Handle Back Story Like A Boss {Guest Post: Author Carla Laureano}

It's my extreme, bucket list pleasure to host multi-published, RITA (!!) award-winning author Carla Laureano. She's one of my favorites and one of the smartest people I know. Take it away, Carla! 

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If there’s one thing that separates the men from the boys…ahem, the skilled writers from the newbies…it’s the handling of back story in a novel. It happens to be one of the areas of writing that has the most “rules” attached, many of them contradictory. Make sure your characters have a history…but don’t tell us about it. Sneak the important information into the text…but don’t info-dump! How do you reconcile those conflicting requirements?

Let’s first take a look at what back story is and isn’t. Wikipedia, that fount of all internet knowledge, defines back story as “a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot” and adds that it is a literary device “employed to lend depth or believability to the main story.” (See, sometimes Wikipedia is right!) Back story is something that the author uses to give the sense that the characters lived before the story began and will continue to exist after the story ends. It’s the difference between cardboard cutouts and living, breathing people.

Important as this character history is, however, it is not the main story. Spending page time on something that doesn’t relate to the current conflict can stagnate your plot and stall your pacing. So the big question becomes: how do I convey that information in a way that is both effective and seamless?

The key is to limit the information only to what the reader needs to know at this moment. There are three primary ways to do this:

Interior Monologue 

In my contemporary romance Five Days in Skye, heroine Andrea comes off as being completely in control of her life and her future, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I could have easily spent pages detailing the history of her insecurities, but in chapter three where this passage occurs, the reader only needs to know that there is something deeper going on behind the scenes.

As she turned away from the mirror, the gold cross resting at her collarbone caught her eye. Her fingers drifted to the necklace, and she rubbed the cool metal pendant between her fingers. The symbol felt like a lie now. What would her mother think if she could see what she had become? Would she be proud of what Andrea had made of herself? Or would she be disappointed that a piece of jewelry was all she retained of her past?

By detailing Andrea’s thoughts in a short paragraph, I was able to hint that she had once possessed faith and lost it, that she’s running away from her past, and that her mother is either dead or out of the picture, all without exposition or taking the reader out of the current moment. These things are revealed in detail later, but for now, we only need the hint of things to come.

Dialogue

Likewise, dialogue can be a great way to get information about a character’s history without resorting to long passages of narrative that might take the reader out of the moment. In Oath of the Brotherhood, the first book in my Celtic fantasy series, Conor has tentatively made friends with Aine, but he knows very little about her beyond the fact she was raised outside of Seare.

When Aine diverged into specific Ciraean military tactics, Conor just stared at her, speechless. He finally managed to squeeze out, “Where did you learn that?”

Aine blushed. “All highborn children in Aron are schooled in the strategy of warfare, since women can inherit clan leadership.”

“Will you someday?”

“Not likely. I’m third in line after my two uncles. They still drilled these things into my head, though. We studied the Seareann conquest in great depth.”

“Can you fight, too?” Conor asked.

She shrugged. “I have some talent for archery, but I never really applied myself to it.”

During this class session with their tutor, I was able to shed some light on Aine’s personality, her history, and the differences in her upbringing through dialogue, all of which are important in their developing relationship and soon afterward in the plot.

Narration

This is the most common place to slip in backstory, through either straight-up author narration or by using visual cues that help fill in the blanks. This method also tends to be most problematic, because many authors simply spend too many words on history that doesn’t directly relate to the story.

I ran up against this problem in my upcoming contemporary, London Tides (June 2015). Understanding my hero’s and heroine’s shared history is key to understanding their current relationship, but it didn’t make sense to have them reflect on their past or discuss events for which they were both present. I got around this by using physical description of significant objects (along with a little interior monologue) to convey the necessary information.

[Grace] bypassed Ian’s room and wandered into the spare he had set up as a gym. A weight bench with a rack of free weights stood in one corner, while his rowing machine—the erg as rowers called it—took up the center of the room. On the far side lay his trophy wall, displaying a collection of shadow-boxed medals and framed photos.

There were several pictures of Ian with his Cambridge crewmates in their iconic light blue blazers, along with framed newspaper articles showing the outcomes of the five Oxford-Cambridge Boat Races he’d rowed in—four wins, one loss. Five world championship gold medals from his time on the British national team, one in the juniors and four more in men’s and veterans’ classes. And in the place of honor in the middle, his framed Olympic silver medal.

Grace remembered when he had won that, or lost the gold, as he regarded it. Three full boat lengths ahead of bronze, and yet it was the half-second behind gold that had haunted him.

In three paragraphs, we get a clear picture of what kind of man Ian is and the successful career he had given up for Grace over a decade ago. Since long passages of this type quickly get clunky, I limited the amount of narration and immediately got back to the action of the story.

Now it’s your turn: what’s your biggest challenge with back story in your current manuscript? What’s your favorite method for conveying character history? 

{GIVEAWAY} Comment below to win Carla's latest Celtic fantasy release, Beneath the Forsaken City, the anticipated second installment in the Song of Seare series. (US residents only, please)

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About the Author:

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award winning author of FIVE DAYS IN SKYE and the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C.E. Laureano). She's an avid cook, an enthusiastic but untalented singer, and a thwarted world-traveler. She currently lives in Denver with her patient husband and two rambunctious sons.

Connect with her at:

 

Web | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest

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{About Beneath the Forsaken City}

Conor and Aine have barely escaped Seare with their lives. Conor knows he must return to find the harp that could end the Red Druid’s reign of terror, but in the midst of their escape, he and Aine are torn apart once more. 

Surrounded by despair and thrown into as much danger as they left behind, Conor and Aine must cling to the whispers of Comdiu’s plans for them and the homeland that depends on their survival. But at what cost? 

Will they learn to depend on Comdiu completely? Or will they give up hope?

Tips for Revisiting a Shelved Manuscript

This week, I'm working on getting my manuscript back to my agent with edits. It was a lot harder to dust it off when I hadn't really looked at it in months. And since then, I've been working on a project with a completely different tone, POV, and tense, so it took a little adjustment!

I'm sure you've read about this topic before, but here's some advice I've collected about returning to a project after an absence, whether you're revisiting edits, restarting a project that had been shelved for another, or reviving something you once believed was dead. The process is different for everyone, but hopefully you'll find something that works for you. It's worth a try. I promise!

Step 1 (for me): Reread what I've already written like I'm reading a book by a different author. To get back into the "voice" of my story and be able to successfully pick up where I've left off, I reread what I've written as removed as possible for a few purposes. I see if there are any major elements like choppy flow or inconsistencies that need to be fixed later (not yet!), but I mainly do this to see if it provides inspiration for how to continue the story.

Write off-script. If something inspires a non-canonical scene between my characters that has nothing to do with the intended timeline of the story or events in the envisioned plot, I write it anyway. If it helps me get reacquainted with my characters, it's worth it. And most of the time, I discover fun new layers to them, which gives them more depth in the actual story. Rewriting a meaningful scene from a different character's POV can also have this effect.

Don't be afraid to start from scratch. Even though it can be agonizing to cut precious word count and can feel like the most dejecting, derailing thing you can do to lose steam on a project (is this only me?), I'd venture to say that it's almost always more advantageous and timely to start an ailing scene over from scratch than to try to fix an existing mess.

Remember that you've grown as a writer since you started this project. Honoring that in all of your decisions ensures you produce the best story you're capable of producing! This technically was supposed to go with the last point, but I think it's important enough to deserve its own section!

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Since I'm a self-professed "recovering know-it-all", I thought I'd open the floor to advice from some of my experienced author friends on returning to a manuscript, including the benefits some distance can provide. It's rehabilitating for me and educational for you :) Here's what they had to say:

Brandy Vallance, award-winning author of The Covered Deep (Releasing TODAY!!):

I came back to The Covered Deep after a lot of time had passed, and I actually rewrote about 60% of it (I think that was draft six?). Try to get tension on every page. Always heighten your scenes--make them bigger, bolder, and raise the stakes. Bring in the five senses. Layer your plot. And always portray real emotions. 

Carla Laureano, RITA® Award-winning author of Five Days in Skye and Oath of the Brotherhood:

Stepping away from a manuscript allows me to approach the story from the outside, as a reader and not a writer. I deliberately build some ' shelf time' into my writing process because I find it makes me a clearer and more efficient editor. 

Nicole Deese, inspirational contemporary romance author of the Letting Go series and A Cliche Christmas:

When you're rereading, don't look at all the things you know you need to fix like all the improved craft techniques and flaws of early writing. Read at least three excerpts from each of your characters. Read high and low moments. Emotional moments. The black moment if you have one written. Fall back in love with your characters.

Jessica Keller, multi-published author of Searching for Home, the Goose Harbor Series, the TimeShifters series, and more. 

Time away from a manuscript that isn't working helps me because, when I come back, I can see the characters in a fresh way and spot plot issues right away. Weird thing here - I make music mixes for every manuscript. I'll walk away from writing and when I decide to come back to it (or am forced to for deadline), I listen to the music mix for a day or two before I start writing. It helps me get in the characters' mind frames and understand their emotions. For some reason I can always finish the book after that. 

Jaime Wright, historical romantic suspense author represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary:

Returning to a stalled or shelved manuscript can be like returning to an old friend. If you can see the potential of a continued relationship and growing along with each other, the renewed friendship doesn't seem nearly as daunting. (And a good cup of coffee always helps to bind you together.)

Amanda G. Stevens, author of Seek and Hide, Book 1 of the Haven Seekers series:

The key for me is to get back into the character's head. What is he thinking/feeling at the point I left off, what is his goal, and how far will he go to get it? Sometimes I'll get past the stall by hand-writing that next scene in first person, present tense in a notebook (my books are third person, past tense). That gives me an instant POV link. I let the character ramble as much as they want. Pretty much I just free-write until I'm no longer stuck. Then I'll go back, of course, and rewrite it to third/past. As an extension of the "character interview" process, I have asked a character, "What is wrong with you, _________? Why won't you do what I want?" And I write out the character's reasons for not cooperating with me. That often shows me what they DO want or what they WILL do after I check off numerous things they won't do. So from there, I just started writing the scene itself in first person and I got results way faster.

What are some of YOUR best tips for reviving an older project? Is there one in your life that keeps coming back to you?

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who enjoys stories of grace in the beautiful mess. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and received the Genesis Award in 2013 (Contemporary) and 2014 (Romance). Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Is Writing in Multiple Genres For You?

Today I am so excited to welcome to the Alley one of my favorite debut authors--and quite frankly one of the coolest chicks I know--the incredible, smart, versatile, and sassy C.E. (aka Carla) Laureano!


The single most frequent question I get asked by other writers is: how did you get published in two genres simultaneously? It’s usually followed by the statement, “I’ve always wanted to write multiple genres, but everyone tells me to pick one and stick with it.” I’m proof that it is possible to write in more than one genre at the same time. But the bigger question is, should you?

I didn’t actually intend to start out publishing in two genres, but a series of most likely unrepeatable circumstances ended up bringing me two offers simultaneously—for two different book series in two different genres. Never one to turn down an opportunity or a challenge, I accepted both, with the caveat that we had to arrange my release dates not to conflict with each other. I was already writing three books a year, and the second books in both series were already partially completed. Surely I could manage to write another two and a half books in two years?

Carla's Debut Contemporary Romance

The thing I didn’t realize is that two book contracts don’t mean twice the work. They mean an exponential amount of work. I’m often working on three, four, even five books at the same time in various stages of production. At one point, I was marketing my first romance while editing my first fantasy, rough drafting both the second fantasy and the second romance, and plotting the third fantasy.

Add in a heavy amount of promotion for each series—including multiple guest posts per week, social media chats, and my own blog—and it’s easily two full time jobs on top of my regular schedule. That leaves very little time for little things like eating and sleeping, oh yeah, and breathing.

 

Does that mean I would have done things different? No, not necessarily. But I also recognize that this pace is not something that everyone can sustain, nor do I recommend that everyone try. I tend to be happiest when I’m busy and multi-tasking, and I spent most of my career in a high-volume, high-stress corporate environment. Even so, the pace takes its toll. I have to be intentional about taking time for myself to recharge and connect with family and friends. However, to be successful at writing in two genres simultaneously (especially if you’re writing under a pen name for one or both), you have to treat each genre like a separate endeavor. You can’t slack off on marketing one genre while you’re busy with another; otherwise you’ll lose the readership you tried so hard to build. In my case, the overlap between my contemporary romance and fantasy readership is not as large as it would be if I wrote contemporary romance and romantic suspense. This is where the one-genre authors have a big advantage: they can devote their full attention to developing and maintaining one readership while writing books only for that readership.

So, some questions to ask yourself before you dive into the madness of multiple-genre publishing:

1) Do I have the time, energy, and emotional wherewithal to devote to what amounts to TWO full time jobs, on top of my regular day job and family responsibilities?

2) Can I shift gears from one project to another without losing focus? Will it be a problem for me to write a contemporary romance while editing a mystery?

3) Do I have the energy to maintain social media and marketing presence for two separate audiences?

4) Am I prepared to drop one genre/series should the other one prove to be much more profitable and demand more of my time?

All this assumes, of course, that you are pursuing traditional publication for both genres and that your publishers don’t require restrictive non-compete or first-rights clauses. Some authors choose to maintain a traditional publishing deal for one, while self-publishing the other. This has the advantage of letting you work your indie deadlines around your traditional publisher’s schedule. But it also means the entire responsibility for editing, cover design, formatting, marketing, and sales will fall on you for one genre.

Bottom line: pursuing publication in two genres can be a great opportunity when undertaken as a part of a thoughtful business plan with a full understanding of the challenges that are entailed. But for many writers, especially those with day jobs or multiple responsibilities, taking it slow with one genre at a time may be the best choice.

Is there anything else you want to know about my experience writing multiple genres? Ask me below!

I’m happy to share my thoughts.

About Me

C. E. Laureano has held many jobs—including professional marketer, small-business consultant, and martial arts instructor—but writer is by far her favorite. She was a finalist in the speculative fiction category of American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2012 Genesis contest, and she is active in ACFW’s South Denver chapter. Author of one previous novel—the 2014 RITA Award double-nominee, Five Days in Skye—Laureano lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

Connect with her: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest

 

 Don't miss her Fantasy DEBUT!!! 

 

Oath of the Brotherhood 

An island at the edge of the world. An ancient prophecy. A reclusive warrior brotherhood. When evil encroaches, who will find the faith to fight it?

To his clan, Conor Mac Nir is a disappointment—gifted with a harp, but hopeless with a sword. To the beautiful young healer Aine, he’s one whose gift calls out to her own . . . and captures her heart. To the reclusive warrior brotherhood called the Fíréin, he may be the answer to an ancient prophecy . . . if he can be trained to fight. Can Conor and Aine find their true path as an ancient evil engulfs the isle of Seare? Must Conor sacrifice everything he loves, even Aine, to follow the path God lays out before him?

 

Buy now at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook.com

LOVED having you as our guest on the Alley! We are so excited about all your success!

-Amy & the Alley Cats

 

THANKSGIVING--- Author Style!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from The Writer's Alley!

What are AUTHOR'S thankful for this year?

I set out on a quest to find out just that-- and here is what I got!

Jody Hedlund, author of Rebellious Heart

"I'm thankful for a bottomless pot of coffee, a laptop that didn't die this year, and for fun-sized candy bars that fuel my creativity."

Tamara Leigh, author of The Unveiling (Age of Faith)

"I am ever so thankful for the ability to self-publish books for which my publishers did not believe there was a market--and, of course, the readers who are proving there is."

Kristin Billerbeck, author of A Billion Reasons Why

"I'm thankful that I've got my writing mind back. It was such a stressful couple of years that I really wasn't able to have much creativity. I'm so grateful those dark years are past and that I feel the hope of future books in my system."

Lisa Bergren, author of Glittering Promises: A Novel (Grand Tour Series)

"I'm grateful for the chance to slow down a bit. I was edging close to burn-out! Rest is a good thing for the creative cycle."

Becky Wade, author of Undeniably Yours

"I'm so thankful for Dani Pettrey, my author friend and prayer partner. For two years she's prayed over my writing (and occasionally my family and my health) every single week. We've helped each other keep perspective on this sometimes thrilling sometimes discouraging work we've been called to do."

Patrick Carr, author of The Hero's Lot (The Staff and the Sword) 

"I'm thankful for finding out it's not just my immediate family who likes what I write."

Keli Gwyn, author of A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California

"I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had to encourage new writers this year."

Liz Johnson, author of SEAL Under Siege (Love Inspired Suspense)

This year I'm especially thankful for a critique partner who doesn't take it easy on me. Sometimes her red marks feel like a chainsaw, but then I realize they're more like sandpaper, polishing the rough edges I left on my manuscript. Every time I turn in a story after she's worked on it, I know I'm turning in a better project. Thanks, Michelle! "
 

Carla Laureano, author of Five Days in Skye: A Novel

"I'm thankful for the writing friends with whom I've shared the joys, tears, and glorious insanity of this publishing business. Without them, I wouldn't have made it this far!"

Melissa Tagg, author of Made to Last

"What I'm thankful for...oh wow, I could talk (write?) your ears off about that, but in a valiant act of brevity I'll simply say I'm SO thankful for all the people who made my very first book release so special. Family, friends, mentors, my awesome agent and fabulous editor...everyone! I love 'em all."