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How to write a flashback

Find a trigger to ignite a flashback.

Think about when you are suddenly pulled into a memory. Memories don’t arise out of anywhere; they need to be triggered by something in the present. A chance encounter on a snowy day with an ex-significant other could prompt a memory of a ski trip taken together; the smell of lilacs could remind a character of the bouquet she presented to her mother on a long-ago Mother’s Day.

Find a trigger to propel a return to the present.

Just like there needs to be a reason for your character to enter a flashback, he should be pulled back to the present for a reason as well. For instance, say your character is reliving a childhood memory in which his parents are fighting. You can have the sound of a slamming door in the present mirror a slamming door at the end of the flashback scene.

Keep it brief.

Chances are, there is only one really important point that you want to get across with your flashback, so cut it down to its key moments. If readers have to go through pages and pages of backstory, they will wonder why you didn’t just incorporate the flashback into the greater time frame of the novel.

Make sure the flashback advances the story.

Think of it this way: a reader gets to know a character much like you would get to know someone you’ve just met. You wouldn’t expect to hear about your new friend’s 10th birthday unless it was somehow relevant to the present. You would, however, expect to hear about problems your friend had with an ex-girlfriend if these issues are resurfacing in their current relationship.

Use flashbacks sparingly.

A flashback should be used only when there is no other effective way to get an important piece of information across. If you use too many, it begins to feel like a cop-out storytelling device. Again, your readers will wonder why you didn’t just incorporate the timeline of your flashback into the greater timeline of your story or will be confused about which timeline they should be more invested in.

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