Character Backstory Relationships

 by Sarah Raplee

I like to do what I call “pre-writing” before beginning a new story. Part of this involves figuring out my main characters’ backstories including their relationships with family members. Those relationships often affect a character’s behavior.

For example, a young woman named Alice who is an identical twin grew up with her sister in the foster care system. She will most likely be closer to her twin than to anyone else. They may have relied on each other more than on the adults in their lives. They may have lived in warm, loving families as well as less-than-ideal families. They may be slow to trust in relationships, but they may also recognize qualities that they want in a life partner, as well as qualities they don’t. There’s also a good chance they are hyper-vigilant around new people.

Now let’s think about Alice Two, the same young woman but she and her twin grew up with loving and supportive parents in a stable home. They may not be so tied-at-the-hip to each other. They may be more independent, but also more naïve than the first set of twins.

Now let’s imagine Alice One goes out to dinner with a guy who begins to set off her creep-o-meter. How would she respond?

• Alice One would have done some in-depth checking on the guy before going out with him. Anything suspicious (criminal record, social media posts, etc.) would have made the date a non-starter.
• My second guess is she would go to the restroom, text her twin—who knows where she is and who she’s with—and ask her to call her in 5 minutes with a fake emergency. After the phone call, Alice One would leave in her own car because there’s no way she’d let him know where she lives.

Alice Two, on the other hand, would be less likely to thoroughly vet the guy. A recommendation or introduction from someone she likes might seem safe enough, especially if he’s a charmer.

• When Alice Two begins to feel uncomfortable, she may try to ignore the feeling. If she fakes an illness, she might let the guy take her home if he insists (big mistake.)
• She might panic and go to the restroom to call her twin or a friend, hiding out until reinforcements arrive.

Every writer develops their own process. For me, pre-writing helps me to avoid re-writing. It helps me make decisions ahead of time that help the story to flow naturally.

If you are a writer, do you do any pre-writing?

If you are a reader, have you ever come across a place in a story where someone reacts in a way that makes no sense for the character?