"B" is for backstory- you know, all that background info you need to know in order for the story to make sense, or for you to garner clues, or to fill out the character's history.
But too much of a good thing is sometimes tooooo much. Certain books (and we all have opinions which ones annoy us-I have a number of Pulitzer, Nobel, and bestsellers on my extensive list) that just bore me beyond screaming. Does that bother you as much as it does me? I don't need pages (and especially not chapters) filling me in on details I probably wouldn't miss if it was edited out.
Sometimes, though, there isn't enough, or the story's so good that you want more info, any scrap of additional info. Do you feel like that?
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Until tomorrow,
Ciao!
Char
But I need to know the *exact* color of so-and-so's hair, *how* he got that scar (even if he only was, you know, like 5 years old)... but then you know me, ever the word-hoarder. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI also give up on books that are beyond boring. Am in heaven when engrossed in a story - Just finished Wally Lamb's 'We are Water' and am now bereft ..
ReplyDeleteGarden of Eden Blog
It can be a challenge to work in the backstory details without weighing down the story.
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