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Treat Backstory Like a Pungent Spice by Sandy Vaile

Treat Backstory Like a Pungent Spice by Sandy Vaile

New this year at SavvyAuthors!
  1. New!!
Level
Mixed
Basic and Premium Members Prices
Premium Members $30 & Basic Members $40

**Register by October 16 and save $5, use code BACKSTORYVAILE at checkout!**
Category
  1. Characters
  2. Editing
  3. Dialogue
  4. Structure
  5. Plotting
  6. POV
  7. Voice
  8. Worldbuilding
$5 off Early Registration Coupon-expires 1 week before class starts
BACKSTORYVAILE
Have you been accused of too much telling or information dumps? Does your character have a fascinating history, but you’re not sure how best to convey it to readers? Avoid the pitfalls of backstory by peeling back the layers one at a time to discover the most effective delivery methods, how much to use, and how to make it drive the main story.
Learning outcomes:
  • Understand how to use backstory to develop tension and engage readers.
  • Know where your character came from and is headed, so the backstory is consistent and relevant.
  • Determine which parts of the backstory are important, and which are just filler.
  • Be able to identify where backstory isn’t working.
  • Learn techniques to reveal backstory as part of the story, instead of information dumping.
  • Know when to release backstory for maximum effect.
  • Avoid backstory taking over the whole story.
  • Use backstory as a baseline from which to show character growth.
This course best suits modern fiction writers with a developed character and story idea, so I can tailor feedback.
Outline
What other participants are saying about Sandy Vaile’s workshops:
  • "The constructive feedback given on my work was priceless."
  • "I liked the friendly nature of the learning experience."
  • "This was a fantastic workshop with heaps of useful insights and techniques."
  • "I loved Sandy’s dedication to giving the best feedback possible. It’s made a huge difference to my writing already."
  • "Great structure, step-by-step."
Author
Sandy Vaile
Start date
Oct 23, 2017 at 9:00 AM
End date
Nov 19, 2017 at 7:00 PM
Registration end date
Oct 25, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Rating
4.80 star(s) 5 ratings

More classes from Sandy Vaile

Latest reviews

Whenever I asked about backstory, my writing friends all said "That's easy! Don't use too much backstory!" And there I stood, wondering "How much is too much?" Waited over a year for a backstory class to come along, and boy, did I hit the mother lode! God and SavvyAuthors could tell I was desperate. Sandy Vaile took my hand and led me through the dark backstory tunnel. I saw the light! Sandy's presentation was precise and entertaining. And there I had thought dribbling was just for basketball players. By equating backstory with spices like chili powder, I realized that I had been guilty of choking my potential readers with info dump. That's a felony in Texas, right? Seriously, Sandy did a powerful job of explaining the what, when, where and how much of backstory. She responded to our homework with thoroughness and welcomed questions. Now I can tick backstory off my writing worry list. One question for SavvyAuthors. Will you please consider offering Sandy's other classes? Especially "Show Don't Tell Is Like A Layer Cake" and "Hook 'em and Hang 'em". Thanks, Sandy!