HIT PLAY OR READ THE POST BELOW:

Most novels include some amount of flashbacks to provide more context for what happened in the characters’ lives prior to the start of the story. If done right, a flashback can make your story much richer, your characters more complex, and your reader care more about what will happen to them.

However, if done poorly, flashbacks can turn the reader off entirely. In this article, I'm going to go over my top dos and don'ts for how to write a flashback scene that will enhance your story, rather than detract from it.

Do: Be Relevant

When learning how to write a flashback scene, the first step is to make the content of the flashback highly relevant. Before writing that flashback passage, take a step back and make sure you have a good reason for including it.

Because it’s such a specific kind of scene to have, you never want to use a flashback as filler or fluff. There should be a specific purpose justifying its inclusion in your book.

One reason to use a flashback scene is that the reader needs to learn some details of a character's relationship with another character. This can be helpful especially if a character is not presently available in the narrative. For instance, perhaps the character's mother is dead in the present narrative but you want to show a memory that gives us insight into their past relationship.

Additionally, you want to make sure that something in the scene actually triggers the flashback. You don't want it to just pop out of nowhere, because then it will seem less relevant to the main story. There should be a clear reason for your character to be reminded of the memory.

You can have the character hear, see, or even smell something in the present scene that then jogs their memory. That way, it will be clear to the reader how the flashback scene actually relates to what the character is experiencing in the present day. For example, as your character is out and about, someone calls them by a nickname that only their late mother used. This would offer a nice transition into the character describing a memory with their late mother.

Don’t: Linger Too Long

Don’t linger too long in any flashback scene. This is critical for writing effective flashbacks, as flashbacks get a bad rap for detracting from the urgency, sense of momentum, and pacing that has been built in the present narrative. So, like with any other scene in your manuscript, you want to make sure all flashback scenes are impactful and contained.

If the flashback goes on for more than a few pages, the reader will likely lose interest or begin to forget what was happening in the present narrative, making the return to the present disorienting.

To keep your flashback scenes tight, avoid including unnecessary details that aren’t relevant to the main point being conveyed. For instance, there isn’t a need to describe what the characters are wearing in a flashback unless it is directly related to the moment at hand.

What might be world building and imagery in the present narrative will come off as clutter in a flashback scene. This is because you have to justify every word in a flashback scene, as you are intently bringing the readers into a different time period from the main story.

If you do feel like you need to show a longer flashback passage, consider potentially breaking it up into multiple segments. Then, the reader can get a small taste of the flashback, return to the present memory, and then get a little more of the flashback later on, and so on. This can be an effective technique if you need to show the reader a longer stream of events in the past without dumping them all at once.

Do: Write Smooth Transitions

Writing smooth transitions is important to learning how to write a flashback scene that works. An effective flashback requires a seamless transition into as well as out of the scene. When you first dive into a flashback, you want to use a different tense than what you are using for the events of the main narrative so that it’s clear to the reader what’s happening in the past vs. the present.

For example, most stories are written in the simple past tense, meaning you will write the flashback in the past perfect tense. It’s a simple but effective way to communicate to the reader what is happening in the distant past in the flashback, as it’ll contrast the simple past tense used for the present narrative. I go over this particular issue in my article on common amateur grammar mistakes, so check that out for a specific example of past perfect vs. simple past.

To go from a flashback back into the present narrative, you have to reorient the reader back to what’s going on in the current scene. This can be done by using a signaling device, such as a character in the present moment continuing their conversation with the protagonist. That will allow the reader to continue with the present action.

Just make sure that this transition isn't too abrupt and that you have tied up your flashback neatly before jolting the reader back into the present scene. Plus, make sure that you re-establish where the character is and what they are doing now that we are out of the flashback.

Don’t: Disorient the Reader

Flashbacks have to be very clearly rooted in a specific time and place. If we don't know where or when it happened, it is going to be very difficult to register its significance to the present narrative.

You should also give the reader any important context for when the flashback took place along the milestones of their life so we can see where it fits with what we already know has happened in their life. For instance, in this example of the character having a flashback of their late mother, you could say something like, “Two months before she died, she gave me her wedding band. I was 14 at the time and still living in the Atlanta suburbs.”

We're getting a lot of great information in those sentences. First, we know that the mother gave the narrator the wedding band two months before she died, helping us register the timeline of events and the significance of this moment. We also know that the narrator was 14 and living in Atlanta, showing us how young they were when this event happened. This information will help the reader contextualize the flashback and ultimately register its significance and implications on the narrator.

Do: Describe a Specific Memory

Each flashback should center on a single, specific memory. You want to avoid using a flashback passage to describe repeated events of the past or abstractions of the past in general.

By focusing on a specific memory that exemplifies what the character was experiencing at that time, it will be so much more engaging for the reader to experience. Instead of reading a general description or info-dump, they will see a single, memorable scene.

For instance, instead of saying something vague like, “When I was in high school, every week my father would come home drunk and scream at my mom,” you could describe a specific instance where the narrator's father came home drunk and screamed at their mom and then explain that instances like this continued to happen once a week. That way, the reader can experience for themself the emotional tension of the scene, further immersing them in the story.

Don’t: Misplace the Scene

Learning where to place a memory sequence is one of the keys to figuring out how to write a flashback scene that adds to the story rather than detracts. If the flashback scene is misplaced, the reader is likely going to skip over it or forget what is going on in the present narrative.

For instance, you typically don't want to include a flashback scene when there is a lot of dramatic action happening, such as during the middle of a fight scene. Since fight scenes are so attention grabbing, the reader will skim over the flashback to see how the fight pans out because that feels more urgent.

I would recommend placing the flashback right after the main drama of the fight scene or whenever the action subsides in the present narrative. Then, at that point the reader will actually crave a little bit of a break and will be more open-minded to the temporal reflections.

The main point is to be strategic with the placement of your flashbacks, as they can be an effective tool for giving your narrative a cadence and flow to explore the emotional landscape of your characters at opportune moments. In general, placing them just after a major dramatic plot development is good, as it allows you to step back and dive into some reflection after a major climactic moment.

I hope these tips help you learn how to write a flashback scene that is effective and engaging! By being intentional with their placement, content, and transitions, your flashback scenes will enhance the emotional landscape of your story and make your scenes more poignant.

If you’re interested in strengthening other aspects of your story, check out this overview of plot mistakes to avoid.

Thanks so much for watching and happy writing!