Review of Focused Backstory by Carol Alwood

My Review

From “Save the Cat” to “Mastering Plot Twists” to “Outlining Your Novel,” I’ve got quite the library of writing craft books. And it was with some trepidition and excitement that I read Focused Backstory by Carol Alwood. After all, what could she tell me that all those author sages couldn’t? Turns out, she has plenty to say.

All authors, with possibly the exception of Stephanie Meyers, create backstories for their characters. This is the story before the story, if you will. It’s what makes the character act and think the way they do when we finally meet them in the novel. And creating one makes a huge impact on how an author not only writes the characters but determines how the story progresses, amongst other things.

Carol Alwood did a great job of breaking down exactly how to create a back story for the main character and helping to decide which other characters needed a back story to be revealed during the story. She also suggests where to put these pieces of information in the story. That was a tremendous help right there, actually.

She doesn’t stop there, though. She also touches on symbolism and subtext, character arcs, subplots, and sequels. It’s amazing how much back story affects the book as a whole.

There were a few negatives but, as far as “negatives” go, they weren’t really that terrible. First, there was a disproportionate amount of movie examples to book examples. I understand movies are easier to use because many people see popular movies rather than specific books. It just would have been nice, is all. The types of examples stuck close to popular fiction, which did not include any mystery novels (which is what I write for the most part). Finally, I didn’t see a link to her site so I could download the copious amounts of worksheets, templates, and tables she so generously supplied in the book.

I would definitely recommend Focused Backstory to an author who has read other craft books but needs a better understanding of character development that affects storytelling.

GoodReads Rating ★★★★☆ I really liked it and highly recommend it (for authors).

About the Book

Book: Focused Backstory

Author: Carol Alwood

Genre: Non-fiction, writing resource

Release Date: June 26, 2019

Learn how to write characters readers will love.

Has an industry professional told you not to dump character history at the beginning of your story? If so, you aren’t alone. But what’s the solution to this common advice? Most writers take the time to design interesting characters with troubled pasts. They long for readers to care about the characters’ lives. However, the sad truth is on page one, readers don’t care—yet. That’s why industry gurus tell writers to stop overusing character history, also called backstory, at the beginning of stories. Have you ever wondered… How to use backstory correctly? What are the ways other writers successfully incorporate backstory into their work? Do tools exist to help writers better plan stories so the backstory isn’t such a problem? In Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys, you’ll find answers to these questions and more. You’ll learn how to avoid the dreaded info-dump and instead, harness curiosity so readers keep turning pages. This resource breaks down focused backstory into simple pieces to use flexibly in any story no matter what genre or length. Worksheets, tables, questionnaires, and templates will help you plan an engaging story with deep characters. Examples from popular stories will help you understand this method.

You’ll learn how to:

• design a character around a troubled past.

• create additional characters around the main character.

• weave interesting sub-plots within a characters’ journey toward healing.

• design proper obstacles that interfere with character’s goals.

• guide readers’ emotions so they have a satisfying reading experience.

No matter what kind of writer you are, if you take the time to analyze the use of backstory, it will enhance your style. Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys is the missing gadget in your writing tool kit.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Carol Alwood has an unending passion for fiction, and she can’t think of a better way to spend her life than writing books for young adults and teaching about techniques she has learned along the way. With a Master of Education, experience as a content editor, and over a decade of establishing and working with critique groups, she is an excellent resource. An award-winning author, Carol finds joy in helping writers find the right tools to plan, draft and revise their novels so they can achieve excellence in storytelling.

More from Carol

Focused Backstory resulted from a personal quest to please industry critics who suggested I keep character history out of the first pages of my novels. My initial questions to this advice were: What? Why? I searched for resources to figure out how to write a more powerful beginning without relying on the past but found little help. On a mission to find answers, I studied popular books, television and movies to abstract what made stories work and — boom! I found it! We can break down backstory into simple pieces to use flexibly in any story without compromising artistry. This book provides definitions, examples, worksheets, templates, and comics to help writers study the art of using powerful character histories to keep readers turning pages. I’m so excited to offer this resource and hope it will empower your writing as it has mine.