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I've been writing a lot more than usual, which is good, but I have a question. When is too much backstory a problem? I've seen where people say that too much backstory makes a story feel slow or clunky, and I've personally never felt this way. I love lore and backstories. My story is very lore and backstory-heavy, but I don't want it to feel boring. It will be turned into a manga once I wanna start drawing more, but as of right now, I just feel I need help with it and plotting it out more it just feels like the plot is everywhere and the backstory is too long( • ᴖ • ｡)
Right now, I only have about four pages written, and I'm just not happy with it. I want it to have more character and feel less...meh. And so far, I think I have two chapters I plan to make for the backstory, but it doesn't feel right, I don't want it to seem like a lore dumpppp :') Any help would be very appreciated, and if you wanna read that mess and check it out ask me and I shall give link..."why not put it here?" I hear u ask and the answer is.....Anywayyyy, I hope it's not THAT bad (╥﹏╥)
oh and I also wanna blog about writing it and stuff it but um...i don't really know howwww, so tips on that would be cool too(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)
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juli
i think you could start the characters off slowly, and then as the story progresses add some more backstory!
then again, when i read stories which start off with a lot of backstory, it normally doesn't seem like too much or anything, as long as the backstory is relevant to the plot and they don't add more later
unfortunately i don't actually have any tips on starting a writing blog but hopefully it goes well if you do!
✩ᴀᴅᴅʏ x ᴊᴀʏ✩
As a reader, there's only too much lore dumping or backstory if it takes up the ENTIRE story, however it also depends on how you give the lore. Some use the lore as flashbacks, separate chapter that lead to plot, or have it in the first few beginnings of the pages then actually start the story (like when books number the pages with things like x1) so it honestly depends on how you want to do it.
If you want to make a blog about writing, I would make a cute layout for the blog and write about your story ideas, maybe give us drafts you liked/didn't, your thought process yk things like that? And instead of rewriting a new blog, you just update the same one and tell us when its updated in a bulletin, but its all up to you if you want to make different ones.
chi(ffon) ♡
balancing between too much and too little is quite difficult when it comes to character backstories, from what i've experienced. what i tend to think though is to feed the backstory in bite-sizes instead of big chunks, and if possible, to show it subtly rather than fully say it in your writing. like instead of telling the readers that character a has a trigger for loud noises due to their childhood, show it by having the character get scared and panicky whenever loud noises or yelling is heard, but they brush it off to the other characters in the scene. i wish you the best with your character writing!
pocono
i say give out the lore in little bites, make the reader discover your characters
lets say character a is some teenager working at a fast food place but is only doing it because their father wants to make them work instead of just being a nepo baby
you dont want to say that all at once, that would make a story boring, wouldnt it?
instead lay it out in little parts, maybe a chapter or three in they're talking to character b, who isnt as well off as them
' "You're telling me you never had a pool before?" A said, now taken aback.
"You're telling me you have a pool in your backyard? Like you live in apartments, right?"
"No, my dad actually commissioned it so it could be ready when i was born, some guys tend to it once in a while" A shrugged before getting distracted "Oh look, B! A bug!" '
we can get a sense of A's personality while also getting a glimpse of their backstory of growing up with money and a bit of B's shock coming from their background
ofc thats a very big oversimplification but you get my point. make it feel natural and let the reader get invested in these characters first so they can get even more invested when during the climax, maybe a big bombshell is dropped, but it feels so well written it inhances the story more.
then again im not Shakespeare, maybe go on reddit?(YES REDDIT HELPS SOMETIMES ASWELL LOL) over all though, good luck on your journey!