Dribbling Backstory

Backstory trips up new authors and still troubles seasoned ones.

Question: What is backstory?

Answer: Anything that has happened to your characters before the first page of the book.

Question: What makes it hard?

Answer: Deciding what a reader must know to understand what he’s reading and what can be left to the imagination to build tension and hold interest.

Here’s 3 truths.

1.     Backstory dumps near the beginning kills novels.

2.     Stories must be understood to be interesting.

3.     So, the author must tell as little as possible and wait as long as possibe.

Here’s a couple of guidelines given by multi-published, multi-awarded authors. They help me.

In a fiction mentoring clinic, DiAnn Mills taught us to strive for no backstory in the first fifty pages.

At Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference, Angela Hunt told us to wait until about the 75-80% finished spot in your book to give lots of backstory. By then, the reader is invested in the character and wants to know what happened to him/her in the past.

 

Here’s some examples. Think about which you like the best and why.

Appearing on page 12 of Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

     Since the War Between the States, bandits from across the border had been raiding cattle off ranches in Texas. At least a hundred fifty thousand head had vanished, not counting the hundreds stolen by small-time outlaws hiding out in canyons within the state.

      By this time, the reader is well acquainted with the protagonist and his goal, motivation, and conflict.

Appearing on page 4 of Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure

     My father, with Uncle Gary’s help, had built it for Rachel and me when we were younger. In addition to being firefighters, the Gibson brothers owned a construction business.

     McClure gives this piece of insight into the treehouse which figures greatly into the story, but then she goes right back into the action.

Appearing on page 4 of Second Chance by Galand Nuchols

     Leroy looked toward the wizened garden he and his mother had tried to save. Buckets of water had been carried to peas, corn, and tomatoes.

     We get this tiny bit of backstory giving a view of the setting before Nuchols goes back to action.

On page 1 of Victoria and the Ghost by Janet K. Brown

     The expression of pain on Dad’s face was familiar since the divorce.

On the same page several paragraphs down.

     Dad gave Mom’s fancy French Provincial to the Salvation Army.

On page 13 of Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley

     He had come back to his hometown of San Antonio to fill a ranger’s position in Company D because his father’s health had taken a turn for the worse six months ago Then, he’d had a heart attack, and his dad had required a lot more care than Brody checking with him every day could give him. When his dad was released from the hospital, he came to live with Brody.

     This was a full paragraph after the reader has been introduced to the heroine and then the hero with dialogue and action included.

Another solution to the problem is shown by including a prologue as in Shadow in the Past by Melanie Roberson-King.

     Nine-year-old Sarah Shand struggled to keep up with her grandmother on their way to the stone circle. (This prologue continues on for 2 ½ pages.)

     Then in chapter 2, page 8, the first touch of backstory comes with this.

     Blair had been Sarah’s first serious boyfriend. They started dating the year she turned sixteen. She was certain he would ask her to marry him when they finished school and had even picked out her wedding gown and planned her big day.

     Then, the author goes back to dialogue.

Compare the above examples that were published with this example that needs work before it can be published.

This is the beginning of a novel I wrote before editing.

     Hannah Hastings was in a mess. If only James had stayed home with his family, but he hadn’t. He had deserted them to write his book, to make his mark. Then, a drunk driver cut his life short, and left Hannah with three kids to raise, no job, and little money.

     Notice this action all happened before the story began. It’s all backstory. How would you solve this?

 
Which example do you like the best and why.

I found these links helpful.

 http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-weave-backstory-seamlessly-into-your-novel

http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2005/08/how-to-write-backstory-without-putting.html

http://www.foremostpress.com/authors/articles/prologue.html

My best solution is dribbling only a few words at a time through the novel. What’s you best idea?

Kansas Book Festival 2012 - 4RV style

by Vivian Zabel  

The grounds of the Kansas Historical Museum set up for the book festival

          The minivan loaded with books and supplies headed north from Edmond, Oklahoma, its nose slightly airborne due to all the weight. The rain washed the vehicle clean all the way to Topeka by way of Emporia.

          Friday about noon, Melanie Robertson-King and Carla Ralston joined Jacque Graham and me at the Best Western Hotel. After we greeted and hugged each other, we moved our luggage to a suite where we had connecting bedrooms and began an old fashion slumber party -- but full of plain ol' hard work.

The table with 4RV YA, fiction and nonfiction with editor Carla Ralston, authors Janet K. Brown and Melanie Robertson-King behind publisher Vivian Zabel

Carla Ralston tries to stay warm

          Saturday morning, September 15, dawned cold, dreary, and wet. We hauled (well, mainly "they") boxes and boxes and boxes of books and materials from the van to our tables. Someone wanted pictures of what it took to set up. That's impossible. Take my word for it, with the help of 8 people, it took us over two hours, as we shivered and felt our feet become numb. Needless to say, the crowds stayed away -- until mid-afternoon when the sun decided to awaken and warm us a bit. Then the people began to flood the grounds, over 2000 of them. 

Galand Nuchols, Carla Ralston, Jacque Graham, Melanie King

          The book festival actually was a combination of conference and festival. Authors and other book related people held workshops in the museum and history center, found on two sides of the grass area where tents held a children's area, exhibitors, and special book signing area. 

The children's books table with gift bag for drawing

          4RV had two tables, and one table held nothing but a variety of children's books, and at the end the gift bag donated by Stephanie Burkhart for a drawing. We had several people sign up, and the woman who won loved it.

Janet K. Brown, Melanie Robertson-King, Galand Nuchols

          4RV had three new releases, with their authors present to promote their books, and one of our top editors at our booth: Melanie Robertson-King from Ontario, Canada and her debut novel A Shadow in the Past; Janet K. Brown from Wichita Falls, Texas and her first book Victoria and the Ghost; Galand Nuchols from Mt. Pleasant, Texas with her second 4RV book Leroy's Chance; and editor Carla Ralston from North Dakota.

          Also located in the exhibitors' tent were some of the award groups. They were looking for children's books and middle grade/young adult books, published in 2012. They left with three entries for the Bill Martin Jr. Award: My Cat, Porcupine's Seeds, and Rhino Crashes &Critter Classes. For the William Allen White Children's Book Awards, the representatives took First Flag of New Hampshire, Life on Hold, and A Shadow from the Past. Joining them soon will be Victoria and the Ghost and Leroy's Chance.

          We sold several books, more than usual at a book festival. All told, the Kansas Book Festival was a success for 4RV Publishing.

A few glimpses of the hard work:

Boxes under table after setup

Boxes under the other table after setup

       Hope these pictures give just a glimpse of some of the work involved.

Galand begins tearing down

Even husbands work - Charles Brown

Sisters help, too - Galand's sister

Melanie sells herself and her book

      And then there's the "job" of meeting, greeting customers and persuading them they want your book.  

We're in the News - from Alaska to Kansas

          Published on the digital version of The Edmond Sun:

September 11, 2012

Edmond publisher speaks at Alaska Writers Conference

The Edmond Sun

 

EDMOND — Edmond author, editor and publisher Vivian Zabel of Edmond was one of the featured speakers at the 2012 Alaska Writers Conference Sept. 7-9.

This three-day annual conference brings nationally known authors, agents, editors and publishers straight to writers, ready to share their knowledge of how to write well and get published. Many of these speakers have authored or worked on nationally recognized books, films, television and other media.

Zabel was to present one of the Friday Interactive Workshops — Keeping the Reader’s Interest: A workshop on how to write so that “action” and “showing” keeps a reader’s interest.

Her publishing company 4RV Publishing produced the Oklahoma Book Award winner in fiction for 2010; “Confessions of a Former Rock Queen” by Kirk Bjorngaard. Other books have received regional awards in their categories. 4RV has released children’s books, middle grade and young adult books, novels and nonfiction books. 4RV is a royalty paying, traditional press. Authors do not pay for being published. The company takes the financial risks.

As an editor for more than 35 years, an English and writing teacher for nearly 30 years, an author with poetry, articles, short stories and novels published (with a few writing awards), and the head of a small publishing company for more than five years, Zabel experienced both sides of the submission experience. She understands being rejected, too. Since all submissions go to acquisition editors anonymously, one of her own submissions to 4RV was rejected.

“That’s the only way to keep the company honest,” Zabel said.

Zabel also was to speak on pitching book ideas and tips for impressing agents, editors and publishers, and presenting a finished book to a group.

 
           Included in the same issue of The Edmond Sun:

4RV launches young adult paranormal books

4RV Publishing of Edmond will officially debut two young adult paranormal fiction books at the Kansas Book Festival Sept. 15.  The event will be at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, Kan.

“A Shadow in the Past” by Melanie Robertson-King and “Victoria and the Ghost” by Janet Brown will debut at the Kansas Book Festival.

Robertson-King will be flying to the festival from Canada to sell signed copies of her debut YA/crossover paranormal romance.

In “A Shadow in the Past,” ancient Scottish legends become a reality when Sarah Shand finds herself transported back to the Victorian Era. She falls for the handsome Laird of Weetshill, but will he simply be the next to break her heart? After all, he is spoken for...

Brown will sell signed copies of her new YA paranormal novel as well. 

In “Victoria and the Ghost,” Victoria, a 15-year-old city girl, loses her mother’s love and tries to cope with country isolation, no friends, and no one who cares, until she meets a ghost.

           At the time the press release was sent to the media, the company didn't know Leroy's Chance would be ready to be launched. However, Galand Nuchols will be at the Kansas Book Festival for the official release of her novel, too. 

          All together, 65 4RV titles will be available for purchase at Topeka.  All can be found on the 4RV Book Store, too.

 

More artsy terms ... Frontispiece

by Aidana WillowRaven

Time and again, I find myself explaining an art term to an author or publisher, because it's not a term often used in common speech, unless you're an artist or designer. To continue the theme of my last post: Boy, artists talk funny! What on earth is a triptych? And why does my artist think I'd want one? , today, I'll explain what a frontispiece is, show an example of one I've done, and how one can benefit your book.

For this example, we'll be looking at Second Chance, by Galand  Nuchols. 

The story is set in the past, so I wanted something traditional in look, something old-timey. After doing some thinking, and researching older books at the library, I noticed many older books had an illustration, usually an etching styled piece, directly opposite the main title page.

This illustration is referred to as a frontispiece. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary ...

fron·tis·piece noun \ˈfrən-tə-ˌspēs\

1 a : the principal front of a building  

   b : a decorated pediment over a portico or window

2 : an illustration preceding and usually facing the title page of a book or magazine

The second definition, is of course what I am referring to. Wikipedia embellishes on this with: A frontispiece is a decorative illustration facing a book's title page. The frontispiece is the verso (left-hand page) opposite the recto title page. Elaborate engraved frontispieces were in frequent use, especially in Bibles and in scholarly books, and many are masterpieces of engraving. The word may also refer to the title page itself, but this meaning is obsolete according to the Oxford English Dictionary. To the left, you can see the example posted on Wikipedia, and below, the frontispiece I did for Second Chance.

For the old-timey look I wanted, I went with a very earthy medium, charcoal, and used old photos from that era for models. 

Of course, the older publication is much more elaborate than my interpretation, but it serves the same purpose. For a non-illustrated book, it introduces the text much like the cover art does. It pulls the reader into the story a bit, before they even begin reading. The cover told them it had something to do with watermelons, wood chopping, and oil. A simpler time, as they say. The frontispiece gives more, it shows the main characters are two young boys, and hints at the period through their clothing. Kinda Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer-ish (which is also a hint of the types of trouble they get into). 

Now that you know what a frontispiece can do for your book, next time you have a non-illustrated book, maybe you can suggest one?

Aidana WillowRaven

Art Director & VP of Operations
4RV Publishing