One of the most common struggles that first-time novelists face is not knowing how to write effective flashbacks. Flashbacks can be a powerful tool for showing us a character’s back story, but when they’re not done properly, they can drag down the narrative. 

So in this article, we will share important tips about writing flashbacks, beginning with the most important: how to tell if you really do need to write a flashback! 

Purpose of Flashbacks

In writing, a flashback transports readers back to an event that happened at an earlier time. A story can include a flashback at any point. Most prologues to novels are flashbacks. 

Although a story may be best told in chronological order, sometimes a flashback can be a good tool. Here are some ways that flashbacks can add to your story: 

• Give your story a more intriguing twist
• Tell your story in a more clever or compelling way
• Get your reader invested in the characters before going back to share the less exciting details 
• Keep readers curious by giving hints and revealing information later 

How to Write a Flashback 

Here are some important tips to remember when writing a flashback so you can avoid common rookie mistakes:

1. Get readers invested before the flashback. 

Writing a flashback too early in a story tends to cause readers to lose interest. Instead, earn the right to throw them back to the past by making sure they’re invested enough. If not, you risk turning them off, especially if your flashback lasts more than one or two pages. 

2. Make a smooth transition.

Think about real life: certain events or circumstances bring back certain memories. In the same way, a flashback makes sense if it’s related the scene in the present, so make it cohesive with the current scene. 

One way of making a good transition is when something triggers the memory. For example, someone might say a word that reminds the character of something from the past, or maybe the character smells, feels, or tastes something that causes the memory to come back. These triggers make it logical for the flashback to occur. 

3. Confirm the relevance and need for the flashback.

Although you may write a very convincing and entertaining flashback, you need to check if it’s a necessary part of the story. Here are some good questions to ask yourself: 

• Is it critical for your readers to understand the story? If not, skip it. 
• Does the story make sense to the reader even without it? If so, you don’t need it. 
• Can you insert the same details into a regular scene instead? If you can, scrap the flashback. 

4. Use flashbacks sparingly.

Reading in chronological order is much easier for readers. If you toss them around in a timeline, it takes more effort for them to follow the story’s flow. Because of this, you should use flashbacks only when it is absolutely necessary. 

After writing your first draft, go through all flashback scenes and check through the questions in tip 3 to determine need and relevance. 

5. Write them concisely.

When preparing to write your novel, you may have written several pages of backstory. Remember that most of this is better written right into the regular timeline and not necessarily as a flashback. 

When you insert flashbacks into your story, keep them as brief as possible, making your point before it becomes too dragging. The longer it goes, the more difficult it will be for the reader to remember what was happening in the present time before the flashback scene. 

Different Types of Flashback

In writing, particularly for novels, you may use two different types of flashback: 

Full flashback scene

A full flashback usually forms a separate chapter or a separate scene within a chapter. If it’s within the same chapter, it usually requires a trigger for transitioning into the past, and another trigger to bring the reader back. 

As a prologue to a story, a flashback chapter may also set the scene for readers to understand what’s going on when the story “officially” starts. 

Brief in-scene flashback 

As the name suggests, this type of flashback occurs briefly and within a current scene. Usually, the trigger stirs up the memory, and the writer gives the reader a glimpse of what is going on in the character’s mind. But the scene is still kept in the present, and as soon as the memory is done, the reader is easily transported back into the current situation. 

Examples of Flashbacks in Books 

Movies and TV shows commonly use flashbacks, and the general “feel” of the scene, such as the lighting is a good clue as to whether the scene is in the present or in the past. 

For books, you have to be intentional at setting a flashback scene. Here are some examples of excellent ways of using flashbacks in books: 

Example #1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I tried again: “Walter’s one of the Cunninghams, Miss Caroline.” 

“I beg your pardon, Jean Louise?” 

“That’s okay, ma’am, you’ll get to know all the country folks after a while. The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back—no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along with what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it.” 

My special knowledge of the Cunningham tribe—one branch, that is—was gained from events of last winter. Watler’s father was one of Atticus’s clients. After a dreary conversation in our living room one night about his entailment, before Mr. Cunningham left he said, “Mr. Finch, I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to pay you.” 

“Let that be the least of your worries, Walter,” Atticus said. 

When I asked Jem what entailment was, and Jem described it as a condition of having your tail in a crack, I asked Atticus if Mr. Cunningham would ever pay us. 

“Not in money, “Atticus said, “but before the year’s out I’ll have been paid. You watch.” 

We watched. One morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard. Later, a sack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps. With Christmas came a crate of smilax and holly. That spring when we found a crokersack full of turnip greens, Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him… 

If I could have explained these things to Miss Caroline, I would have saved myself some inconvenience and Miss Caroline subsequent mortification, but it was beyond my ability to explain things as well as Atticus, so I said, “You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood.” 

Example #2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow. Like it had pulled it on, the way you pull on a sweater. Next to the train line, footprints were sunken to their shins. Trees wore blankets of ice.

As you might expect, someone had died.

***

They couldn’t just leave him on the ground. For now, it wasn’t such a problem, but very soon, the track ahead would be cleared and the train would need to move on.

There were two guards.

There was one mother and her daughter.

One corpse.

The mother, the girl, and the corpse remained stubborn and silent.

“Well, what else do you want me to do?”

The guards were tall and short. The tall one always spoke first, though he was not in charge. He looked at the smaller, rounder one. The one with the juicy red face.

“Well,” was the response, “we can’t just leave them like this, can we?”

Using Flashbacks as a Tool for Storytelling  

Flashbacks are among some of the most important tools that a writer can use in building a compelling story, but remember that they can be difficult to use properly. 

Follow these steps to write an effective flashback scene that supports your story line and makes it more impactful for your readers. 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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