the area (the MC doesn't). They get lost, which means they see many important past events but can't piece together what order they happened or if they're being jumbled up with the present (which is still there). It's confusing (a mix of sequential and non-sequential that makes the second read-through very telling) but allows for interesting plot threads and reveals. So it's not a flashback but it works in its own way. Also I can avoid exposition-heavy flashbacks because the MC is seeing it in the present and it's directly relevant to the story.

@FGJAXON Жыл бұрын

Man! I really needed this one. I recently came across your channel and I am so glad that I did Your content is helping me a lot 🙏🏽

@mattygunn3852 9 ай бұрын

Another excellent video from Brandon. Thank you!

@Writing4Jesus247 Ай бұрын

Dude, i love this! This was great, entertaining, and enlightening! I just took screenshots of all the tips. Thanks!

@justplainpsychotic Жыл бұрын

I'm loving all these videos. Do you have one for writers with anxiety about their project? Like tips on being overwhelmed by the massive amount of logistics involved in a hard world-building story?

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

This might help: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edGFpNWIy9KzZIE.html

@justplainpsychotic Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty thanks a ton! I actually already have a concept and my central ideas worked up, probly 80-90 pages of notes, logistics, timeframes, maps, characters and their personalities/motives, chains of events, overviews, synapses, it just keeps going. That's really what I'm overwhelmed with; just lots and lots of work to really solidly cement my idea before writing. It's set in ancient Scotland around 33AD so the languages, names, and ways of living are fairly strict in terms of writing just not in terms of story.

@scuproductions Жыл бұрын

Just found your channel and I'm loving these videos

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@sachisen6651 Жыл бұрын

I'm happy to see your channel grow so fast. Your videos are really helpful especially for novice writers like me. Hope it soon reaches 100k! ❤

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Past week has been nuts--went from 9K to 16K in virtually the blink of an eye. What's mind-blowing is that it took me almost a year to get my first 100 subs.

@sachisen6651 Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty you explain things well and provide good examples... No wonder you're getting a lot of subs! Hope you'll continue that!

@HazopGaze 10 ай бұрын

I love that you mentioned characters jumping into each other's minds in Sci-Fi / Fantasy stories, largely coz that's something I wrote in recently where a character's ghost came back but couldn't remember how she died, and used her partner's dreams as a way to reconnect and find out what happened.

@MickeyGreenEyes213 9 ай бұрын

The only flashbacks that worked imo were on Lost. The flashback story would generally coincide with the story taking place on the island and severed to better build the characters.

@aaronreeve1414 4 ай бұрын

Story I’m writing had two main backstory flashbacks that I’ve found other ways to present. What was the backstory of one of the secondary characters ended up becoming a prologue, told from the main character’s perspective. It establishes the MC’s personality and abilities, subtly provides the backstory of that secondary character, reveals some basics about the political structure of my fantasy world, and establishes the genre/tone of the rest of the story. The other backstory section was originally an extended flashback with multiple POV characters, that I couldn’t find a good place to insert without disrupting flow of the story. Ultimately, it became clear that a short section from one character’s perspective did need to be a flashback. However, the rest could be referred to by other characters during the main story without needing to spell out exactly what happened.

@stevevet3652 Жыл бұрын

I can't say I love flashbacks but they can be extremely useful as clues.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I try to avoid them in my own writing, but some writers pull them off with great impact

@TimRG Жыл бұрын

I love flashbacks, but not every story needs them. My approach is to design my novels with the idea I'm going to use flashbacks or not and if so how important of a role they will play. My current WIP is very flashback-heavy. I'm designing it that way from the beginning. However, I have other projects I don't plan to use flashbacks or only on occasion. It's a good idea to start exploring how to use flashbacks by bringing them into the present. However, this will have work with the story. I always thought about how Roweling used flashbacks with the Pensieve.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

It's good that you have a plan for using them. A lot of writers retreat into flashbacks when they're afraid to push the present story forward. If flashbacks have purpose (and don't overstay their welcome), they can work

@TimRG Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Yep

@danielmiliszewski5802 Жыл бұрын

I came across your channel yesterday. Thank you for what you are doing.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words!

@s7udmuphin 9 ай бұрын

On eof my favorite examples is from Batman Begins, when Liam Neeson's character is talking to Bruce Wayne while sitting at a fire after some winter training to reveal the circumstances that led to him joining the League of Shadows. The entire scene just feels so natural and real. Sitting by a campfire is a natural setting for people to get to know each other and to connect, and there's no flashback required, it's two friends talking. The backstory also helps the audience sympathise with him, but it has no real impact on the immediate story. BUT that back story is revisited and expanded upon later in Dark Knight Rises to greatly deepen the character and connect him to the later story, characters, and the wider world, as well as playing with the character's immortality. The first half of Batman Begins is full of flaskbacks and nonlinear storytelling that is beautifully woven together, but that scene always stands out to me and is definitely my favorite. It's just such a phenomenally written trilogy with regards to story and themes.

@abdullahx4908 Жыл бұрын

I’m a novice writer currently writing a novel. I haven’t included any flashbacks yet but I constantly talk about the characters past whenever I’m delving into their inner thoughts or describing what’s going on in the scene

@Writing4Jesus247 Ай бұрын

And i love flashbacks😊Your books sound great. Too scary for me but GREAT plots!

@edsonvieiraa Жыл бұрын

Wow you're helping me a lot. Never before I took notes from videos about writing, and I've been doing this with many of yours. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Brazil =)

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad the videos are helping

@syedsaquibquadri3464 Жыл бұрын

I dont know whether you know this or not but your videos are really helpful to us beginners

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thrilled to hear it!

@aliceblake137 20 күн бұрын

I'm currently writing a story with a tragic protagonist, sort of like an anti-hero. I want to reflect on her past as it's a big part of why the complication is happening in the first place. I don't want to stop the action with a flashback. This really helps. Thanks!

@TheGreatestDarn Жыл бұрын

I do love flashbacks. I know in something more action-based it hurts the pacing but in more suspenseful, thriller-like calmed settings it appeases our urge to know more. Of course, you should always do them in the right time and to convey something. The series Slasher loves to use flashbacks to expand upon their characters in a seamless way, however they do tend to abuse it, which is why these alternatives are also good for future writers like me :)

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Yeah, timing is critical, and you have to make the audience want the backstory. Best of luck with your writing!

@oa5779 Жыл бұрын

Again, the jail cell scene in the first Rambo is a great action flashback. His past trauma is the MacGuffin of the whole story and it sets the action.

@zyklqrswx Жыл бұрын

one way to do flashbacks tastefully, particularly in the written medium, is to have the story switch back and forth between past and present time periods from chapter to chapter as the story unfolds. this way the plot of the past story can function as a B-plot to the present story, providing exposition, thematic continuity and emotional content that continues to drive the overarching subtextual narrative as the events of both time periods evolve and potentially even converge

@nesipgundemturk6165 Жыл бұрын

In story I write a character learn about other characters' past by the stories told. Sounded better than flashbacks and it did create the backbone of my story.

@obi-twokenobi4861 7 ай бұрын

A scene that used the "past made present" really well is in attack on titan, specificly in a season 4 part 2 scene in which two characters are straight up visiting the memories of one of them. I don't want to give spoilers, but there's a huuuuge plot twist about... Well, 2 plot twists that give context to the whole story and inmediatly changes the actions of the characters

@tpistor Жыл бұрын

Cliff Booth's flashback in Once upon a time in Hollywood. It's pretty "Ok, here's a flashback". But I loved it.

@davidwalter2002 Жыл бұрын

One of the things I struggle with, and which would make my backstories easier to incorporate, is writing a more complete history of the character(s). It's tedious work, and the enjoyment of writing is jumping right into the story. But having established that a character's father was an abusive alcoholic AND that there was a specific incident in that person's past that colors the current story makes it that much clearer as you work to incorporate that into the present storyline. Rather than just say, "My dad got drunk and beat me with a slipper," if you can work the character's relationship to slippers being a trigger into the story, it becomes that much easier to integrate it.

@Conserpov Жыл бұрын

A flashback in *Reservoir Dogs* doesn't even feel like a flashback, even though it's a series of flashbacks. And there's this "commode story" with 4 sheriffs a dog, which is... a fictional flashback within a flashback! Tarantino masterfully stitched all of that into a perfectly coherently flowing visual story. And he also brilliantly used a sort of "past made present" technique too - it's "Tim Roth telling the story" + "Tim Roth with the sheriffs" + "Tim Roth telling the story to the sheriffs".

@mariag3994 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips.

@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy Жыл бұрын

Another great video!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks Ro!

@LordofDoom202 10 ай бұрын

Great stuff as always, sir. This is a subject I'm thinking about a lot lately in a screenplay I'm revising. Past Made Present is also applicable to a visual technique unrelated to backstory that is used in a lot of detective stories, also often in place of flashbacks. You'll have the investigator walk through a crime scene and imagine the actions that happened, almost as though they were remembering it or had been there. They walk around the memories of people or perform the actions of what they had done, often describing it out loud as they do. One of the strongest examples I can recall in the moment is from the series "Hannibal - 2013" where Will Graham does this nearly every episode. You can also see this in movies like "Fast and Furious - 2009" when Dom investigates Letty's crash site or "The Art of War - 2000" with Wesley Snipes. Similarly, I enjoy seeing the events of a backstory happening around the people telling it. There's a great transition in "Max Payne - 2008" where Max walks through his old home and the image cross-fades between his memories there and the present, while two other characters discuss what happened in the house in another location. You learn the history, see the hero's emotional response to it, and get an editorialized transcript of it from supporting characters' perspectives in a slick visual style that happens across two simultaneous plot driving / driven scenes.

@avivastudios2311 Жыл бұрын

Awesome advice.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@themetamystic 6 ай бұрын

very interesting, thank you.

@JohnnyWordSmith 11 ай бұрын

The show Cold Case does something satisfying in that a character will be speaking and intermittently change into their younger selves while continuing their dialogue. It adds a lot of tension because you see the longevity of mistakes/regrets.

@claudiag8823 Жыл бұрын

I'm always happy when I get more information about the characters I've become invested in, so yeah, I like flashbacks. For example in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was always ridiculously happy when they showed flashbacks of Spike's past.

@friendlyone2706 Жыл бұрын

"Use props to hint at the past" Had not thought of using car stickers before -- but for most of us, a car is an extension of self. Thank you for a very useful idea.

@Big_time_949 Жыл бұрын

I dig the use of a flashback when it's used as a story during a conversation between two characters or in a group setting. Something like... "Man, do I got a story about Bob! This one time we... blah, blah!

@manuelamanaraguarneri Жыл бұрын

I like flashback only if they are at the right time of the story, sometimes I feel they are disturbing because they interrupt something I was interested in. I guess that to reduce flashback it is important to think about the oresent consequences of the event happened in the past (and this also can create interest in the reader because he may start thinking things like "why does this character have this picture in the closet?" that make hime guessing and wanting to know more.

@danielbrande109 Жыл бұрын

Can you make a video about how to plan a story before writing? About 3 years ago a great story popped into my mind, i started creating this world in my mind and after some time i started writing it. The first 10 chapters wrapped up with a major event that starts the actual plot, but after writing that, developping some write skills on my own by doing it i noticed that the world my charachters are is a little too bland, too little themes and plotpoints. How can you avoid this beforehand?

@mattsager914 Жыл бұрын

I NEEDED this/. Thank you! Backstory is so much fun to write but is it for the author or for the reader? I'm trying to make my backstory run parallel with the main story, but still have it's own climax that effects the resolution of the main story. I think flashbacks are a great tool when used appropriately. Like a main character can have one or two, but backstory for secondary characters definitely can't disrupt the flow like that. I'm going to try to incorporate little mementos and souvenirs in my story to give the characters some rich backstory, without the exposition.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

"Backstory is so much fun to write but is it for the author or for the reader? I'm trying to make my backstory run parallel with the main story, but still have it's own climax that effects the resolution of the main story." Great point here. A lot of writers fall in love with detailed backstory and don't realize that the audience won't feel the same way.

@AldorEricsson Жыл бұрын

"See you in flashbacks!" is a great Bond one-liner.

@nikitaaverin 11 ай бұрын

I once wrote this script with a very tricky protagonist, since she more or less is one of the driving forces for the antagonists to keep going. And when she explains for another character what had happened, I flash-backed to just a line that she said, but intercutting the exact same dialogue with her screaming the same line. There's this amazing scene in "Deceiver" (1997) which is very flash-back heavy, that plays out as a regular flash-back. However, the line delivery from the VO suddenly alters quite heavily from the dialogue that was actually said and goes head-first into a he said she said territory. Marvelous.

@MichaelaHill-kk6xg Жыл бұрын

my attempt at the “past made present” technique: Ottilie- main character Siren- mermaid that lures people to see with her voice Ottilie stumbled into a clearing on the edge of the cliff. As the wind howled, she looked down at her trembling hands. There in her sweaty palms was the key to the secret world, the key to everything she had wanted years ago. As the war raged on in the forest behind her, warm tears rolled down her face. She saw her dragon, Nimbus, in the clouds and clutched the key. Just as all seemed right in the world, Ottilie heard melancholic chords rise from the ocean. She looked down, expecting to see a fish tailed woman, but was surprised to see the inviting arms of her mother and the soft eyes of her best friend, Charlie. The sirens song switched between Ottilie ‘s mother’s lullaby and the songs Charlie would hum while working. Ottilie saw the ones she wished she could join most, and it was too much. Her fall into the sea slowed, as if it was patiently waiting for Ottilie to glance at the land one last time. im gonna end it there; the technique works in this standalone scene because you learn she has lost her best friend and mother, yet the story is still progressing while you learn that

@DawnFire05 4 ай бұрын

I’m working on my first novel right now, and I hope that I can do my backstory justice. I have so much backstory to tell, but my story is about the relationship of my two characters. It starts off with them meeting, since they’re both main characters. They’ve gone through a lot of trauma in their childhoods, and later were separated for a few years where they went on to live their lives before they’re reintroduced to each other. I’m kind of working on backstory chapters, after some relevant information is revealed in my main story, I’ll have a brief backstory chapter that functions almost like a memory of the events, or like a story being told in therapy. But it’s all so important to my story to cover it all, it really defines who my characters are. Without it I think people would seriously be like “why the hell did they make this decision?!” but then you find out the kind of trauma they went through as a child and that’s it’s a trauma response to act this way and you’re like “oh okay, this makes sense now” lol. I just hope it’ll work for my story, I’m still in the early stages of my novel. I have a lot of additional information that will be told by the characters themselves in conversation, I just can’t imagine a character sitting down, though, and being like “so here’s what I’ve been doing the past 3 years with all these random details as to why I’m thinking the way I do about you right now now”.

@PhoenixCrown Жыл бұрын

I really like your last point, and I think it goes hand-in-hand with the IV Drip concept. I like (and try to write) when backstory is revealed ONLY AS RELEVANT to the main plot. My MC lost his sister when he was young, and my first scene has his Mom choke on the words "you kids--" and then the MC apologizes immediately. All we know is that this is a sensitive subject. Then we learn more bit by bit until we finally have a magical flashback where he has to relive the loss.

@SKGuna_writer Жыл бұрын

I have devoured most of your videos within days and agree with plenty of what you have said in them! In short, I'm a fan.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad the videos are helping

@SKGuna_writer Жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Keep them coming. Also, I look forward to reading your books. 😎

@mirayoquese8608 Жыл бұрын

I am writing a story and initially had a lot of stuff in the past I was desperate to talk about. In the end, I discharted that and made that whole past segment the first book, while the original one will be the second of the series now.

@riversong_ Жыл бұрын

I don't mind a good flashback. I loved the movie Dead Again which had flashbacks as part of the big reveal.

@HanifRafi-ds1uj 5 күн бұрын

I'm about to make a story and this helpful

@MyOverlord101 9 ай бұрын

Flashbacks can be good if you do them in a unique or interesting way. Like having the character that is going through the flashback be "physically" there in the flashback, watching his reaction(s) as the events unfold in front of him. And don't give whole scenes, make it snippets and flash between what he is doing and what is happening, so if a loved one gets killed in a flashback you could have one shot be of her face right before the moment, the killer pulls the trigger, and we cut to seeing the POV character's reaction.

@miladjalali6779 Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Good Job

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@leonardwei3914 Жыл бұрын

Great tips. I admit to using lots of Flashbacks for one of the main protagonist of my story. So much so I ended up taking some out upon review from a friend that read it, who thought too many were breaking the flow. But since I made the main character hide her true identity to others, I couldn't really convey her true motivations any other way. As a counterbalance, for the secondary protagonist, I practically used every method you talked about (Dialog, Settings, Actions, and Appearances) to reveal his motivations and reserved almost no flashback for him.

@leonardwei3914 Жыл бұрын

@@RonCoop I'm actually spreading out flashbacks among other characters in later stories, but I pretty much fleshed out the main protagonist's motivations and thoughts in the first story (or script rather).

@velomitrovich3425 Жыл бұрын

In the BBC's production of China Mielville's The City & The City, they did the lead's character's flashbacks with his beard. If he had a beard, it was present time; clean shaven and it was his past. There was so little jarring between past and present that at first I didn't pick up on the beard clue. I thought it was a very clever way of handling backstory.

@Gruzbee 10 ай бұрын

Wow, there's so much to unpack in regards to backstory, whether it's character, narrative, object symbolism or world building. In regards to backstory as it relates to narrative and character, I personally detest flashbacks. If done well they can be incorporated into the story in such a way that the flow isn't overly disrupted, but oftentimes they are jarring. Currently I am writing a story set in a medieval-esque fantasy world, where one of the characters introduced works for their family butchery. I wrote in small details about them that included things like, having a skill with using a bow, having a license with the local adventurer's guild but not actively adventuring; bits of dialogue in conversation, mannerisms, etc., all pointing to a recent past set of events that resulted in why they are the way they are, and do what they do. Sort of like seasoning the story with this bit of interest piquing content, while also using this as the establishing point for a sub-plot later on in the story. Rather than have my characters seated around the campfire, going: "hey let me tell you about why I don't adventure anymore." Or, derail the story with an unnecessary flashback, I seeded the narrative just enough to make the reader invested in the character, so that when the sub-plot becomes apparent, it also comes as a type of revelation of sorts as to the background of this character, so that the reader gets this rewarded "so, that's why!" moment. Now I have a sub-plot that will continue to manifest through the rest of the story, and a character that has a "past" that works as their own source of personal conflict. Sure, I could have devoted a chapter to this character's past, but I think it's more fun to weave in all these bits and baubles in a sort of jigsaw puzzle, and see how the pieces take shape organically. Those are the kinds of backstories that I really enjoy.

@EH23831 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for these videos. I’m a teacher (6th grade) and I’m learning so much about writing from you 😊 Most of what you explore is beyond 6th graders, but it will help me to better teach writing PS unnecessary, filler dialogue is my pet hate in my students writing! It’s the worst

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! Best of luck with your teaching!

@velocitor3792 9 ай бұрын

Game of Thrones does this well. The whole world building happens 20 years after a rebellion which sets the stage for the whole war at the center of the series. But there are very few flashbacks. It all comes out naturally, or in devices like children getting history lessons, or people talking about how that history affected them personally. Another GoT example is how it explores how Taiwin Lannister's children are all suffering in ways for what kind of father he was. It comes out in bits of conversation they have, over several seasons.

@Paleoknight Жыл бұрын

Cool video :) I'm okay with small flash-back that are like flash of memory for the character but I particulary dislike when the flash-back is told like the story : when the flash-back take maybe a chapter or more to just tell something that could have been told much more easily with several sentence in the present story ! It makes the overall story very fragmented and we loose all the tension from the present story.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@petehealy9819 10 ай бұрын

Colson Whitehead is masterful at weaving flashbacks seamlessly into the "present-moment" narrative throughout his novel, Harlem Shuffle. His command of structure, along with the profound beauty of his language, makes the book a delight not simply to read, but to study.

@scottgrant1635 Жыл бұрын

I would like your thoughts on a scene in my current project. Two characters (mentors, sphinxes, specifically) are teaching the teen sorceress how to "concentrate" and maintain focus. While one tells a story about something in history, which is a relevant lesson in an of itself (about being responsible with the overwhelming power of magic), the other is interrupting asking (simple) math problems where each relies on the answer of the prior problem. The POV character is the teen, and the reader witnesses her struggling throughout the lesson. And, coincidentally, the final math equation's result is the exact number of years ago the story took place. Thanks!

@mattygunn3852 9 ай бұрын

I love the 'flashback' usage in the first Iron Man movie. Maybe not so much a flashback as a revelation of past events,.,.,.

@Eldanogrande 8 ай бұрын

Not wild about flashbacks, but they’re miles better than “as you know, Bob,” especially when that’s delivered as a resume reading by a superior.

@7LeagueShoes Жыл бұрын

I recently had trouble with worldbuilding that I felt the story needed, to explain a few things, but couldn't figure out how to incorporate it. I didn't want to put it in the scenes where it happened in real time, because I thought it would made those scenes drag. I didn't want to do action flashbacks, because they would just interrupt any other scene. And I hate blatant exposition. I had the idea to have two men meet in a bar and tell each other the story of where they had been, catching up after a long time. It's near the end of the book, and it's at the beginning of a scene. Once they finish, more action takes place and the pacing changes. Once I figured that out, I wrote 3500 words without thinking. (First draft, obviously) Also, I watched your Body Language video before this one. I love how you use your hands at the end, when you talk about Body Parts and you gesture with your palms in as though you're bringing something into your body; and how you make a gun with your hand when you talk about Entry Wounds. I'm so glad I found your channel, so much to learn.

@johnjim6793 7 ай бұрын

There is a backstory scene in a later episode of "Breaking Bad" where Walter White tells someone about a time when he was a kid and visited someone in hospital (unfortunately I don't remember what episode it was and what the exact context was). Walter tells us how he noticed all the strange smells of different chemicals while walking through the hallways of the hospital. It creates a backstory that is completely in line with his character - obviously Walter has been a very analytical person as a boy already, being interested in all kinds of chemical details. A more emotional character might have remembered the flickering light of the neon lamps or the mood that the weather had produced that day. Dialogue lines like these are wonderful and a sign why "Breaking Bad" had some of the best writing ever seen on TV.

@briannewman9285 11 ай бұрын

The most significant problem with flashbacks is that you tend to lose stakes. For example, you clearly know the person narrating the flashback is going to survive the events that happened in the flashback. You have to address that problem. Maybe the real stakes involve what happened to a third character and at the time the flashback is being told, you don't know if the third character is alive.

@DavidDavyDavidson 11 ай бұрын

I love flashbacks. Assuming I trust the writer(s), then I get excited when one begins, because I know a revelation is coming.

@4shotpastas Жыл бұрын

I like flashbacks so long as they're properly triggered and fit the tone.

@ulrikof.2486 Жыл бұрын

I'm frequently using backstories (and parallel stories, eventually flowing together some time later). As I felt it would suck to implement long and winding flashbacks, these stories are simply own chapters, where the reader finds themselves in a totally different setting.

@l.tc.5032 Жыл бұрын

I think flashbacks like any trope is a story telling tool. And like any tool there are some places where they are very helpful and some places where they are are no help at all. Good flashbacks include Zuko's childhood in ATLA and The cause of death flashbacks of the humans in the Good Place. Bad flashbacks I'd say is anything involving Peter Parker's parents in The Amazing Spiderman movies.

@iancoltman5264 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for all of your pointers Brandon. Im curious what your thoughts are on stories with multiple main characters. Stories such as Game of Thrones that have splintered and convergent subplots that each have main character roles. Is it necessary to single out a main character in a vast world with moving parts and diverse settings? How many primary characters are too many? What types of story structures lend themselves to multiple primary characters?

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Lot to unpack here. I'll think this over and see about doing an "Ensemble Cast" video in the future. Thanks for watching!

@spacelinx Жыл бұрын

As I explore my writing style and technique, I've discovered I like telling backstory through dialogue. I don't particularly like the flashback method because I feel like it takes me away from the present moment of the story. I've read a few novels however where the flashback was handled very well and blended right in with the story without losing my present moment focus, or is brilliantly transitioned from flashback moment to present moment. Personally though, I prefer the dialogue method, probably because I personally like socializing in real life. I treat my dialogue in a similar way, as if the characters are right there learning about each other and helping each other out in the moment.

@zyvics Жыл бұрын

I only found your channel last night. I appreciate these videos as an amateur author. Do you have any videos about workflow/could you make one? My largest hurdle to finishing my projects are procrastination.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Here's a video I did on fighting procrastination: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7Voh8ebncCRe3k.html Another thing that has worked for me... Use a timer while writing. When the timer is on, all you can do is write (no checking emails, texting friends, etc.). When the timer clocks out, then you can check emails if you want.

@AvatarYoda Жыл бұрын

That "haunted gun" story sounds like a modern version of the sword Tyrfing, which once drawn cannot be sheathed until it kills someone.

@alraune8348 Жыл бұрын

Hi, a newbie here!😊 About flashbacks, I like them sometimes. I love the way Camilla Läckberg works with them. On every book, she,s telling a paralel past story related to the crime that,s being investigating. At the very beginning, you can not really see the relationship, but as the reading goes on, it changes and you can guess some things that will lead you to a conclusion...😁 That,s how I,d like to work in one of the next stories I have planned to write. Mixing chapters of past and present events. Let,s say that the main characters are a little old, so, it makes sense. Nice channel, by the way!😎

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. Best of luck with your writing!

@shutterchick79 Жыл бұрын

I feel the opposite way about flashbacks in crime stories. I like the suspense and "whodunit" involved in a crime novel. A big reveal at the end doesn't have the same impact if many flashbacks already hinted at what really happened.

@alraune8348 Жыл бұрын

@@shutterchick79 sure! But the flashbacks I am talking about are about people and events taken place perhaps decades before the crime was commited, so It,s hard to find a relationship. It feels almost like you,re reading two different stories on the same book.

@raspberryjuiceentertainmen719 11 ай бұрын

Breaking Bad using them as creepy/sad foreshadowing and making the world seem way bigger made me think of them in a new light

@baalfgames5318 Жыл бұрын

This is something I feel I might need improvement on. I don’t see flashbacks as inherantly bad, and tend to use them during slow chaptera, but I could review this video.