Inspired by a post found on Pinterest, we’re talking about the good and bad behind utilizing flashbacks in your writing. There’s an art behind it, and always a purpose.
Use a flashback to propel the story. Giving backstory to the plot or character can really help your reader understand and comprehend why the plot is unfolding the way it is or why the character’s personality is molded into the current personality (always in correspondence with the plot.)
Don’t spend too long in the flashback. If you’re wandering around and talking about unnecessary details then you’re spending a whole chapter wasting your reader’s time.
Does the flashback serve the “current” time any justice? If it does, keep it. Like we’ve discussed – use it in conjunction to the story line of your story’s present. The flashback could lose its meaning.
Flashbacks are great for any genre…but our personal favorite is the one that gives you the chills. Adding suspense, chilling clues, a haunting past…makes for a helluva scary tale.
Love the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt GIF!!! 🙂