How to Write Stories People Will Love

Question 9: Seamlessly weaving in backstory

Carolyn_Hill asks: In your sequel, Sember, pieces of backstory from the first book are weaved in so effortlessly. I'm planning on writing a sequel myself. How can I make it flow more smoothly without a) making it come out of the blue, but also b) not rehashing too much?

First of all, thank you for the compliment! I am proud of how Sember turned out.

In sequels, it's important to rehash some of the information from the previous book, to reacquaint the reader with what happened in case it's been too long. Unfortunately, this is all backstory. The trick is to make it not seem like backstory. Easier said than done. I'll try to explain my approach to this dilemma.

Drop in details when they're needed.

More backstory will be needed in Fantasy and Science Fiction settings, because the reader may have forgotten what a Flux Master is, or why the Mighty Axe of Ass-Kicking is important. Here's how I do it:

1. Start writing  my sequel.

2. When I encounter a significant location, person, or object from the first book, I stop and think about why it's significant. What does the reader need to know about this person, place, or thing?

3. Write up one or two sentences to summarize its significance.

4. Work it into the story, as close as you can get to where you mention this person, place, or thing.

EXAMPLE 1: I watched as Bear entered the room, filling it with his presence as he always did. (Okay, who is Bear again? He was the guy who saved my family from the marauders in the previous book. Okay, now to work that into the this story.) Bear could strike fear with a single look, and used that to his advantage last year when he saved my family from those marauders. I would always be grateful to him for that.

EXAMPLE 2: "We will be traveling to Flushing." This caused a sharp intake of breath from everyone in the room. (Okay, what is Flushing and why is it so scary? It's where the aliens first made their appearance in the previous book. Now to work that into the story here...) Aside from being a weird name for a city, it was also where our dome-headed enemy first appeared, and where their stronghold was now built.

EXAMPLE 3: My hands curled around the prison bars as I stared at the Mighty Axe of Ass-Kicking. (Okay, this thing's been in two previous books, and here it is again. What is it? Work it into the story...) It was the stuff of legends, wielded first by Tara the Wise, and then Frederick the Flatulent. The Hoard was beaten back each time. I didn't think it was real, and yet here it was, gleaming just out of my reach.

See how that works? The trick is to be as concise as possible. Boil down what happened into as few words and sentences as you can, and then move on with your current story.

A big exception to this is flashbacks. In Siena, I have a secondary character cause an explosion, but we never learn why. In the sequel, Sember, she recalls the entire incident, which fills in that gap. You don't want to rehash entire scenes from the first book, but you can certainly fill out missing details that weren't there in the first place.