May the best timeline win
Past or present? The story will decide.
Whenever possible, I avoid dwelling in the past. It doesn’t interest me the same way the future does, which is why I prefer sci-fi over historical fiction. When it comes to history, there’s no momentum or suspense, no opportunity to change what was. I’d rather imagine a new world than revisit an old one.
When I’m writing, however, the past isn’t as easy to escape.
In order to create compelling, textured characters with full lives and unique personalities, I have to know them inside and out. This means figuring out what their childhoods were like, examining their relationships with their parents and siblings, learning how they met their partner, excavating their pivotal moments and private shames. Most of these details won’t make it into the final draft, some will surface as brief memories, and others will bubble up as full on flashbacks. This is where things get tricky.
Flashbacks—whole scenes written in real time, yet placed in the past—can reveal vital details about a character. A good flashback has a trigger, a clear and natural reason for a memory to surface. When done right, the story moves seamlessly and briefly to the past, offering only what the reader needs to understand the present. When overused or abused, flashbacks can slow a story’s momentum, making the reader question why we keep abandoning now for then. A valid question!
In grad school, I had a favorite professor who eschewed flashbacks. “If a scene is that important to the story,” he told us, “maybe that’s when the story takes place.”
This made sense to me. After that class, I held the past at arm’s length. Characters might remember a conversation or reflect on a meaningful day, but overall the plot kept moving. There was momentum. Problems arose and intensified. Characters muscled forward, dragging their stubborn baggage behind them. For the most part, this strategy worked. I wrote a few good stories and at least one decent novel, all with both feet planted firmly in the present.
But every project is different, including the new book I’m tentatively starting. The questions I’m asking are about memory, and the answers are rooted in the past. How do I spend enough time there, without losing the story’s momentum? How much of this novel is flashback, and at what point do I give in and set it in the past? Is the goal to resolve what happened long ago, or push my characters to a new place?
Answering these questions is about finding a way forward, no matter what direction I choose. It means drafting a whole bunch of scenes, past and present, and seeing moments pull me back to my desk.
It means dwelling in the past, long enough to learn what I need to know and where I need to be. 💛
Snack Break
We’ve had friends in town two weekends in a row, and before that I went to Nashville for work. It’s been a busy few weeks, filled with many excuses to eat a lot of incredible food! One of my favorite meals was this full spread at Indochine, a Wilmington restaurant that specializes in Thai and Vietnamese dishes, and is conveniently/dangerously located a short walk from my house. We took our best friend from Texas there this past Friday night, and walked back home with leftovers for days. It’s true what they say: the best way to make a dish better is to share it with people you love.
Relatable Reads
How Our Brains Cope with Speaking More Than One Language
"The brain is malleable and adaptable. When you're immersed in a second language, it does impact the way you perceive and process your native language.”
I’m still very early in my Italian language learning journey (my Duolingo streak is but 224 days old) but I’ve already noticed some of the things described in this article. Can’t wait to confuse my brain even more! 🇮🇹
“There are so many stories about coming of age, so many fables about the transition between childhood and adulthood. There are far fewer stories, however, about the next great and mysterious transition, the crossing from youth to the next thing after it, what happens after our twenties but before we get actually old.”
I really liked this piece about age, the internet, and what comes next. And just for the record: getting older is great, I highly recommend it! 👵🏼
“Exhale during the hard part. That's what I hear ten times a session. Breathe in when it's easy, breathe out when it's hard. I didn’t know this before. I thought it didn’t matter how you breathed.”
Really enjoyed this newsletter issue about weight training and the different kinds of strength it can teach. 💪
As we enter Q4, I’m trying to live in the present while also looking toward the future. As usual, my budget (courtesy of the best app in the world, You Need a Budget, also known as YNAB) is leading the way. I’ve already got a “Travel 2023” category for a trip to Montana, a “New-To-Us Car” category for when ours inevitably dies, and my “Holiday” category is ready to go. In case it’s not clear, I am now an official ✨YNAB Ambassador✨ so please use this fancy link for a free trial and join me in budgeting bliss!
Coffee Club
Thank you to Emily M. for making sure my future is filled with coffee!
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