How to Write a Novel They Can’t Put Down: Background of the Main Character

Why it is Important

Only the hardest of hearts won’t have sympathy for someone based on a hardship or struggle they had to endure in the past. Your main character can be a goodie two shoes or the worst villain in written history—as long as you provide some type of background about who they are and where they came from, your readers will be able to relate to him or her, and maybe even root for them subconsciously. This is what you want. You want to create a conflict in the mind of the reader where they want to hate the main character for what they do (or don’t do), but just can’t because they have an idea of why the main character is acting out (or not acting at all in some cases). You want your reader to be tormented by this inner dilemma because it gets them involved in the story and makes them more eager for the ending.

Methods: Starting from Early Childhood and Flashbacking

In many novels, and books in general, you may see that the author has chosen to start from early childhood and progress to adulthood. This is because they recognize the importance of explaining the background of their main character, hero, or heroine. However, you don’t always have to start your book from childhood. If you feel that this would drag out the beginning of your book and make it less interesting, you can do what I call “flashbacking.”

With the flashbacking method, you start your novel in present time, preferably in a scenario that is action packed and meaningful, and write a few paragraphs where the main character is thinking back, daydreaming, or reflecting on a situation from their past. You can expand on this reflection by giving more details about how the character got to that place.

The flashback can be very short, or longer, but don’t flashback for more than two pages. You don’t want the reader to get lost in your memory, and forget what your character is doing in the present.
Don’t get carried away with your flashbacking either, because it can become old and boring. You only want a few well-placed flashbacks throughout the book to explain where your character is coming from.
Look forward to the next installment in this series: How Many Supporting Characters Should You Have?