Writing Tip of the Day

A flashback should serve a purpose that can be gained in no other way. Though it illustrates events in the past, it must still be constructed in such a way that it adds momentum to your story.

Writing Tip of the Day

Make certain your story is off to a strong, running start before adding a flashback. You don't want past events to sidetrack the reader from her/his quest to discover what's going to happen next.

Writing Tip of the Day

If you create a scene to dramatize past events, one which includes character actions and dialogue, it's a flashback. If you only describe something that happened long ago, it's exposition. Any time information derived from past events can be given in a few sentences, a flashback is not required.