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Scifi and Fantasy Forum: Writer's Discussion: Questions :
Flashback (How? Why and When)
Flashback (How? Why and When)
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Posted By:  BenJaru Jan 27, 2005 - 06:44 pm |       | Ooooh. Ooooh the dread despised Flashback.
I was wondering... No, no, I know you guys can help!
I have my story start out with a flashback. at least up to now I do. But my reason is not because I am lazy, or because I am unexperienced.
(Like all the wise sages that says: "DON'T USE THE FLASHBACK, IT IS THE SIGN OF A LAZY AUTHOR" )
Granted I am unexperienced... But, that is neither here nor there.
The reason I use a flashback is because I want to introduce the MC's brother. Introduce him through the mind of the MC, so that the Readers point of view of him is strongly influenced by the MC's remembrance of/love for, him.
Sooo, what do you think?
Should I use a flashback, or is there some better way to do what I want?
As soon as I transfer the part of my story relavent to this disscusion over from my laptop to this desktop I will post it for you to read...
Fairion
First off, if you're doing a flashback to start your novel then people are going to assume that the story starts with the scene being flashed to.
Second, a flashback depicts things exactly as they happened, if it is the MC's memory, then it is not quite a flashback because his memory will distort the actual events.
I wouldn't bgin with a flashback if I were you. It might be okay to put in later, but starting with one could be confusing.
| Posted By: woody000 Jan 28, 2005 - 07:02 am | | Unless you make it a flash forward lol. Make it seem like that's where the story is starting and then "flash" into the future.
| Posted By: Magus Jan 28, 2005 - 01:22 pm | | I like flashbacks. It relates prior knowledge and events and can do them in really most places. They help take a character and add unseen depths to them. If they are done well then it works, kind of like everything else you can think of.
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 28, 2005 - 02:12 pm | | Well then I suppose it would be a distorted flashback, since it will definitly be influenced by the characters memory and emotions.
And I don't actually start with a flashback, I throw it in about a paragraph after the story starts. Although I suppose it is about the same thing.
| Posted By: Aldan Jan 28, 2005 - 07:01 pm | | Yes, pretty much so. I would like to know more about the brother that you are flashing about. Is the memory related to inner guilt feelings ("I could do nothing to stop his death. Oh, the horror!" ) or is it simply to let the reader know that the MC loves his brother? If it's the latter, then really it could be considered "lazy writing" since you could accomplish that during the story instead...
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 28, 2005 - 09:19 pm | | Well...
I don't want to have the reader meet his brother(Cerin) because he is not as nice as the MC remembers him as being. And yes it is partly guilt feeling, he feels like he deserted Cerin when he hears that his old home-town was burned. Cerin and sister escape but the MC does know it until later.
I am trying to decide: My original plan was to have the MC just be reunited with his brother, and then have the brother get killed in an attack on the border town that the MC's garrison belongs to.
My second plan, which I dont like so well, but might work better, would be to have Cerin resent the MC for leaving and come to hate the MC as much as the MC loves him. And so instead of a happy reuniun it would be a very unhappy and possibly very shocking to the MC. Of course the first idea would be pretty painful too, only in a differant way.
Lol, had to reformat the laptop, because it had some spyware.  So I will try to write what I had from my memory. 
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 28, 2005 - 09:33 pm | | Black hooves beat the relentless rhythm of a canter on the cold, hard packed earth of the road. Black because covered by the cloak of moonless night. The soft light of dawn showed silvery gray hooves, ever moving, never slowing the pace. The bright sun was high in the sky before the pace slowed, and finally stopped. A small boy slid from the back of the panting horse, staggered, and fell weakly to the ground. Very slowly the boy rose to his feet and caught up the reins of his mount, and then he led the animal some distance into the woods that bordered the road and tied the reins firmly to a tree. Then he wrapped his dark cloak around himself and lay down on the thick carpet of leaves to sleep.
He awoke to the curious touch of his mounts nuzzle on his cheek. He sat up and looked around dazedly for a moment before remembering where he was, and why. And then he put his face in his hands and wept.
No matter what he felt, there was no going back now, not after stealing the horse. And even if he did go back, what would he be going back to?
Cerin.
Little Cerin, who still loved him as just a brother. Cerin did not fear him, did not hate him for what he was...
| Posted By: Magus Jan 29, 2005 - 07:59 am | | How about you combine the two. I think that would work out best.
You could have them reunite, but the one hating the other who in turn loves the other. After some time passes, and some events that would draw them closer together, they start to grow close. And then, when it's obvious, have the brother tragically die.
I don't know if that will work with what you have planned. But, for the moment, it seems decent enough to work.
I use flashbacks all over the place, but its because I have to. My main character has no memory of the first 16 or so years of his life. I can't just have someone say, "Oh yeah, at age thirteen you were captured by this demon" (Which isn't part of the story by the way). I have to reveal his memory in flashbacks every now and then.
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 29, 2005 - 02:45 pm | | Ok, good idea Magus! Very good...
I will do that, I think it is just the thing I was looking for.
THANK YOU!!
Fairion
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 29, 2005 - 03:22 pm | | How do you "fade in" to a flashback?
I mean, would you have your character get knocked out or somthing, and then remember sort of, as he woke up?
Or just have his mind wander over the events that led up whatever your character is doing...
And the biggest "How", how do you go about making it not feel contrived?
| Posted By: Aldan Jan 29, 2005 - 11:14 pm | | Trigger events. If you have an event occur that reminds the character of this or that, that can start the flashback, and will not seem contrived, as long as you don't MAKE it contrived...
| Posted By: Magus Jan 30, 2005 - 06:45 am | | Or when there's some down time, say nothing's going on. They're driving/riding by horseback/walking for a long distance there may be a conversation lull. People's minds will wander sooner or later and they can just wander into a flashback.
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 30, 2005 - 05:58 pm | | OK, I thought that might be the way... TY 
But now I have decided not to use a flashback after all!
This is why:
Your story is True. And you have to approach it as such. When you are planning it out or thinking it up, what you are doing is uncovering the truth. I was thinking about this very hard last night: The line between the Truth and what you think is very, very fine. Sometimes when you think about it the two merge-your opinion and the Truth. So what you have to do is weigh everything. Think of it like this: the true stuff will be heavier, and will usually fit your story better, if it does not seem to fit, keep looking for more peices of the puzzle, more Truth.
And I did just that, I weighed the two options, and no flashback was truer to my story.
Well, that's just me, bein' weird. 
Good job on deciding not to use the flashback. I finally decided to cut a scene out of my novel that's been hanging in for three full drafts but doesn't actually belong. Ironically, it is the opening scene, which really didn't seem to get moving fast enough, and contained little enough information that it could be cut without causing a problem in the story.
| Posted By: BenJaru Jan 31, 2005 - 07:17 am | | Good ta 'ear you're makin' progress gnollie!
I might use a flashback later, but as of yet I don't see where i'll need it.
Tar tar.
| Posted By: Magus Jan 31, 2005 - 12:37 pm | | You got rid of the opening scene Gnollslayer???
That was the only one I really got to read!
I know have, in effect, not read it at all.
Thanks alot!
Ya speaking of opening scenes...It is slightly amusing that a year and a half ago, my decision to write a novel was based on me writing a little scene with a dragon as an opening scene. Then I sat back, thought up a plot, and decided to write a book. Now I'm not even using dragons in my story *oops* and have cut the opening scene which started it all.
Don't worry about it Magus. I only cut a little bit out. You'll probably get up to where the story really starts pretty soon.
| Posted By: BenJaru Feb 09, 2005 - 04:38 am | | Caegaraneva?! Caegaraneva!!! YOU'RE BACK!!!
You must have gotten wiped in the site glitch of 05.
Glad to have you back!
| Posted By: BenJaru Feb 10, 2005 - 10:53 am | | How are you coming on that novel Caegaraneva?
Love to hear more bout it.
| Posted By: Aeawyn Mar 31, 2005 - 05:00 pm | | hehe, my novel starts in a nightmare....can that type of thing...say if i send it to a agent who deals with army/current time books. If it starts off with demons and hell and stuff...will that make it harder for me to get it published?
| Posted By: aldan Mar 31, 2005 - 10:15 pm | | I'm afraid that it will cause difficulties for you... since the publisher, not normally dealing in this genre, will think most likely that it's psych fiction or horror, and would probably reject it due to that.
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