A flashback moves readers back in time. It interrupts the flow of the story to catch up on what happened before page 1. 

But when writers overuse flashbacks, readers grow impatient. They lose interest in, or even forget, what’s happening in the “now” of the story. Yes, we should explore our story’s past. But at some point in revision, we need to reign the past in. We need to select and shape only those flashback episodes that are crucial to understanding the story’s present. 

It all boils down to 2 things:

Relevance and resonance.

On today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’ll explore how to use flashbacks to:

• Deepen our understanding of your character’s desires and motivations. 
• Lend later scenes more dramatic power. 
• Add nuance and texture to your story.
• Imbue the story’s central conflict.
• Bear the story’s core meaning.

Notable Book

Revolutionary Road

For more writing resources, visit me at NanciPanuccio.com 

Write. Revise. Finish. The Emerging Writers Academy is where fiction and memoir writers get the support to do all three - with a community that's doing it alongside you. Spots close January 15. Learn more at nancipanuccio.com/writer.

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