Heather Ames's Blog - Posts Tagged "annoying"
Back Stories. Informational or Just Plain Annoying?
As an author writing her first series, I'm always interested in how much back story readers want. Characters affected by their pasts, including what went on in the previous book, which may have had life-changing events, will react differently to some situations than would characters without those experiences. Will readers think their reactions are true-to-character or contrived to fit the plot without some thumbnail explanations, skillfully (hopefully) inserted?
I'm currently reading 2 books. One of them is a chronological read, the other random. The chronological leaves me wondering whether I would find the interactions between the characters somewhat over-the-top if I hadn't read the previous novels. The other has copious references to past events and I find myself somewhat irritated by the slowing of the plot as a consequence.
So, I'm left thinking that adding back story may be a personal preference for the reader...or not.
I'm currently reading 2 books. One of them is a chronological read, the other random. The chronological leaves me wondering whether I would find the interactions between the characters somewhat over-the-top if I hadn't read the previous novels. The other has copious references to past events and I find myself somewhat irritated by the slowing of the plot as a consequence.
So, I'm left thinking that adding back story may be a personal preference for the reader...or not.
