Backstory
Background events that precede and shape a main plot.
Backstory is the set of events that establishes a character's past or precedes and leads up to the main plot. In acting, it refers to the fictional history of a character before the main plot events, created by a performer during preparation for the role. It is often employed as a literary device to lend depth or believability to the main story.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Literary device, acting
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- In a shared universe more than one author may shape the same backstory.
- The later creation of a backstory that conflicts with a previously written main story may require the adjustment device known as retroactive continuity, informally known as 'retcon'.
- Actors may create their own backstories for characters, going beyond the sometimes meager information in a script.
Recollection
Recollection is a technique in fiction where a character brings a past event to mind. This memory serves as a tool for revealing backstory, letting the writer share details from earlier in the narrative or from before the story began. While not officially considered a major fiction-writing mode, it is still a common practice among authors. Orson Scott Card noted that if a character suddenly recalls a memory she could have accessed at any time, right when a crucial choice needs to be made, it can feel like an unlikely coincidence. He also pointed out that for a memory to logically influence a present decision, that memory itself should be triggered by something that just happened.
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