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4
Limit the Use of Flashbacks
Readers want to know what is happening now, not what happened at some time in the past. Nothing slows down a story as much as a flashback set in the wrong place, right in the heart of the action. It physically removes the reader and takes them somewhere else.
Even worse is a flashback was written in a passive voice. Lapsing into the past perfect tense and staying there is a real story-stopper. If a flashback is absolutely necessary, keep it brief, italicize or set it apart, and use the past tense, not past perfect. “He had a bad life so far...” as opposed to “He had had a bad life so far...”
Flashbacks should be used sparingly, and only if absolutely necessary to the story. It is much better to thread in details from the past in the form of brief thought or conversation with other characters than in flashback
Even worse is a flashback was written in a passive voice. Lapsing into the past perfect tense and staying there is a real story-stopper. If a flashback is absolutely necessary, keep it brief, italicize or set it apart, and use the past tense, not past perfect. “He had a bad life so far...” as opposed to “He had had a bad life so far...”
Flashbacks should be used sparingly, and only if absolutely necessary to the story. It is much better to thread in details from the past in the form of brief thought or conversation with other characters than in flashback
Flashcard info:
Author: OtisAnderson
Main topic: English
Topic: Writing
City: Atlanta
Published: 18.02.2021