Discussion Post: How Far Into the Past?
Dec. 5th, 2007 12:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmoswoodThe question: How far back is too far back?
The premise: In some stories that cover a decent amount of time there are some that are interesting and some that go too far back and ruin the forward momentum of the book.
The discussion: Is there an easy way to draw the line, or does it vary upon the author's need for the story? If the event is important to the story later, should it be addressed as it happens or attempted as a flashback?
The reason this particular question is plaguing me right now is that I am working on a story (big surprise there, no?) and in the story I cover a rather large amount of time. To the point I've decided to divide the story up into roughly three parts--now whether or not each part is going to be novel length or just a rather large section I do not know. I figure that I'll determine that once the parts are written.
In these parts, especially the first section there are a few things I want to cover. 1) The accident that killed my main characters' parents, and 2) When my main characters (siblings with a rather large gap in their ages) meet up again for the first time after the accident which happened roughly 8-10 years previous.
The ultimate question is, will going back that far stall the forward momentum in the story, which for the most part takes place several years later. EX: One of the main characters is 18-19 at the time he meets up with his younger sibling, but most of what he does happens after he's about 23, but that younger sibling and the meeting does have a bearing on things later in the story as that younger sibling is another of the main characters.
Now go ^_^
The premise: In some stories that cover a decent amount of time there are some that are interesting and some that go too far back and ruin the forward momentum of the book.
The discussion: Is there an easy way to draw the line, or does it vary upon the author's need for the story? If the event is important to the story later, should it be addressed as it happens or attempted as a flashback?
The reason this particular question is plaguing me right now is that I am working on a story (big surprise there, no?) and in the story I cover a rather large amount of time. To the point I've decided to divide the story up into roughly three parts--now whether or not each part is going to be novel length or just a rather large section I do not know. I figure that I'll determine that once the parts are written.
In these parts, especially the first section there are a few things I want to cover. 1) The accident that killed my main characters' parents, and 2) When my main characters (siblings with a rather large gap in their ages) meet up again for the first time after the accident which happened roughly 8-10 years previous.
The ultimate question is, will going back that far stall the forward momentum in the story, which for the most part takes place several years later. EX: One of the main characters is 18-19 at the time he meets up with his younger sibling, but most of what he does happens after he's about 23, but that younger sibling and the meeting does have a bearing on things later in the story as that younger sibling is another of the main characters.
Now go ^_^
