Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with Gail Gaymer Martin

February 27, 2001

 

Hosted by: Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher/Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity.

Anne McDonald: Lord, thank you for taking care of the little details of our lives. Thank you for getting Gail online, and bless her husband for his help. Bless each participant tonight. Guide and guard our conversation and help us be better writers for you. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Marcia: Amen! (And please keep us all online throughout the chat)

Anne McDonald: I’m pleased to introduce Gail Gaymer Martin as our workshop leader tonight. She is the author of 8 novels, 5 novellas, and 14 church resource books. Gail, thank you so much for coming. The floor is yours.

Gail Martin: I thought tonight we'd talk about backstory. I think it's one of the most difficult things to work with in a story - and I'd like to offer some tips and ideas how to handle it. Then I'll open it up to questions.

In fiction, every issues within the hero’s and heroine’s past is often that "unwanted baggage" that causes them to fear commitment, reject love, distrust individuals, or a multitude of other problems that create the story’s major conflicts. No matter what past even--a difficult childhood or a dark secret, BACKSTORY creates motivation, goals and conflict for the main characters.

Backstory is all of the action that occurred in the characters past before the story begins. It includes the individuals’ relationships, health, education, upbringing, failures, successes, romantic experiences, and Christian background. Just like our own lives, these details mold the character into an individual with certain traits and attitudes.

Creating well-developed lives for main characters helps to shape the characters present and future-- So author’s fill out character sheets, interview their imaginary hero and heroine, write biographical sketches, or a variety of methods to get to know their characters. This information is used to create believable, realistic individuals with whom the reader will relate. It will give characters’ rational behavior, showing their fears, perceptions, and attitudes. Warning - not all backstory information is presented to the reader, but it is used by the author to bring about credible actions and reactions as the story progresses.

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