The Bore with Backstory

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I’m learning new things about novel-writing every day. One of the most valuable is, how important the beginning of a story is. I’ve always be attracted to writing the things that I would love to read – the kinds of stories, I mean. For example, I love reading inspirational romance, and so I’m writing stories of inspirational romance that, if I were a reader, I would love to read.

As a reader, I am easily bored. If a book doesn’t capture me from the beginning, I have a hard time continuing. I do try my best to give the book a shot, and rarely do I ever stop mid-book and return it to the shelf; however, occasionally, a book can be so slow that I will find myself daydreaming instead of reading. Have you ever done that while reading a boring book, or it is just me? Maybe I’m just weird.

When I began my first novel, I was so eager to get the book onto paper that I poured out too much backstory in the first couple of chapters. This is a pretty common mistake for new writers. I have since edited my story so that it begins with a little more action and mystery. The backstory is now scattered throughout the book so that the reader gets enough information as they go to keep from being confused about what is going on, but at the same time, they aren’t able to predict what is about to happen next.

This balance of backstory can be hard to do correctly. Part of being able to connect with the characters of a book is knowing who they are and where they’ve been, but if the writer gives everything away at the beginning, what is going to keep the reader reading? A story with too much backstory is like a long, straight road to somewhere you've never been. You have no idea what you're missing, so you question if the trip is worth it. If the story is a romance, the reader is eager for the romance to begin – the sooner the better. This means that the hero and heroine should meet in the first chapter, and probably within the first couple of pages, if possible. 

An agent once told me, in an early rejection, that she liked my writing, but would have loved to seen the beginning start with more action. She suggested taking a scene from the “meat” of the manuscript and then bringing the reader back to the beginning. This may not always be an option, but the point she was making is that the story has to be able to capture the reader from the get-go.

Do you have trouble balancing backstory? Does your story begin with enough action to captivate the reader?