How to Insert FLASHBACKS Into Your Story

LET'S TALK ABOUT BACKSTORY. More specifically, how to insert backstory as flashbacks into your "real" story -- without JARRING your reader. Believe it or not, there is a SCIENTIFIC METHOD for inserting flashbacks in such a way that "goes with the flow" of cause-and-effect and never interrupts your narrative. And I'm sharing that method in today's video.

Comment below and tell me: what are some GREAT EXAMPLES of flashbacks in books/movies/tv??
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0:00 Introduction
1:55 Why I Love Flashbacks
3:12 Cause And Effect
5:35 Finding The Trigger
8:36 Recap
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✨R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ CHOOSING A POV FOR YOUR STORY

→ HOW TO WRITE A PLOT TWIST

→ HOW TO WRITE POWERFUL SIDE CHARACTERS

→ HOW TO WRITE AN ANTI-HERO

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

[ulrikschackmeyer]

I am a biologist trying my hand at a historical drama. And you are telling me that there is a FORMULA to creative writing !?! Girl, YOU HAVE JUST WON MY HEART!

[siarametanal]

Wow, as a person very far from humanities, who was never good at writing, it's amazing to see everything laid out in such a logical way, literally like science. I have never been so close to actually understanding what makes good writing good 😮 I will probably never write a novel, but these videos are just so satisfying to watch!

[NightOwlReader]

This makes me think of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, where Monique, the narrator, flashes back to moments in which her father teaches her to take deeps breaths in and out for a few second whenever something unpleasant happens, and this breathing technique calms her. She uses that breathing technique in the present, and it calms her down before she moves onto what she was about to do. She was nervous and panicky, and that's what triggered the memories. This flashback shows us a few things, 1) She and her father were very close, 2) What is about to happen is sort of like a bit of a turning point for her, and this is why she needed this memory of her with her father to give her the strength, and as reader once you read on, you see how this matters.

[danbee]

Best information source on flashbacks I've encountered. I took 6 pages of notes on this, but I write big. Well done, Abbie!

[UserName-xirm]

Flashbacks are going to be absolutely essential to My book, my main characters fear *is* the past, instead of saying “her fear is the past” I’m going to introduce her fear with flashbacks.

[toastercat]

LOST did an amazing job with their flashbacks, theres a lot of flash back scenes and they are incredibly well written. they never feel like a set back, and they flow so naturally with the story its amazing.

[Aust]

The way I integrated flashbacks in my book is actually pretty cool. The main characters are in a creative writing class, and every flashback is in the form of a non-fiction writing for class.

[luisdiaspires]

I needed to say this! I spent years looking for a decent writing youtube channel and I can't believe I found it! Your channel is super informative, engaging, funny, and has all the amazing tips to write a novel! It's like a free course with everything I needed! Thank you so much for sharing these videos! You're very witty, funny, chilled, and super cool to be around, even though there's screen separating us xD Love from Portugal and keep up the great work! You save writers' lives!

[cosmicprison]

Well, guess what, I just figured out that "make the reader hungry for the info dump" trick myself today. 😊 Glad you could confirm it! Perhaps the strongest, but also most risky way to do this: Make several things look like contradictions first, creating cognitive dissonance in the reader's brain, and then follow it up with the explanation. Now they're not just hungry for the information, they actively need it to correct a "problem" they've previously thought they had found in your story. Of course, this only works if you don't draw out the "fake plothole" for too long... and if the explanation you do end up providing in the end is logically sound, after all.

[emmakusmaul]

I loved your science analogies! They actually made the whole flashback thing make sense!

[jefffoulsham]

i am constantly surprised about the things i have written, then the ideas i have now and how they actually sync up more than I thought.

Months ago I started outlining a 40 issue graphic novel. And only yesterday I had this idea of having a full "adventure" happen between book 1 and 2 (issue 10 and 11). I came to this video to see what I could do to tell that unseen adventure in flashbacks, and I realized i already have a PERFECT parallel in the "present day" narrative!

Thanks for the advice!

[scottsponaas]

This was so helpful. I’m writing a time-based memoir and needed to understand how to insert flashbacks rather than just starting from childhood and laying out everything in a linear fashion. You definitely earned a subscriber with this one!

[coin]

My favorite use of flashbacks actually came in the form of a fanfiction called _Manacled_ .
The story consists of 3 parts where the first part intruduces the reader to the main character - who has lost the past five years of her memory - and sets up the situation she finds herself in
The second part is one continues flashback where an outside trigger basically makes her relive the parts of her memory that are missing and it sets the whole first part of the story into perspective (one of those stories with reoccurring "aha" moments if you decide to read it again)
And the third part is the protagonists coming to terms with this new knowledge and obviously resolving the main plot of the story

[militant_pacifist]

six of crows is a really great example of good flashbacks to me!! the revelation(s) of Kaz's backstory flow particularly well because they have an appropriate trigger

[mestimac]

Yes! I was planning on organizing my novel to include flashbacks that I thought had information vital to the story. Almost all the writing advice says to avoid them, but flashbacks seemed to be the best way to avoid infodumps or an odd jumping timeline at the beginning.

I don't mind flashbacks, but I also like when novelists include dreams and characters telling stories, so maybe I'm just weird. If they're short and well-done, I think they can really add to the main story.

Vicious by V. E. Schwab is an example of flashbacks done well. It was so fun to read.

[destinyanne]

great timing! this came in just when i'm struggling with flashback scenes OMG THANKYOU ABBIEE 😍

[jamescarvey]

Thanks, Abbie...the significance and justification for including flashbacks in a story are a lot clearer now. Rock on! 🎸

[VioletEmerald]

I recently read the YA novel Summer Bird Blue and i loved it SO much. And it made use of flashbacks SO well, ESPECIALLY the one that went all the way back to when the protagonist was a tiny child and her father walked out on the family. Such powerful stuff when done well.

[anyaputilin]

I love how you're so passionate about internal conflict. I started writing several stories and could not get what was missing, until I watched one of your videos and it clicked. Thank you so much for that eye opening truth

[lilly_girl]

one exaple where flashbacks are done really well is in the show Arcane. all the episodes start with some form of a flashback for a particular character, who's arc is most important for that episode. these characters not only create a bond with the character and us viewers, it tells us why they acted, or will act in the series. it leaves us with questions to explore, and really 3D characters who, like in real life have reasons to act in certain ways, and stories tying them before the series actually started. this creates an atmosphere that feels truly "lived in".