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Focused Backstory by Carol Alwood – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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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 which interfere with characters’ 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.
 
 

In My Opinion

For anyone starting their writing journey (or even nonwriters who are just thinking about it), backstory is your character’s history that, ideally, will be sprinkled through any fictions (and in a few cases such as memoirs and biographies, nonfictional) stories. These breadcrumbs lead the reader to the ultimate climax when the lie (known or unknown) is exposed and the character experiences a shift in their reality.

This is a delicate balance for authors to navigate. You don’t want to frontload your book with backstory. It not only bogs it down, detracting from the pace, it also bores the reader, making them lose interest.

In Focused Backstory, Carol Alwood uses her own challenges and experiences as an author to provide others with a useful resource. Using her own work as well as popular books and movies, Alwood breaks down the process of creating character backstory.

There are worksheets and character questions to aid in hashing out the backstory and how it has shaped the person they are at the beginning of the book and leading the way for that perspective to change through circumstances, mentors, and more.

Overall, this book is a great resource for new authors or anyone who has received feedback regarding too much backstory in the first chapters of their work.

My Rating:

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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.

 

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f384/focused-backstory-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

Blog Stops

To read more reviews and gain extra entries into the giveaway, visit the tour landing page here. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Alicia Haney says

    This book sounds very interesting and like it would be a Big help. Thank you so much for sharing about this book and for the book review. God Bless you.

    Reply

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