A backstory is the history and background of your character, the events and experiences that shaped their personality, motivations, and goals. A well-crafted backstory can make your character more believable, relatable, and engaging for the audience. But how can you create a backstory that brings your character to life? Here are some tips and techniques to help you.
Before you dive into the details of your character's past, you need to establish some basic information about them, such as their name, age, appearance, occupation, family, and location. These facts will help you anchor your character in a specific context and time period, and give you clues about their social and cultural background. You can use online tools, such as name generators, personality tests, or character sheets, to help you with this step.
One of the ways I've explored this is using my past experiences and places I've been to to create the basics of my character's backstory. They often have an external storyline, but an internal storyline. When I was a teenager, I used to write short stories in notebooks. As someone who read and seen a lot of images in magazines, I always had a clear vision on how I want characters to look. When I got into writing TV pilots, I always created TV bibles with full character bios from looks down to motivations. The most important part is never let your character appear too perfect.
When I create a the basics of a character I try to put myself in their shoes. I try to become that character in my own mind. I have years of experiences that I can often draw from to create the basics of a character. I ask myself how this character is going to contribute to this story and begin developing from their. I Start by outlining the fundamental traits and characteristics of your character. Consider their personality, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. This will serve as the foundation for the backstory.
Once you have the basic facts, you can explore your character's personality traits, such as their strengths, weaknesses, values, fears, desires, and quirks. You can use frameworks, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram, or the Big Five, to help you identify and categorize your character's personality. You can also use questions, such as "What makes them happy?", "What annoys them?", or "What are they passionate about?", to help you flesh out their character.
I return to the question on how this character is going to contribute to the story. What do I need to write this character in? I then begin developing the character's personality. I tend to lean on the Big Five and add in other traits as I see fit. I do my best to create characters that are interesting, effective, and leave an impression.
Now that you have a sense of your character's personality, you can start to connect it to their past experiences and events. You can use techniques, such as the timeline, the biography, or the flashback, to help you create a chronological and coherent narrative of your character's life. You can also use themes, such as the wound, the lie, or the goal, to help you create a psychological and emotional arc for your character. You should try to explain how their past influenced their present, and how their present affects their future.
To breathe life into a character, delve into their past with purpose in mind. Consider their upbringing, pivotal life events and the people who shaped them. Uncover the experiences that ignited their passions or scarred their souls. What dreams were shattered or realized? How did they adapt to adversity? Embrace the imperfections and vulnerabilities that make them human, then bring these details to the present and every action will carry a greater impact, be it from the hero or villain.
Connecting past and present has always been something I've taken pride in. Someone's past should shape how the person is in the present. Connecting a characters past events to modern day can bring conflict into the story. Their past, which the audience may or may not see, should be explained how it influenced them to who they are today whether through character dialogue or visual images.
I make time to delve into the character's childhood and early experiences. Identify key events, relationships, or challenges that played a significant role in shaping who they are. This could include family dynamics, friendships, or impactful moments that left a lasting impression.
A good backstory is not just a collection of random facts and anecdotes. It should be relevant and realistic to your character's role and situation in the story. You should only include the information that is essential and meaningful to your character's development and conflict. You should also avoid clichés, contradictions, and inconsistencies in your backstory. You should research and verify the accuracy of your backstory, especially if it involves historical, cultural, or scientific elements.
A backstory is not meant to be dumped on the audience in a long exposition or narration. It should be revealed gradually and subtly through your character's actions, dialogues, and reactions. You should use techniques, such as the flashback, the dialogue, or the prop, to help you show your backstory in a visual and engaging way. You should also use cues, such as the mood, the tone, or the symbolism, to help you convey your backstory in a deeper and richer way.
A backstory is not set in stone. It can change and evolve as you write and revise your story. You should be flexible and creative with your backstory, and be open to new ideas and possibilities. You should also be willing to cut or modify your backstory, if it does not serve your story or your character. You should remember that a backstory is a tool, not a rule, and that the ultimate goal is to create a character that comes to life.
Here are a few question I ask myself when developing a character: What does your character aspire to achieve? Define their motivations, desires, and long-term goals. Understanding what drives your character adds purpose to their actions throughout the narrative.
As an actor, if you have only a small section of the script to work with, developing a backstory for your character can enhance your audition performance. To do this, you should find clues about your character within the script and from how other characters interact with them. Consider the setting and time period of the story, as it can influence your character's behaviour, accent, and social position in relation to others. For example, if you're playing a character from the Victorian era, consider the social norms, customs, and language of that time. By developing a backstory for your character, you'll better understand who they are and what drives them, enabling you to deliver a more convincing performance.