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8 Best Flashback Writing Tips: Secrets for Authors
February 19, 2024
Flashback Writing Tips for Authors
Flashbacks can be a wonderful tool to help flesh out a character’s backstory or relationships. They can show the reader vital information without being an info-dump (and we know nobody likes an info-dump!). There are so many different ways to write flashbacks, and some ways tend to work better than others.
I’m Kaitlin, an editor for indie authors, and I have compiled a list of eight flashback writing tips for authors. I hope these flashback writing tips help you create passages in your manuscript that enhance your story and characters!
1. Use a trigger to start and stop
When you write a flashback, use a trigger! This helps signal to the reader that a flashback is happening. Don’t randomly start a flashback in the middle of a scene. I know this seems obvious, but I’ve seen it many times before when editing!
Don’t plop your flashbacks.
A trigger can be something as simple as a smell or sound, or it could be something larger, like attending an event. It is a clear connection to the present and also to what happened in the past. The trigger should throw your character back in time and into the memory. This means that, yes, the trigger needs to exist in both the main story and the flashback. (Meaning: Your character can’t smell pancakes and be thrown into a flashback of his mother making spaghetti.)
A trigger is necessary to pull the character out of the flashback as well. This helps signal to the reader that they have returned to the front story.
2. Don't use italics
Have you ever been reading a book and then internally groaned when you saw a large block of italics? Same, same.
I know it’s tempting to put long flashbacks in italics as a signal to your readers that you are moving away from the front story, but there are better ways to handle these transitions.
In fact, did you know that most readers will actually skip over a large block of text if it is in italics? If you’re putting vital information in your flashbacks, but formatting them completely in italics … a lot of your readers aren’t getting that information.
Don’t believe me? That’s cool. I’ve got receipts. 🙂
Practical Typography says, “because italic styles are designed to contrast with regular roman text, they’re somewhat harder to read. Like all caps, bold and italic are fine for short bits of text, but not for long stretches.”
Editor Iola from Christian Editing Services says, “Italics are only effective for a few words or a short sentence. Any longer, and it becomes difficult to read. It can slow the pacing of the scene, and overuse of italics will annoy the reader.”
I have to confess … I stopped reading a very popular epistolary fantasy romance duology because all the letters between the main characters were in italics and I just couldn’t handle it! (I know, I know! It’s supposed to be wonderful. I’m sure one day I’ll suck it up and go back to it.)
Italics can also be an accessibility issue for some people. Some screen readers have a hard time distinguishing font changes when reading aloud, and many people with dyslexia find italics difficult to read.
3. Keep it short
It is a rare book that can do a full chapter as a flashback. The most effective flashbacks are short.
If you are using flashbacks as full chapters, you run the risk of your readers confusing the timelines or forgetting where they were in the front story. By keeping flashbacks short, you keep your readers engaged in the protagonist’s current journey.
4. Find its Purpose
Here’s one of my best flashback writing tips (and maybe the most obvious). Figure out why each flashback is necessary before you write it.
Is it for character development? Is it for plot development or exposition? Does it help slowly unravel a mystery? Does it describe something about the main characters and their previous interactions?
Once you’ve figured out the purpose, ask yourself this: Can this purpose/information be expressed in the front story? Is there a way to tell the main story or insert this information without this flashback?
If the answer is yes … guess what? You don’t need the flashback. Readers are smart, and you can trust them to fill in details where necessary. If you’re going to include a flashback, make sure you know why.
5. Show, don't tell
How many times have you heard “show, don’t tell”? Probably 800 million, right?
Well, sorry to bring it up again, but it has to be said.
A flashback is not the same thing as a character remembering something. It is a fully realized scene they are reliving. That means there are sensory details. There is likely dialogue. There is internal monologue.
If you are going to use a flashback, your reader should feel just as invested in the flashback scene as they do in your front story.
6. Understand how it affects pacing
Flashbacks slow the pace of the story.
This isn’t a bad thing! Sometimes you need to slow down your story. You may need to give your readers a break from action or tension. A flashback is a great way to do that.
HOWEVER, including too many flashbacks will bog down your story and may make it feel like a slog to get through. (It’s also kind of confusing!)
Keep the tension in your novel by including flashbacks where they fit the tension and pacing appropriately.
7. Past perfect (had)
This is one of my favorite flashback writing tips, probably because I am a former ELA teacher.
When you move to a flashback you need to change your verb tense!
If you are writing in past tense, that means moving to past perfect tense. Whoa, did that sentence freak you out? No worries. I got ya. Past tense would be “she said” or “he walked” while past perfect tense is “she had said” or “he had walked.” HAD is your new best friend.
Do NOT use the past perfect for every sentence in your flashback. That can be exhausting to read. I suggest utilizing the past perfect for the first couple of sentences in the flashback (as a signal to the reader) and in the last couple of sentences (another signal to the reader that you are transitioning back to the front story).
If you are writing your story in present tense, you should switch your verb tense to past tense. You could also use the past perfect in the same way described above, but regular past tense works as well.
8. Write flashbacks and front story separately, at the end place them sparingly throughout.
Want one more flashback writing tip? If you’re writing a dual timeline novel or a novel with quite a lot of flashbacks … write each story separately. This will give you a chance to see what you can say in your front story, and weed out any unnecessary flashback information.
If you are writing dual timelines, it will help you see each story in one piece. This will alert you to any plot holes or confusing/repeated information.
Did you learn some valuable flashback writing tips?
I hope this blog was helpful to you! If you are in need of an editor (or just want to ask some flashback-related questions!), send me a message. I’d love to talk to you about your manuscript and complete a free sample edit for you.
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