Back Story and Flashbacks

What's the difference? That's a good question. One all writers need to understand. My writing buddy Claire defined the difference in the following way:

• A flashback puts you in the head of the POV character at the time of the memory they're recalling; back story exposition keeps you in the head of the POV character now, as they look back and remember. Or as I like to think of it: flashbacks are active, they show an event from the past. Back story tells about the past.

She's on to something that others agree with. Tabitha Olson defines them in her post on Flashback vs. Back story:

• Back story: a summary of an incident that has happened in the character’s past.
  Flashback: taking the reader to the past incident and showing it to him through action and dialog.

 Lately, I've been trying to start my WIP at a different place, using my first scene as a flashback. I thought about starting in scene three and using scene one as a flashback there. Then I read Randy Ingermanson's post (linked below) and he said the following:

• Back story is a necessary part of any story. Strong back story makes a strong story. But in writing fiction, practice the fine art of withholding information. That creates mystery. It creates suspense. It keeps your reader reading.
  
  Can you hold off on showing any flashbacks until at least 25% of the way into your story? If not, then maybe the real story isn’t your story. Maybe your real story is the back story and you should have started sooner.
  
  Can you hold off on showing any flashbacks until you’re 75% of the way into your story? If so, you might have a real killer of a story. Remember, as long as you’ve got a secret, your reader wants to know it. Once you’ve told the secret, your reader no longer wants to know it.

That settled the question for me. The first scene, the one I've always seen as the beginning of the story, needs to be mentioned long before 25% in. Whew! That's a to-do I can scratch off the list. ;-)

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Here are some links you might find useful on this topic:

• Rachel Houck:  Back story,  Flashback, and Memory Moments: The Difference
• Randy Ingermanson "the Snowflake Guy": What Makes a Flashback Sizzle?
• Holly Robinson: Revising Your Novel: Is Back Story Clogging Your Narrative Flow
• Kristin Lamb: Why Flashbacks Might Be a Warning of Deeper Story Problems 
• Kristin Lamb: The Hidden EVIL of Flashbacks

 If your interested in a writing exercise on Flashbacks, check out this one at the Book and Writers Forum 

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Happy Writing! May your flashbacks and back story work out smoothly. ;-)  

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Pssst! It's here! Guess what I'm doing? ;-)