Flashbacks. They're a common tool we use, particularly in the middle of a book, to flesh out characters and add dimension to current plot events.
My current headache of the moment is how to effectively portray flashback material. My novel is about grief, particularly the denial stage of grief, and flashbacks drive my emotionally tormented character to undertake many of her mid-story actions. My fabulous gammas pointed out at our meeting last night that some of my flashbacks are perhaps TOO seamlessly integrated in the real-time action. When adult readers have to go back and re-read several times to grasp that "oh, this is flashback," you know it's not going to fly with younger readers. Switching verb tense (from present to past) was apparently not enough of a clue that time slips are occurring. I need some additional techniques to improve the clarity of what's happening when.
So, help me out here. I need some good examples of well-done flashback use from literature to study, or some writing resources you can recommend. I especially need some narrative technique options I can try out to see what works best.
What books have you read that elegantly insert memory into the narrative, yet clearly delineate the then from the now? What writing resources can you recommend? What techniques have you used for portraying flashback that worked well?
My current headache of the moment is how to effectively portray flashback material. My novel is about grief, particularly the denial stage of grief, and flashbacks drive my emotionally tormented character to undertake many of her mid-story actions. My fabulous gammas pointed out at our meeting last night that some of my flashbacks are perhaps TOO seamlessly integrated in the real-time action. When adult readers have to go back and re-read several times to grasp that "oh, this is flashback," you know it's not going to fly with younger readers. Switching verb tense (from present to past) was apparently not enough of a clue that time slips are occurring. I need some additional techniques to improve the clarity of what's happening when.
So, help me out here. I need some good examples of well-done flashback use from literature to study, or some writing resources you can recommend. I especially need some narrative technique options I can try out to see what works best.
What books have you read that elegantly insert memory into the narrative, yet clearly delineate the then from the now? What writing resources can you recommend? What techniques have you used for portraying flashback that worked well?
