I am a biologist trying my hand at a historical drama. And you are telling me that there is a FORMULA to creative writing !?! Girl, YOU HAVE JUST WON MY HEART!
By now you might have watched several of her videos but if not, you’re missing out. I’d recommend catching up for sure because she’s talking brain science and psychology and linking it to the craft of writing. It is simply riveting to see these connections being made…and proven out via case studies of movies and books. What scientist doesn’t like proof! She’s awesome!
@@nikkinewbie6014 Thanks for the reminder. I HAVE followed for a while, and intend to revisit her when I get back to a writing period. Merry Christmas.
Wow, as a person very far from humanities, who was never good at writing, it's amazing to see everything laid out in such a logical way, literally like science. I have never been so close to actually understanding what makes good writing good 😮 I will probably never write a novel, but these videos are just so satisfying to watch!
This makes me think of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, where Monique, the narrator, flashes back to moments in which her father teaches her to take deeps breaths in and out for a few second whenever something unpleasant happens, and this breathing technique calms her. She uses that breathing technique in the present, and it calms her down before she moves onto what she was about to do. She was nervous and panicky, and that's what triggered the memories. This flashback shows us a few things, 1) She and her father were very close, 2) What is about to happen is sort of like a bit of a turning point for her, and this is why she needed this memory of her with her father to give her the strength, and as reader once you read on, you see how this matters.
Flashbacks are going to be absolutely essential to My book , my main characters fear *is* the past , instead of saying “her fear is the past” I’m going to introduce her fear with flashbacks.
Flashbacks are going to be essential to mine too. My MC is recovering her forgotten (i know there's a better word. But for some reason I can't think of the word) memories during a criminal case between her and her husband. And I'm using flashbacks to help put the pieces together. As I'm writing my book in a similar format to the movie memento
That's nice. I'm working on a superhero character with a lot of power. Her fear is losing control or accidentally overusing her power and hurting or killing civilians. Basically to put it lightly my characters fear is using too much of her power and becoming a villian herself. She has to constantly be careful while fighting villians.
LOST did an amazing job with their flashbacks, theres a lot of flash back scenes and they are incredibly well written. they never feel like a set back, and they flow so naturally with the story its amazing.
Well, guess what, I just figured out that "make the reader hungry for the info dump" trick myself today. 😊 Glad you could confirm it! Perhaps the strongest, but also most risky way to do this: Make several things look like contradictions first, creating cognitive dissonance in the reader's brain, and then follow it up with the explanation. Now they're not just hungry for the information, they actively need it to correct a "problem" they've previously thought they had found in your story. Of course, this only works if you don't draw out the "fake plothole" for too long... and if the explanation you do end up providing in the end is logically sound, after all.
The way I integrated flashbacks in my book is actually pretty cool. The main characters are in a creative writing class, and every flashback is in the form of a non-fiction writing for class.
That reminds me of Jenny's character in The L Word. It was really interesting kind of piecing together what happened to her in her past through the short stories she would write for her creative writing course. The show gave insight into Jenny's childhood in a way that also created a window into her mind, allowing us to see this disorienting, twisted view of the past that seemed to warp her own self-image. What was really interesting was how Jenny seemed to be discovering things about herself and her past right along with the audience, trying to piece things together as best as she could and wading through the disturbing and seemingly altered/repressed memories in search of some hidden "truth" in order to find the "truth" buried somewhere in her stories. It felt very much like the whole "you have to suffer for your art" thing lol.
I needed to say this! I spent years looking for a decent writing youtube channel and I can't believe I found it! Your channel is super informative, engaging, funny, and has all the amazing tips to write a novel! It's like a free course with everything I needed! Thank you so much for sharing these videos! You're very witty, funny, chilled, and super cool to be around, even though there's screen separating us xD Love from Portugal and keep up the great work! You save writers' lives!
This was so helpful. I’m writing a time-based memoir and needed to understand how to insert flashbacks rather than just starting from childhood and laying out everything in a linear fashion. You definitely earned a subscriber with this one!
i am constantly surprised about the things i have written, then the ideas i have now and how they actually sync up more than I thought. Months ago I started outlining a 40 issue graphic novel. And only yesterday I had this idea of having a full "adventure" happen between book 1 and 2 (issue 10 and 11). I came to this video to see what I could do to tell that unseen adventure in flashbacks, and I realized i already have a PERFECT parallel in the "present day" narrative! Thanks for the advice!
six of crows is a really great example of good flashbacks to me!! the revelation(s) of Kaz's backstory flow particularly well because they have an appropriate trigger
My favorite use of flashbacks actually came in the form of a fanfiction called _Manacled_ . The story consists of 3 parts where the first part intruduces the reader to the main character - who has lost the past five years of her memory - and sets up the situation she finds herself in The second part is one continues flashback where an outside trigger basically makes her relive the parts of her memory that are missing and it sets the whole first part of the story into perspective (one of those stories with reoccurring "aha" moments if you decide to read it again) And the third part is the protagonists coming to terms with this new knowledge and obviously resolving the main plot of the story
I love Manacled, it's structured so well! And the placement of the flashback makes so much sense, plus it helps that it all happens as a single block. Kept me anxious to go back to the present moment to see where that left Draco and Hermione.
Yes! I was planning on organizing my novel to include flashbacks that I thought had information vital to the story. Almost all the writing advice says to avoid them, but flashbacks seemed to be the best way to avoid infodumps or an odd jumping timeline at the beginning. I don't mind flashbacks, but I also like when novelists include dreams and characters telling stories, so maybe I'm just weird. If they're short and well-done, I think they can really add to the main story. Vicious by V. E. Schwab is an example of flashbacks done well. It was so fun to read.
one exaple where flashbacks are done really well is in the show Arcane. all the episodes start with some form of a flashback for a particular character, who's arc is most important for that episode. these characters not only create a bond with the character and us viewers, it tells us why they acted, or will act in the series. it leaves us with questions to explore, and really 3D characters who, like in real life have reasons to act in certain ways, and stories tying them before the series actually started. this creates an atmosphere that feels truly "lived in".
I love how you're so passionate about internal conflict. I started writing several stories and could not get what was missing, until I watched one of your videos and it clicked. Thank you so much for that eye opening truth
I recently read the YA novel Summer Bird Blue and i loved it SO much. And it made use of flashbacks SO well, ESPECIALLY the one that went all the way back to when the protagonist was a tiny child and her father walked out on the family. Such powerful stuff when done well.
This video is reallyyy helpful for one of my stories surrounding a character of mine with amnesia and how she begins to remember her past slowly throughout her interactions with others
I think some of the best examples of well done flashback scenes are in Batman Begins. I realize that’s not a book but it’s the first thing I thought of as an example of flashbacks that were pivotal in understanding the protagonist’s headspace at the time the story starts. And they all came at points in the plot that made sense. There are four such scenes that come to mind and they each give the audience vital information about Bruce Wayne’s initial wound, his fear, his motivation / desire and /or his misbelief. I now view that movie with “new eyes” after watching your videos. I see much of the inner workings now. Part of me was afraid seeing behind the curtain would change my viewing experience. It did. But I’m happy to say for the better - I now appreciate the accomplishment that is Batman Begins even more so. I have true appreciation for the level of craft the Nolans employed to tell this story. They were able to reboot the franchise because of the way they told Bruce Wayne’s story. And I definitely mean story as the way Abbie defines it.
Your bookshelf display is beautiful, I love your use of color. I've been using some foreshadowing to hype up my flashback, hopefully I will be able to pull it off. I like your formula for creating flashbacks.
Huge help for my work in progress that covers multiple characters in multiple time periods. Key point: real-time event caused flashback. This was happening in my head but it wasn't on paper. This also helps solve story structure plot problems I have. Thank you!!
Thank you for this! The story I'm writing somehow decided it would have an insane amount of history between the characters from twenty years prior and I was getting nervous about trying to fit a whole bunch of flashbacks in without turning it into a mess! This and your other video on flashbacks helped a ton!
Your information is...beyond informative; it's brilliant! I had the trigger part down, yet hadn't given thought to relevance to the ongoing story. Now I do...thank you!
The book I'm currently writing is about this paranormal storm that is killing people with these creatures coming out from portals that looks like lightning bolts. My characters don't have any backstories but the storm does have a dark backstory. So this video helps me out. Thank you.
Thank you. This was very useful, funny that once you said it - it seems so obvious that one must generate/cultivate curiosity in the reader/audience and the backstory helps answer or inform or enrich the audience about the character and what shaped them.
The handmaid's tale (at least, the show) is an amazing example of connecting flashback to present scene. For anyone who hasn't seen or read it, it goes between a character's current particularly awful conflict and then flashes to an occurrence before everything happened that either: shows why they feel the way they do about the current moment, explains how it got to that moment, FORESHADOWS the present moment in some very subtle or less obvious way that kind of displays their blissful ignorance at the time, or for the more neutral scenes it shows an exact contrast from then to now. for example, something with an obviously darker context will be happening right now, and the character flashes to a memory from "before", like the last time they were doing this same action, but when it was just a normal activity/action in her life with no darker background (that they KNEW OF- as sometimes it will be sprinkled with little, or more strange, signs and hints of foreshadowing for why the character should have been concerned all along)
It's very interesting too, because it's a kind of story where it goes back and forth throughout each episode and each story is happening simultaneously in a way. Very interestingly structured!
Awesome tips, Abbie. There are so many bad flashback scenes in books and movies, and I suppose that does deter many writers from using the technique. Yet, when done well, flashbacks can be highly effective. Thank you for addressing this subject. 😃💝
I love the use of if flashbacks because I think one simple scene can give us SO much insight to a character or a plot point. If we’re reading a book and we don’t understand why a character is doing something, or why they have a certain belief-seeing a flashback shows us into their mindset and into what made things the way they are. Sometimes we don’t understand a flashbacks relevance until later in the story, but it does have to be triggered by a plot point in the present
Great video! Flashbacks have been really hard for me so I just didn't do them but this will help a lot. A really good example of a great flashback is the one in Rise of the Guardians with Jack Frost at the dark moment before he gets back up and is ready to fight again. LOVE that scene.
I always feel like flashbacks are a sign of having forgotten to leave necessary clues earlier in the story.. However, I think this argument for them might make sense. Ironically, my mind kept drifting to the candle flame behind you as you talked bout flashbacks. Sometimes, it was still and other times it moves in fast or unique ways. After a while, it felt like the flame was adding to the conversation about flashbacks. After all, the word flashback can also refer to fire and this fire, takes attention way and, provides relevance to the conversation, and returns with it. In fact, perhaps I noticed it because of the word flashback and how I know that term as a fire racing toward a source of oxygen.
Great information! You described the backstory in 10 minutes what would take a college course hours to describe. I am a fan of the backstory, I feel it best describes the character and how they arrived at their current place. To answer your question, Orange is the New Black.
So, a while ago I started with creating characters for this idea i have for my first book. And it's hard. But I believe I hit the jackpot for all the help I need now! And for flashbacks done right, once upon a time, it's a TV series, with lots and lots of flashbacks. And I love it.
Thanks, Abbie just completed the writer sprint with you and is about to write a flashback. Thanks again you are a beacon to the budding baby-boomer writer,🙏🙏🙏. Ok, it;s nose to the grindstone for me for the next little while✍✍✍✍🤔
My inner quantum physicist was not cringing but salivating. 👍🏼 Good stuff. Your videos are great! It really helped me to grow when you lined it up: question and the answer is the flashback! Very nice. In my book, I also have a reliable physical trigger that initializes my MC's flashbacks. I had already decided that, some time ago, but I was debating where to put some of the flashback sequences. What order do I put them in? I have specific triggers. So, I am limited to how many flashbacks I have allowed myself. These tips bring it all together. 😄 Thank you.
Love the advice, There's a fantasy book in wattpad with well made charcters and backstories/flashback, the story is well made, the author really planned her story well. I recommend reading it. (Flight school prey), (Flight school predator) then (Flight school hunter).
Talking about flashbacks, I was thinking that a good example, was in the movie A Few Good Men. When it goes back to the scene in in Col. Jessup's office. When they were talking about the screw-up who ended up becoming the victim,. Talking about whether to transfer him or keep him there and "train" him. It was inserted at the right moment, and had subtext going on, that gives the viewer suspicion. Causes us to wonder if the two Marines who attacked him may have been acting on orders, rather than on their own. While at the same time, gave some backstory into Marine officers.
The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin does flashbacks pretty well. I think the biggest jarring thing was the 100 year flash forward in that story, but I was already so invested in it that I kept reading, and I was very glad I did.
Wow thank you for this video! I often ask myself if my flashback concept would eventually backfire on me, but this video gives me hope that it could work. I did a similar thing, by following one characters present Perspektive and do brakes at the beginning of every chapter to go into the backstory, of the other main character. But here is the deal... the flashbacks happen during a time when one MC was significantly younger, so the reader won't really know till the end that this subplot is following the second MC all along(except they figure it out through the breadcrumbs I leave). Not only do we learn his backstory, we learn how this important, mysterious past conflict the first my learns about, really unfolded, from the perspective of the people that didn't have the privilege to write down history, hence MC two (its kind of a history is written by the Victor's theme). Anyhow I try to match up the flashbacks thematically so they mirror topics like loss, grief, trust etc in every chapter. By the end the reader will figure out that the story of both MCs is connected, and why they kinda end up to continue their journey together in the first place. I know this isn't making much sense without Givin more detail, but I still really hope I can pull this off anyways. Because it's a nice mystery for the reader to solve and makes MC2 so much more relatable by the end. It also ist groundwork for the next books in the series
One of my completed first drafts that I have plans to resurrect and finish tells the main character's backstory and life changing event in the first chapter but since much of the drama involves other main characters trying to figure out her past, it might be far more interesting if rather than have characters trying to figure out what the reader knows have the reader learn the main character's past as it's revealed to those characters thanks for the tip
Finally, someone who likes flashbacks. I'm a huge fan of non-linear storytelling. The best flashbacks I've ever seen is in Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archive.
Would love to hear you touch on IMPLIED backstory. I have a couple characters who have history but getting into the gritty of it in the story they currently inhabit would detract from the plot in such a jarring way.. Been trying to figure out how to convey to the reader that there in fact IS an interesting story to be told there... I'm just not gonna give it to them.. Yet ;-)
Words and actions usually do it i think? E.g: your character is scared of fire and has shown that through actions ( flinching away from candles, being paranoid about leaving the stove on, badgers a character to buy an electric stove ) and is later shown having a nasty burn somewhere disguised. You can infer by the actions and paranoia about stoves that they got severly burned likely in a house fire
As for a story that used flashbacks successfully, I'd have to mention Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour". There's a part toward the middle of the book where her character of Michael Murray goes to the Telamasca House and is given a file containing the information where the Mayfair family began. As Murray begins to read, we're transported into that world via the pages in the file. Mostly the letters and journal entries of Charlotte Mayfair. I guess the file would be the cause and the journal would be the effect. As for my story I plan on using the same method. I have a character in Howard who is given a large manila envelope containing some photostatic copies from a library containing the information he needs to find out why his family became like they did.
@@memma1101 The idea of books being used as a means of conveying information has always intrigued me. I mean you're reading a book, but the person you're reading about in the book is reading about people in books. How meta is that? As for my book, it's going to be a series. I've also got about six other books including a series of murder mystery novels with my main guy who is a lot like Idris Elba's John Luther series. I've got a lot on my plate. My author site is under construction at the moment, but you can find me at diannebdee.com
Also to answer your question, I know a movie that used flashbacks to cover essential factors of the characters. Speed Racer starts the film in a present-day situation as Speed gets ready for a race while he was getting ready, the film jumped into a flashback to Speed's childhood where we understand how he is interested in racing at a very young age and his big brother Rex Racer was the reason he's into racing. We learned that Speed's passion for racing started when he was a kid, along with Rex teaching him techniques about racing, an evil organization that wanted Rex eliminated, he had a girl who liked him at a young age, a mysterious betrayal from Rex as he abandons the Racer family, everyone turning on Rex for being a "dirty racer", which had its effect on Speed as he promised Rex that he wouldn't believe anything that is being said about him, the tragedy of Rex's death, and the impact it had on the Racer family when they saw his car explode during a race, all within Speed's opening race as he let Rex's record stand on the racetrack he was on. We learned so much about these characters in the first race of the movie compared to what we would have gotten from multiple separate backstories in the middle of a film.
My novel starts on a flashback XD, I remember during primary school how Flashbacks were one of my go-to methods in creative writing. I just couldn't help myself, to see how the story progressed due TO the flashback and not FOR it always brought a smile to my face. Now I'm trying to handle my word limit, not everyone would read a prologue with 4,000+ words or a chapter with over 6,000 words 😅😅 (It's kind of also because I like to add honorifics to my dialogue.)
I am a 13 and I just got into writing and I have started with fan fiction. I will be making books based of the green arrow show which as you might know it as a lot of flashbacks. I was very confused on how to do them cause they are very important. This as been extremely helpful,thank you
I'm eleven (I'm on my grandpa's phone cuz why not) and I'm writing a book as well,I literally just wrote flashbacks for my protagonist,and I did use a cause for it. Though I still needed the video. How's your book called? Where can I read it? It sounds interesting!
some of the most efficient flashbacks are in Leigh Bardugo’s Six Of Crows. they seem to follow the same trigger-flashback-significance pattern Abbie describes here. they never feel like an interruption or slow the pacing, and it gives just the right information about the characters at that right moment and it leads into the decision they can make that is the direct result of the thing that happened in their past
Quick question..... when is the best time to show flashback? Is it before or after the consequences of the flasback? For example, my character is terrified of heights, so should I show the flashback before or after he takes a leap of faith?
I love the video Abbie but what time can l introduce these flashbacks? l have a flashback in mind but don't know where to fit it in. Thoughts or tips for me?
Abbie, you are so awesome wholesome. I want my little girl to be like you! God, I love your eyes and eyebrows and the spark you have to educate all wanna be writers like me. You'd make any mother proud!
imho, another book in which the flashbacks were done very well, and were one of the most entertaining things is "how to stop time" by matt haig. not to mention they were the key factors of the book, they were very enjoyable to read, at least for me (i'd overall recommend that book it's one of my faves)
I have a character who is big on telling stories as the party travel and that's a device i'm using to both explore his grief over losing friends and party members form the inciting incident (A raid on their caravan) and also to inform the reader on why they were important. (One of the characters he tells such a story about is later revealed to have survived the inciting incident but both are unaware of each other's survival and are now on diverging paths.) Basically this mechanic will enable me to insert important history, information or flashback type content in a non jarring way and due to the fact that it's being told from the perspective of another, aurally, it allows me to change or tweak details later as the story goes on. Try to find creative ways to insert your history and back story instead of smash cutting to it after a chapter. There are plenty of options out there. Pre-cognitive dreams or prophecies are common too.
I have been struggling with the backstory for one of my characters, and it has been hard to write because of how much it is tied to the main conflict. This gives a different perspective that may help with that.
I write stories myself and every story has a flashback of the main character and sometimes the story of another character through the main character's eyes and how they were told all mine are tragic tho like in one how the main character lost his family in front of his eyes as a child sorry my grammar isn't the best it's my one flaw with writing that everyone notices but I'm trying to get better at it with help
Analepsis Analepses provide past information either about the character, event, or story-line mentioned at that point in the text (‘homodiegetic analepsis’, according to Genette), or about another character, event, or storyline (‘heterodiegetic analepsis’) (the term ‘diegesis’ is roughly analogous to my ‘story’).
Hey Abbie, when we put a flashback in our manuscripts... can the purpose be because we are showing a relationship between two characters to give the audience more of a well rounded view of that couple, or does there have to have major purpose like for instance discovering or uncovering information that now makes sense as to where the story is going?
I’m not Abbie XD, but I wanted to say that I think you can, take for example She-Ra the Netflix series where we get a few flashbacks to know how the relationship of the MC and the Antagonist was like before the plot. Of course the flashbacks were important because we got to see how the things that happened around them make them the way they act with each other and why their relationship end up breaking. I hope I’ve given a good example xd
I think making the audience understand a couple or an interaction better is a good reason to have a flashback. For instance in Buffy the vampire slayer, if your watching Spike and Drusilla you might be curious as to how the couple got started (because he seems like the dominant one), but when you see their history you see she’s actually the one capable of more evil and why. It makes us have new insight into them as people and look at them differently
wish I had this info a while back while I was doing my first draft of my WIP (now in beta-reader stage) I use a lot of flashback in my WIP but I do more of a "multiple timelines" approach to the story. I have a mainline story and when there is a scene break i put in a part of the flashback story. All culminating to right after the Protagonist hits the "breaking point" of this act (book 1 is act 1 of 3) so then you see what has been colouring his actions/attitude for the whole novel. To denote it's in the past storyline is i give the reader something to measure where they were, i.e.: saying "an 8 year old Kaaldor" or mentioning how long it had been since the last flashback scene i.e.: so much has changed since #### happened this morning" I may put the flashback scenes in italics to make it more clear but haven't decided yet.
Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole pulls off flashback better than any other book I've ever read. Check it out if you want another great example.
Dear Abbie. That was very helpful. I am still however struggling to see how to plot a story that is told non- linearly. But maybe I have confused story with exposition. Please tell me if I have it all wrong. My favourite novel ('The Moment' by Douglas Kennedy) has its central c 80% as an extended flashback, likewise his equally acclaimed 'The Pursuit of Happiness'. I am myself trying to write a novel that starts 'at the end'. My protagonist and first-person narrator is unemployed and fast-sinking into depression. Resolving to end it all, he is stopped at the very final moment (postponing his suicide) by the sudden urge to record his own story. ("I would not be silenced; not yet.") He grabs a pen and starts writing with avengence. This will be my 'central-80%' flashback which explains how he became suicidal. I understand, and am trying to use, the 8-point plot arc: stasis, trigger, quest, surprise, critical choice, climax, reversal, resolution. In my example, the point of flashback is the critical choice: not to commit suicide before writing his story This may be the stupidest question you've heard in a while. But how do you reconcile writing extended flashback(s), or starting 'in the middle of things' with the plot points? When the story is not told linearly, as mine cannot be, how should the plotting work? Do you treat the whole story as one unit even though you're not starting at the 1st plot point? How should plotting work with non-linear story telling? Tell me if I have grossly misunderstood plotting.
I am in sixth grade and I am working on a story called " Grindoreil : The plains " and I am thinking about adding a flash-back to the viking princess Kayla and why she is running away from her family. Thank you Abbie!
Okay, can I just point out The Wingfeather Saga, which does backstory *flawlessly* and makes it *super intriguing* in the last book? Andrew Peterson is and *incredible* writer. ^-^ He actually doesn't have the characters have flashbacks; it's sort of more like bits of prologue sprinkled throughout the story, but the way he does it is he has it on separate gray pages in short little snippets in between some of the chapters so it doesn't throw off the cause and effect.
I am a biologist trying my hand at a historical drama. And you are telling me that there is a FORMULA to creative writing !?! Girl, YOU HAVE JUST WON MY HEART!
By now you might have watched several of her videos but if not, you’re missing out. I’d recommend catching up for sure because she’s talking brain science and psychology and linking it to the craft of writing. It is simply riveting to see these connections being made…and proven out via case studies of movies and books. What scientist doesn’t like proof! She’s awesome!
@@nikkinewbie6014 Thanks for the reminder. I HAVE followed for a while, and intend to revisit her when I get back to a writing period. Merry Christmas.
@@ulrikschackmeyer848 Sure thing! Same to you and a Happy New Year as well!
Yes. I LOVE thinking story and science! I mean, it makes much more sense, right?
Wow, as a person very far from humanities, who was never good at writing, it's amazing to see everything laid out in such a logical way, literally like science. I have never been so close to actually understanding what makes good writing good 😮 I will probably never write a novel, but these videos are just so satisfying to watch!
You should try writing, even if it’s just a short story, writing is sooo we fun and you might like it.
Can I include backstory as well as Flashback in the same story
@@Bhaviya2345 flashback and backstory are the same thing, your flashing back to your characters past which is their backstory.
This makes me think of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, where Monique, the narrator, flashes back to moments in which her father teaches her to take deeps breaths in and out for a few second whenever something unpleasant happens, and this breathing technique calms her. She uses that breathing technique in the present, and it calms her down before she moves onto what she was about to do. She was nervous and panicky, and that's what triggered the memories. This flashback shows us a few things, 1) She and her father were very close, 2) What is about to happen is sort of like a bit of a turning point for her, and this is why she needed this memory of her with her father to give her the strength, and as reader once you read on, you see how this matters.
Flashbacks are going to be absolutely essential to My book , my main characters fear *is* the past , instead of saying “her fear is the past” I’m going to introduce her fear with flashbacks.
thats so cool have you finished it yet? can i buy it?
I too would like to read your story
Flashbacks are going to be essential to mine too. My MC is recovering her forgotten (i know there's a better word. But for some reason I can't think of the word) memories during a criminal case between her and her husband. And I'm using flashbacks to help put the pieces together. As I'm writing my book in a similar format to the movie memento
That's nice. I'm working on a superhero character with a lot of power. Her fear is losing control or accidentally overusing her power and hurting or killing civilians. Basically to put it lightly my characters fear is using too much of her power and becoming a villian herself. She has to constantly be careful while fighting villians.
That sounds amazing!!! If you publish it anywhere, could you reply? I'd love to buy it
Best information source on flashbacks I've encountered. I took 6 pages of notes on this, but I write big. Well done, Abbie!
LOST did an amazing job with their flashbacks, theres a lot of flash back scenes and they are incredibly well written. they never feel like a set back, and they flow so naturally with the story its amazing.
Well, guess what, I just figured out that "make the reader hungry for the info dump" trick myself today. 😊 Glad you could confirm it! Perhaps the strongest, but also most risky way to do this: Make several things look like contradictions first, creating cognitive dissonance in the reader's brain, and then follow it up with the explanation. Now they're not just hungry for the information, they actively need it to correct a "problem" they've previously thought they had found in your story. Of course, this only works if you don't draw out the "fake plothole" for too long... and if the explanation you do end up providing in the end is logically sound, after all.
The way I integrated flashbacks in my book is actually pretty cool. The main characters are in a creative writing class, and every flashback is in the form of a non-fiction writing for class.
Cool.... What's the book name?
That's a really cool way to insert flashbacks!! If you ever publish, I'd love to buy it!!!
That reminds me of Jenny's character in The L Word. It was really interesting kind of piecing together what happened to her in her past through the short stories she would write for her creative writing course. The show gave insight into Jenny's childhood in a way that also created a window into her mind, allowing us to see this disorienting, twisted view of the past that seemed to warp her own self-image. What was really interesting was how Jenny seemed to be discovering things about herself and her past right along with the audience, trying to piece things together as best as she could and wading through the disturbing and seemingly altered/repressed memories in search of some hidden "truth" in order to find the "truth" buried somewhere in her stories. It felt very much like the whole "you have to suffer for your art" thing lol.
@@kjlucky6501omg l word & jenny shecter mention!!!!!
I needed to say this! I spent years looking for a decent writing youtube channel and I can't believe I found it! Your channel is super informative, engaging, funny, and has all the amazing tips to write a novel! It's like a free course with everything I needed! Thank you so much for sharing these videos! You're very witty, funny, chilled, and super cool to be around, even though there's screen separating us xD Love from Portugal and keep up the great work! You save writers' lives!
The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Arrow do really well with flashbacks.
I loved your science analogies! They actually made the whole flashback thing make sense!
This was so helpful. I’m writing a time-based memoir and needed to understand how to insert flashbacks rather than just starting from childhood and laying out everything in a linear fashion. You definitely earned a subscriber with this one!
i am constantly surprised about the things i have written, then the ideas i have now and how they actually sync up more than I thought.
Months ago I started outlining a 40 issue graphic novel. And only yesterday I had this idea of having a full "adventure" happen between book 1 and 2 (issue 10 and 11). I came to this video to see what I could do to tell that unseen adventure in flashbacks, and I realized i already have a PERFECT parallel in the "present day" narrative!
Thanks for the advice!
six of crows is a really great example of good flashbacks to me!! the revelation(s) of Kaz's backstory flow particularly well because they have an appropriate trigger
Thanks, Abbie...the significance and justification for including flashbacks in a story are a lot clearer now. Rock on! 🎸
My favorite use of flashbacks actually came in the form of a fanfiction called _Manacled_ .
The story consists of 3 parts where the first part intruduces the reader to the main character - who has lost the past five years of her memory - and sets up the situation she finds herself in
The second part is one continues flashback where an outside trigger basically makes her relive the parts of her memory that are missing and it sets the whole first part of the story into perspective (one of those stories with reoccurring "aha" moments if you decide to read it again)
And the third part is the protagonists coming to terms with this new knowledge and obviously resolving the main plot of the story
I love Manacled, it's structured so well! And the placement of the flashback makes so much sense, plus it helps that it all happens as a single block. Kept me anxious to go back to the present moment to see where that left Draco and Hermione.
Yes! I was planning on organizing my novel to include flashbacks that I thought had information vital to the story. Almost all the writing advice says to avoid them, but flashbacks seemed to be the best way to avoid infodumps or an odd jumping timeline at the beginning.
I don't mind flashbacks, but I also like when novelists include dreams and characters telling stories, so maybe I'm just weird. If they're short and well-done, I think they can really add to the main story.
Vicious by V. E. Schwab is an example of flashbacks done well. It was so fun to read.
one exaple where flashbacks are done really well is in the show Arcane. all the episodes start with some form of a flashback for a particular character, who's arc is most important for that episode. these characters not only create a bond with the character and us viewers, it tells us why they acted, or will act in the series. it leaves us with questions to explore, and really 3D characters who, like in real life have reasons to act in certain ways, and stories tying them before the series actually started. this creates an atmosphere that feels truly "lived in".
great timing! this came in just when i'm struggling with flashback scenes OMG THANKYOU ABBIEE 😍
I love how you're so passionate about internal conflict. I started writing several stories and could not get what was missing, until I watched one of your videos and it clicked. Thank you so much for that eye opening truth
I recently read the YA novel Summer Bird Blue and i loved it SO much. And it made use of flashbacks SO well, ESPECIALLY the one that went all the way back to when the protagonist was a tiny child and her father walked out on the family. Such powerful stuff when done well.
This video is reallyyy helpful for one of my stories surrounding a character of mine with amnesia and how she begins to remember her past slowly throughout her interactions with others
Excellent tips. The questions you suggest asking yourself are really helpful.
I think some of the best examples of well done flashback scenes are in Batman Begins. I realize that’s not a book but it’s the first thing I thought of as an example of flashbacks that were pivotal in understanding the protagonist’s headspace at the time the story starts. And they all came at points in the plot that made sense.
There are four such scenes that come to mind and they each give the audience vital information about Bruce Wayne’s initial wound, his fear, his motivation / desire and /or his misbelief.
I now view that movie with “new eyes” after watching your videos. I see much of the inner workings now. Part of me was afraid seeing behind the curtain would change my viewing experience. It did. But I’m happy to say for the better - I now appreciate the accomplishment that is Batman Begins even more so. I have true appreciation for the level of craft the Nolans employed to tell this story. They were able to reboot the franchise because of the way they told Bruce Wayne’s story. And I definitely mean story as the way Abbie defines it.
Your bookshelf display is beautiful, I love your use of color. I've been using some foreshadowing to hype up my flashback, hopefully I will be able to pull it off. I like your formula for creating flashbacks.
Fantastic timing as always! I was JUST worried about writing a flashback scene in my Fantasy WIP 😊
Huge help for my work in progress that covers multiple characters in multiple time periods. Key point: real-time event caused flashback. This was happening in my head but it wasn't on paper. This also helps solve story structure plot problems I have. Thank you!!
Thank you for this! The story I'm writing somehow decided it would have an insane amount of history between the characters from twenty years prior and I was getting nervous about trying to fit a whole bunch of flashbacks in without turning it into a mess! This and your other video on
flashbacks helped a ton!
Your information is...beyond informative; it's brilliant! I had the trigger part down, yet hadn't given thought to relevance to the ongoing story. Now I do...thank you!
Thanks Abbie. The book I want to start writing uses a lot of flash backs and I needed this video.
The book I'm currently writing is about this paranormal storm that is killing people with these creatures coming out from portals that looks like lightning bolts. My characters don't have any backstories but the storm does have a dark backstory. So this video helps me out. Thank you.
The movie Into the wild absolutely nails the flashbacks. Great channel! Love your vibe and your background! Thanks Abbie, great infos!
I love how strategic you are about everything!
The flashbacks from The Lord of the Rings movies are just a whole other level. Never seen any better.
Thank you. This was very useful, funny that once you said it - it seems so obvious that one must generate/cultivate curiosity in the reader/audience and the backstory helps answer or inform or enrich the audience about the character and what shaped them.
The handmaid's tale (at least, the show) is an amazing example of connecting flashback to present scene. For anyone who hasn't seen or read it, it goes between a character's current particularly awful conflict and then flashes to an occurrence before everything happened that either: shows why they feel the way they do about the current moment, explains how it got to that moment, FORESHADOWS the present moment in some very subtle or less obvious way that kind of displays their blissful ignorance at the time, or for the more neutral scenes it shows an exact contrast from then to now. for example, something with an obviously darker context will be happening right now, and the character flashes to a memory from "before", like the last time they were doing this same action, but when it was just a normal activity/action in her life with no darker background (that they KNEW OF- as sometimes it will be sprinkled with little, or more strange, signs and hints of foreshadowing for why the character should have been concerned all along)
I LOVE FLASHBACKS!!!!!! Thanks Abbie, such great advice.
The series Once Upon A Time does flashbacks really well.
It's very interesting too, because it's a kind of story where it goes back and forth throughout each episode and each story is happening simultaneously in a way. Very interestingly structured!
Welp. Now I know why the ASL flashback hit so hard and now I'm having Ace feels. Thanks for that.
I used a flashback/vision in one of my chapters to add an important factor for my character's flaw, which is fear of failure.
This is so helpful. Like soooo helpful. I have quite a few flashbacks to write in my story right now and this has been such a big help.
Thanks Abbie. As usual, awesome!
Awesome tips, Abbie. There are so many bad flashback scenes in books and movies, and I suppose that does deter many writers from using the technique. Yet, when done well, flashbacks can be highly effective. Thank you for addressing this subject. 😃💝
I love the use of if flashbacks because I think one simple scene can give us SO much insight to a character or a plot point. If we’re reading a book and we don’t understand why a character is doing something, or why they have a certain belief-seeing a flashback shows us into their mindset and into what made things the way they are. Sometimes we don’t understand a flashbacks relevance until later in the story, but it does have to be triggered by a plot point in the present
Great video! Flashbacks have been really hard for me so I just didn't do them but this will help a lot.
A really good example of a great flashback is the one in Rise of the Guardians with Jack Frost at the dark moment before he gets back up and is ready to fight again. LOVE that scene.
bb this is EXACTLY what i needed
Had to make this my first video view of the day! Thank you so much!
Good video just one minor point, F = Gm 1 m 2 /r 2 is the law gravity, that's it. What you described at 3:30 is the theory of gravity.
I always feel like flashbacks are a sign of having forgotten to leave necessary clues earlier in the story.. However, I think this argument for them might make sense. Ironically, my mind kept drifting to the candle flame behind you as you talked bout flashbacks. Sometimes, it was still and other times it moves in fast or unique ways. After a while, it felt like the flame was adding to the conversation about flashbacks. After all, the word flashback can also refer to fire and this fire, takes attention way and, provides relevance to the conversation, and returns with it. In fact, perhaps I noticed it because of the word flashback and how I know that term as a fire racing toward a source of oxygen.
I love, love how you explain all of this with Science because I love Science💖
Great information! You described the backstory in 10 minutes what would take a college course hours to describe. I am a fan of the backstory, I feel it best describes the character and how they arrived at their current place. To answer your question, Orange is the New Black.
Thank you so much for this info, it really helped me make sense of where and how to use flashbacks for my story. Love you lots Abbie. You're amazing.
So, a while ago I started with creating characters for this idea i have for my first book. And it's hard. But I believe I hit the jackpot for all the help I need now! And for flashbacks done right, once upon a time, it's a TV series, with lots and lots of flashbacks. And I love it.
Flashback good
I like you
Thanks, Abbie just completed the writer sprint with you and is about to write a flashback. Thanks again you are a beacon to the budding baby-boomer writer,🙏🙏🙏. Ok, it;s nose to the grindstone for me for the next little while✍✍✍✍🤔
Omg I’m just about to write a flashback scene!!!!! Thank you Abbie!
P.S. You look super pretty in this video!
My inner quantum physicist was not cringing but salivating. 👍🏼 Good stuff.
Your videos are great! It really helped me to grow when you lined it up: question and the answer is the flashback!
Very nice.
In my book, I also have a reliable physical trigger that initializes my MC's flashbacks. I had already decided that, some time ago, but I was debating where to put some of the flashback sequences. What order do I put them in? I have specific triggers. So, I am limited to how many flashbacks I have allowed myself. These tips bring it all together. 😄
Thank you.
Love the advice, There's a fantasy book in wattpad with well made charcters and backstories/flashback, the story is well made, the author really planned her story well.
I recommend reading it.
(Flight school prey), (Flight school predator) then (Flight school hunter).
Hi, Abbie!! Love your videos, I'm learning so much! I especially love your recaps, Thank you!!
Talking about flashbacks, I was thinking that a good example, was in the movie A Few Good Men. When it goes back to the scene in in Col. Jessup's office. When they were talking about the screw-up who ended up becoming the victim,. Talking about whether to transfer him or keep him there and "train" him. It was inserted at the right moment, and had subtext going on, that gives the viewer suspicion. Causes us to wonder if the two Marines who attacked him may have been acting on orders, rather than on their own. While at the same time, gave some backstory into Marine officers.
Just found you on TH-cam. I love your tips and tricks in writing ...
Is your book one hundred days of sunlight a romance?😃
yes, it's a contemporary romance
The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin does flashbacks pretty well. I think the biggest jarring thing was the 100 year flash forward in that story, but I was already so invested in it that I kept reading, and I was very glad I did.
O'ren Ishii, Kill Bill. Best back-story EVER!!
The chaos of standing still does flashbacks really well! I recommend it!
Wow thank you for this video! I often ask myself if my flashback concept would eventually backfire on me, but this video gives me hope that it could work. I did a similar thing, by following one characters present Perspektive and do brakes at the beginning of every chapter to go into the backstory, of the other main character. But here is the deal... the flashbacks happen during a time when one MC was significantly younger, so the reader won't really know till the end that this subplot is following the second MC all along(except they figure it out through the breadcrumbs I leave). Not only do we learn his backstory, we learn how this important, mysterious past conflict the first my learns about, really unfolded, from the perspective of the people that didn't have the privilege to write down history, hence MC two (its kind of a history is written by the Victor's theme). Anyhow I try to match up the flashbacks thematically so they mirror topics like loss, grief, trust etc in every chapter. By the end the reader will figure out that the story of both MCs is connected, and why they kinda end up to continue their journey together in the first place. I know this isn't making much sense without Givin more detail, but I still really hope I can pull this off anyways. Because it's a nice mystery for the reader to solve and makes MC2 so much more relatable by the end. It also ist groundwork for the next books in the series
One of my completed first drafts that I have plans to resurrect and finish tells the main character's backstory and life changing event in the first chapter but since much of the drama involves other main characters trying to figure out her past, it might be far more interesting if rather than have characters trying to figure out what the reader knows have the reader learn the main character's past as it's revealed to those characters thanks for the tip
The law of causing idea is exciting ! Thank you it was helpfull
Thank you for doing more than telling not to use flashbacks. I need them!
omg this amazing thankyou i did have the first one right the what trigers flashback but needed a way and reason to write it out thank you
Finally, someone who likes flashbacks. I'm a huge fan of non-linear storytelling. The best flashbacks I've ever seen is in Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archive.
Would love to hear you touch on IMPLIED backstory. I have a couple characters who have history but getting into the gritty of it in the story they currently inhabit would detract from the plot in such a jarring way.. Been trying to figure out how to convey to the reader that there in fact IS an interesting story to be told there... I'm just not gonna give it to them.. Yet ;-)
Words and actions usually do it i think?
E.g: your character is scared of fire and has shown that through actions ( flinching away from candles, being paranoid about leaving the stove on, badgers a character to buy an electric stove ) and is later shown having a nasty burn somewhere disguised. You can infer by the actions and paranoia about stoves that they got severly burned likely in a house fire
Kung Fu was a TV show decades ago that used numerous flashbacks. They were brilliantly done.
As for a story that used flashbacks successfully, I'd have to mention Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour". There's a part toward the middle of the book where her character of Michael Murray goes to the Telamasca House and is given a file containing the information where the Mayfair family began. As Murray begins to read, we're transported into that world via the pages in the file. Mostly the letters and journal entries of Charlotte Mayfair. I guess the file would be the cause and the journal would be the effect. As for my story I plan on using the same method. I have a character in Howard who is given a large manila envelope containing some photostatic copies from a library containing the information he needs to find out why his family became like they did.
Dianne B. Dee that’s a really cool idea!! If you ever end up publishing the book, please comment back with it’s name so I can check it out!!
@@memma1101 The idea of books being used as a means of conveying information has always intrigued me. I mean you're reading a book, but the person you're reading about in the book is reading about people in books. How meta is that? As for my book, it's going to be a series. I've also got about six other books including a series of murder mystery novels with my main guy who is a lot like Idris Elba's John Luther series. I've got a lot on my plate. My author site is under construction at the moment, but you can find me at diannebdee.com
Dianne B. Dee thank you!! Good luck!!
@@memma1101 You are more than welcome. Take care and "Rock on!"
One Piece does flashbacks like a boss! SO damn good! They get me EVERY time! X'D
You're a gift from God Abbie thank you
She sure is!
Also to answer your question, I know a movie that used flashbacks to cover essential factors of the characters. Speed Racer starts the film in a present-day situation as Speed gets ready for a race while he was getting ready, the film jumped into a flashback to Speed's childhood where we understand how he is interested in racing at a very young age and his big brother Rex Racer was the reason he's into racing. We learned that Speed's passion for racing started when he was a kid, along with Rex teaching him techniques about racing, an evil organization that wanted Rex eliminated, he had a girl who liked him at a young age, a mysterious betrayal from Rex as he abandons the Racer family, everyone turning on Rex for being a "dirty racer", which had its effect on Speed as he promised Rex that he wouldn't believe anything that is being said about him, the tragedy of Rex's death, and the impact it had on the Racer family when they saw his car explode during a race, all within Speed's opening race as he let Rex's record stand on the racetrack he was on. We learned so much about these characters in the first race of the movie compared to what we would have gotten from multiple separate backstories in the middle of a film.
My novel starts on a flashback XD, I remember during primary school how Flashbacks were one of my go-to methods in creative writing. I just couldn't help myself, to see how the story progressed due TO the flashback and not FOR it always brought a smile to my face.
Now I'm trying to handle my word limit, not everyone would read a prologue with 4,000+ words or a chapter with over 6,000 words 😅😅 (It's kind of also because I like to add honorifics to my dialogue.)
I am a 13 and I just got into writing and I have started with fan fiction. I will be making books based of the green arrow show which as you might know it as a lot of flashbacks. I was very confused on how to do them cause they are very important. This as been extremely helpful,thank you
I'm eleven (I'm on my grandpa's phone cuz why not) and I'm writing a book as well,I literally just wrote flashbacks for my protagonist,and I did use a cause for it. Though I still needed the video. How's your book called? Where can I read it? It sounds interesting!
some of the most efficient flashbacks are in Leigh Bardugo’s Six Of Crows. they seem to follow the same trigger-flashback-significance pattern Abbie describes here. they never feel like an interruption or slow the pacing, and it gives just the right information about the characters at that right moment and it leads into the decision they can make that is the direct result of the thing that happened in their past
Quick question..... when is the best time to show flashback? Is it before or after the consequences of the flasback? For example, my character is terrified of heights, so should I show the flashback before or after he takes a leap of faith?
*Thank you.* 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Man, I actually did it right, unknowingly! 😆
'Naruto' strongly urged me to include one!
I love the video Abbie but what time can l introduce these flashbacks? l have a flashback in mind but don't know where to fit it in. Thoughts or tips for me?
Abbie, you are so awesome wholesome. I want my little girl to be like you! God, I love your eyes and eyebrows and the spark you have to educate all wanna be writers like me. You'd make any mother proud!
imho, another book in which the flashbacks were done very well, and were one of the most entertaining things is "how to stop time" by matt haig. not to mention they were the key factors of the book, they were very enjoyable to read, at least for me (i'd overall recommend that book it's one of my faves)
I have a character who is big on telling stories as the party travel and that's a device i'm using to both explore his grief over losing friends and party members form the inciting incident (A raid on their caravan) and also to inform the reader on why they were important. (One of the characters he tells such a story about is later revealed to have survived the inciting incident but both are unaware of each other's survival and are now on diverging paths.)
Basically this mechanic will enable me to insert important history, information or flashback type content in a non jarring way and due to the fact that it's being told from the perspective of another, aurally, it allows me to change or tweak details later as the story goes on.
Try to find creative ways to insert your history and back story instead of smash cutting to it after a chapter. There are plenty of options out there. Pre-cognitive dreams or prophecies are common too.
I have been struggling with the backstory for one of my characters, and it has been hard to write because of how much it is tied to the main conflict. This gives a different perspective that may help with that.
Great advice, thank y
I write stories myself and every story has a flashback of the main character and sometimes the story of another character through the main character's eyes and how they were told all mine are tragic tho like in one how the main character lost his family in front of his eyes as a child sorry my grammar isn't the best it's my one flaw with writing that everyone notices but I'm trying to get better at it with help
Your videos are great!
Analepsis Analepses provide past information either about the character, event, or story-line mentioned at that point in the text (‘homodiegetic analepsis’, according to Genette), or about another character, event, or storyline (‘heterodiegetic analepsis’) (the term ‘diegesis’ is roughly analogous to my ‘story’).
Hey Abbie, when we put a flashback in our manuscripts... can the purpose be because we are showing a relationship between two characters to give the audience more of a well rounded view of that couple, or does there have to have major purpose like for instance discovering or uncovering information that now makes sense as to where the story is going?
I’m not Abbie XD, but I wanted to say that I think you can, take for example She-Ra the Netflix series where we get a few flashbacks to know how the relationship of the MC and the Antagonist was like before the plot. Of course the flashbacks were important because we got to see how the things that happened around them make them the way they act with each other and why their relationship end up breaking. I hope I’ve given a good example xd
@@ayti9983 I was also thinking of She-Ra
I think making the audience understand a couple or an interaction better is a good reason to have a flashback. For instance in Buffy the vampire slayer, if your watching Spike and Drusilla you might be curious as to how the couple got started (because he seems like the dominant one), but when you see their history you see she’s actually the one capable of more evil and why. It makes us have new insight into them as people and look at them differently
Can I flashback by using a few paragraphs? Also, I love your videos!
wish I had this info a while back while I was doing my first draft of my WIP (now in beta-reader stage) I use a lot of flashback in my WIP but I do more of a "multiple timelines" approach to the story. I have a mainline story and when there is a scene break i put in a part of the flashback story. All culminating to right after the Protagonist hits the "breaking point" of this act (book 1 is act 1 of 3) so then you see what has been colouring his actions/attitude for the whole novel. To denote it's in the past storyline is i give the reader something to measure where they were, i.e.: saying "an 8 year old Kaaldor" or mentioning how long it had been since the last flashback scene i.e.: so much has changed since #### happened this morning" I may put the flashback scenes in italics to make it more clear but haven't decided yet.
Can you do a video on how to write realistic arguments?
Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole pulls off flashback better than any other book I've ever read. Check it out if you want another great example.
Dear Abbie. That was very helpful. I am still however struggling to see how to plot a story that is told non- linearly. But maybe I have confused story with exposition. Please tell me if I have it all wrong.
My favourite novel ('The Moment' by Douglas Kennedy) has its central c 80% as an extended flashback, likewise his equally acclaimed 'The Pursuit of Happiness'.
I am myself trying to write a novel that starts 'at the end'. My protagonist and first-person narrator is unemployed and fast-sinking into depression. Resolving to end it all, he is stopped at the very final moment (postponing his suicide) by the sudden urge to record his own story. ("I would not be silenced; not yet.") He grabs a pen and starts writing with avengence. This will be my 'central-80%' flashback which explains how he became suicidal.
I understand, and am trying to use, the 8-point plot arc: stasis, trigger, quest, surprise, critical choice, climax, reversal, resolution.
In my example, the point of flashback is the critical choice: not to commit suicide before writing his story
This may be the stupidest question you've heard in a while. But how do you reconcile writing extended flashback(s), or starting 'in the middle of things' with the plot points?
When the story is not told linearly, as mine cannot be, how should the plotting work? Do you treat the whole story as one unit even though you're not starting at the 1st plot point? How should plotting work with non-linear story telling? Tell me if I have grossly misunderstood plotting.
I am in sixth grade and I am working on a story called " Grindoreil : The plains " and I am thinking about adding a flash-back to the viking princess Kayla and why she is running away from her family. Thank you Abbie!
Okay, can I just point out The Wingfeather Saga, which does backstory *flawlessly* and makes it *super intriguing* in the last book? Andrew Peterson is and *incredible* writer. ^-^ He actually doesn't have the characters have flashbacks; it's sort of more like bits of prologue sprinkled throughout the story, but the way he does it is he has it on separate gray pages in short little snippets in between some of the chapters so it doesn't throw off the cause and effect.
I recently read the quadrology! It's amazing!
My story starts at the end of the relationship of two characters and through flashbacks, experiences, and encounters goes back to the beginning