I love character bibles! It's the best way to keep all that info together (and not forget it), but I find sometimes just as I'm reading through it, I realize how certain things are connected, and I get that feeling of 'everything falling into place."

I am pretty consistent with my characters' behaviors. I believe the reason for this is due to me seeing them as the real people they are (to me), and keeping a character bible to help me when any details get fuzzy.

Fantastic article!

Thanks, Jerold! Glad this helped you 🙂

Hi Matthew,

I think what you're saying here is that too many flashbacks or backstory will hurt the story, and that I do agree with. But how I think about the past/a character's history/what came before is that everything a character does or chooses will have a reason, and readers should feel that purpose as they travel with the character.

Think of it like subtext - not all information needs to be delivered directly for readers to pick up on what's really going on in a scene. No, we supply clues for them to pick up on so they put pieces together and they see what's going on underneath the surface.

Actions, choices, decisions, behavior...this is how we deliver subtext about backstory. How they act around one person, but not other people. What they choose to say or not say. What they avoid, the fears that irrationally steer them. Biases. Misbeliefs. All of these things show readers that something more is going on, and they act as backstory hints that their behavior isn't random, that something is driving what they do/say/think/prioritize/etc.

Provided we dole out clues about behavior in a way that gets readers wanting to know the 'why' behind what the character does, I think we can go back and show a little backstory if it is important to. But only if we've primed the reader well, AND the information lines up with the scene's events & purpose. In other words, the information is delivered at the right time for the biggest impact.

The trick is to never dump, and if it's a flashback, to get in and out efficiently so we don't disrupt the pacing more than necessary. But if readers are primed and 'need to know' they will devour tidbits of the past as it gives them more pieces to put together to better understand the character and importance of the situations and circumstances they face (stakes).

There are special, modern, exceptions. Robber Bride, the only Atwood I've read, seems like an exercise in such character formation.

What do you think?

Glad you enjoyed this one, Christine!

Ah, you are so lovely, Lynette! Very glad my thoughts resonate.

We have all read books where there was a character (or cast of characters) that honestly felt like they walked out of the real world. We understood them - their struggles, beliefs, viewpoints, decisions, mistakes. That happened because the author truly understood the character at their core, and communicated it through consistency.

Putting in the work to develop our characters is always so worth it. 🙂