2 June 2026·3 min read
How much backstory, and where to put it
The timing of backstory can matter as much as the amount.
Find a long passage of background in your opening chapters. Read what comes immediately before and after it.
What does the reader need to know to follow the scene? What could wait? Try moving the background later and see whether the opening becomes clearer or more confusing.
Let a question lead into it
Background often fits naturally when it answers something the scene has made us wonder about.
Look for that point of curiosity. You may be able to move a passage there, shorten it or spread it across several moments. Keep the details needed to understand the present action.
Try a telling detail
A small action can suggest a history without explaining all of it.
For instance, what a character does with her hands when someone raises their voice may tell us something about what she expects. It won’t replace every piece of background, but it can make a useful beginning.
Read more
These books explore the ideas in more detail, with examples you can try in your own work.
Steering the Craft · Ursula K. Le Guin
Exercises in sound, rhythm, point of view and other choices in prose.
Hooked · Les Edgerton
A close look at openings and how they draw a reader into a story.
On Writing · Stephen King
A memoir of writing alongside advice on drafting and revision.
For feedback on your own draft, Karlove offers a letter with examples from your pages, reviewed by Aksel before it's sent.
Stuck on your own draft?
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