Writing Techniques: Flashbacks - the dos and the don'ts

Flashbacks can be a useful tool in storytelling, whether it's for a novel or a screenplay, but there are some things you have to consider.

As a Creative Writing student, my knowledge of storytelling has gone on leaps and bounds since I started my degree. Many people think that Creative Writing is just a hobby, that it's not really a skill.

However, I can tell you that crafting characters who are relatable and believable, imagining worlds full of intrigue, and creating storylines that are interesting and surprising, is no easy feat.

Throughout my degree, I've developed my knowledge of storytelling, focusing on two specific mediums: novels and scripts. I'm particularly interested in writing for young adults and writing screenplays or television dramas.

I've learnt about a multitude of techniques in both areas. One that can apply to both is the flashback—and sometimes, the flash forward.

Including a flashback within your writing or on-screen can have many advantages. But there are sometimes drawbacks to the technique as well.

In today's blog, I'm going to explore what a flashback actually is, why a writer may want to use it, considering the advantages and disadvantages, and what things to consider when writing them, based on what I've learnt from my studies.

What is a flashback?

A flashback is a narrative technique that jumps backwards in time from the present day of the story, interrupting the chronology by showing a scene or moment from the past.

Flashbacks are also called analepsis.

Why use a flashback?

Flashbacks are a timeless literary technique. They have been used in many novels, from The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights to The Hunger Games and Six of Crows.

Flashbacks are also quite common in TV shows and movies. Some films, like Titanic, are told from the perspective of a flashback, whereas other films and TV shows, like The Vampire Diaries, have flashbacks littered throughout them.

There are many reasons why a writer may add a flashback to their story. Some of the reasons being:

• Flashbacks can reveal a character's backstory by providing information about their past, which relates to their actions and behaviour in the present.

• Flashbacks can increase intrigue by making a promise with the reader.

  • For instance, if in a book or a film, we read/see a scene where everything has gone wrong, but then jump back in time to a few days or weeks earlier, we're intrigued as to how the character goes from one situation to a dire situation.

• Flashbacks can heighten the emotions of a story and deepen our relationship with a character, making us more invested in the story and empathising with them.

However, there are some drawbacks to consider.

When using flashbacks, there is a chance that it will confuse the reader. They can also slow the pace of the book and disrupt the flow if not crafted carefully. If you use several flashbacks within one story, constantly flitting back and forth between time periods, then the main narrative has the potential to be overpowered by the flashbacks, causing confusion or lessening the audience's intrigue.

But, they can be a useful tool to use and result in very effective storytelling if used correctly.

Flashback Considerations

When writing flashbacks, you have to ask yourself if what you're trying to tell your readers, your audience, in that moment, is best portrayed through a flashback.

You want to intrigue the reader. Raise their curiosity and build suspense so that they stay committed to the story until the end. You don't want to confuse them or bore them.

If you're thinking about including a flashback in your writing, consider this list of Dos and Don'ts.

Do

• Be necessary - your flashback needs to have a good reason for interrupting the present-day story, e.g. giving insight into two characters' past relationship, showing us a traumatic event in the protagonist's past.

• Define your flashback - you need to make it clear to your audience that the flashback is a flashback, but without disrupting the flow of the story, e.g. change verb tense or POV (present narrative in present tense and flashback in past tense), or on-screen, use small details like the clothing of characters or the background music.

• Cut the irrelevant - this is similar to the first point, but do ensure that your flashback either reveals information about the characters or develops the plot. If it doesn't, don't be afraid to cut it from your writing.

• Be well-placed - there is nothing worse than having a flashback right in the middle of an action scene, or five chapters after what it relates to, so make sure you include your flashback at the right time in the narrative.

Don't

• Repeat it again - flashbacks should be relevant to the story; however, if you use one flashback to highlight a particular event or information about a character, don't reiterate your point through multiple flashbacks of similar things.

• Linger unnecessarily - unless your story warrants you telling it from a flashback perspective, like The Great Gatsby, don't linger too long in the past, only show what's relevant for the present day.

• Be on-the-nose - your flashback shouldn't blatantly explain things to the reader/audience; it should guide them, and the writer should trust that they will make sense of the flashback and understand its importance

Examples of Flashbacks

As mentioned above, flashbacks have been a timeless technique used in all mediums of storytelling. I've used flashbacks in my novel writing and my scriptwriting, and I understand the benefits and drawbacks of them.

However, if you are thinking of including flashbacks in your storytelling, here are some great examples of flashbacks in novels and also on-screen.

Flashbacks in Films and TV

• Casablanca

• Coco

• Forest Gump

• Top Gun: Maverick

• The Vampire Diaries

• Pretty Little Liars

• The Good Place

• Scandal

Flashbacks in Books

• The Great Gatsby

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

• The Hunger Games

• The Outsiders

• Harry Potter

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• Circe

• Wuthering Heights

If you're a budding writer, I hope this blog post has given you some good advice about writing flashbacks. Using flashbacks can be a great writing technique and tool to strengthen your storytelling, but you have to consider things.

Until next time...