Ma'am, your channel is, hands down, the best writing series on UA-cam. There are hundreds of authors, all touting their own method of writing as the path to success. Your channel is better because it is a distillation of all the authors you have worked with. They preach based on writing techniques that have worked for them. You educate, based on the fundamental principles behind those techniques. I want you to know that I am applying these lessons. If my writing doesn't suck, it will be due in large part to you. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
Hey guys! I had a sore throat when filming this video so sorry if my voice sounds a bit strained at times. Thanks to everyone who shared and liked the videos last week and to everyone who left such nice comments! Your support is very encouraging and means a lot to me!
this is really interesting, especially the foreshadowing one, it really explains why i think all modern netflix specials are poorly written, they always just end without any connection to what happens next.
Very helpful advice on flashbacks. Perfect example, I just finished rereading The Hunger Games and watched the movie again...so good. I hadn't realized how much that one scene impacts the plot.
Gotta say, I only discovered you like a month ago, and your videos have been super helpful and informative, I found myself wondering if you'd done more recent stuff, and though i'm not a long-time watcher, I'd just like to say a big welcome back to you and that seeing you'd posted only 40 mins ago was super uplifting! Hurrah!
Hi Ellen, I am a script consultant working in film with new and emerging writers and I find your videos so helpful and insightful. Even if you focus on novels, so much still of what you say applies to film too. Thank you!
I had been slogging through trying to write a flashback scene. This video reminded me to think about the flashback's purpose, not just in relation to the plot, but in relation to the reader. It also got me excited to give writing the dang scene another go! So, thank you! 😄
This was excellent, thank you so much. You made it very, very clear that in my case, most of my flashbacks need to be relegated to backstory that won't show in the story itself. They are just for me to get things in order.
I am so grateful for this video on flashbacks. In my dystopian fantasy novel I have several flashbacks. If I took them out the book would, in the main, be the same, but the flashbacks are, I hope, interesting, and anticipate the disaster that's to come. (Submitted first page and signed up for the blog! Thanks as always, Ellen!)
Excellent video in a series of excellent videos. Each day, before I continue my revision, I make it a point to check out your videos. It's a little like plowing a field: I keep one eye on the spot just in front of the plow and the other eye on a landmark in the distance to guide me in plowing a straight furrow.
Great video. This is making me look back at a flashback I planned to include in the novel I'm writing to decide if it's really relevant, or if it should be saved for a later book.
Oh, this is brand new! I'm glad you're still putting out these episodes. This one is especially useful. I'm so tempted to start in the past, then flash forward to the story's present (which is 1975). BTW I miss your short hairdo, like in your thumbnail.
Thanks for posting this! I'm currently working on both foreshadowing and adding backstory through flashbacks in my novel so this video is perfect timing!
have been following Ellen’s video blogs for quite some time. practical and motivational are the words that come to mind. any other words she inspires I keep for my own writing. thank you for these insightful videos.
I LOVE your videos. I wish you would post more often during the rest of the year! Your channel would grow so much, your videos are SO GOOD! Thanks for existing ): You have no idea how much you help us.
In one of my books (sadly yet to be published but one day..) I had a flashback near the end to explain events from another characters POV during the same time as the M.C.'s timeline. I think it also works in this case because of how I use it, but I agree, there are times to use it & time's it's best not to. I generally try not to unless it's necessary to the story. In my case, it was. Loved your video on the subject, not many have done this. Keep it up. You're awesome!!!
Came specifically looking for this topic. I probably need to read the Handmaid’s Tale because I get the impression it’s supposed to be info learned in present time but written during and about events in the past. I’m trying to work out a plot that’s present, but about the past and how the present came about. Not sure how to do it. This helps. Never occurred to me to just use past tense. Had myself convinced there’s something more difficult about presenting it.
I'm concerned about something. I have a flashback near the beginning of my novel about my main character's lost of her dad and how it kind of affected her mother. Someone told me not to include it in because we're just getting to know the characters and they aren't attached to them to feel bad for her. But I think it's important, as it explains how her mother is and the daughter's relationship with the mother now. What do you think?
Authors have their own specific writing stamp. That is why we study author's style and technique. Otherwise, all literary writing will become generic. If it helps with the story and it is the way you unfold it, why not? There are many ways to skin a cat.
Great video, the content is neat and structured as always. You could really use a better mic to make your videos more engaging though ! Sound is important for perceived quality.
Thoughts on how to use Character arcs where the character goes from good to bad? Or bad at least in that Character's world view? Also, how dark is too dark to go if you're aiming at a teenage audience?
I definitely prefer flashbacks that offer some kind of context or useful information, rather than ones that tease the reader by playing on their lack of understanding. If you’re going to pull me away from the present day storyline then it better be worth it haha. I switch off almost as fast as I do with dream sequences ^_^
These are great tips! Thank you for spending the time to make this video. Do you have any advice for flashbacks that are NOT the protagonist's memories? i.e. The flashback is someone else's memory, but it still affects the protagonist even though s/he didn't experience it.
Hey there! Glad to have you back with great content as always. I have a question I hope you can help with. I'm currently writing a trilogy where the first half of each book takes place in the main characters past and the second half takes place 5 years later. What are some things I should look out for when tackling something like this? I want the future version of the main character to be the "completed character" which would be incomparable to the main character in the past as she grows towards being that future self. I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything that would confuse the reader with these drastic time jumps in each of the three books. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Any tips on filling gaps? And on how to work out vague ideas? I'm a bit stuck with one part of my story. Kind of comparable to Harry learning magic to eventually find the philosopher's stone. I'm not 100% sure how I want to have my character learn the magic. Over a longer period throughout the book or through some kind of trial system that makes him adept at the magic in 1 go.
Everything Avivit said; and if possible, sit down with friends or family members, and tell them about the problem. You'll probably come up with some stupid ideas, but you can morph those into really useful ideas (for one of my stories, stereotypical medieval-style fantasy, I was completly stuck, my dad sugested alien abduction. This led me to thinking of kidnapping, and eventually, I decided to have the main character locked away for her own protection, which she eventually escapes from. It feels stupid considering weird suggestions, but they can help a lot!).
What's your take on flashbacks used near the end of the story? My villain acts like the protagonist's ally until the 80% mark, then betrays the protagonist and explains why via a (brief) flashback. This scene sets up the climax, which happens directly after. Can you see any structural problems here?
I had a writing teacher that said you should NEVER use flashbacks because they destroy the forward momentum of the plot. He criticized flashbacks where the narrator suddenly recalls a long, vivid, detailed memory, & said that was unrealistic. What do you think?
How would you like, introduce your flashback though. If your novel is written from a third person point of view, how exactly can you help identify to the reader it's a flashback, and how exactly would you _enter_ a flashback?
I'm no expert on flashbacks, but I have a third-person novel that has plenty of them. One thing that I do to distinguish between flashbacks and the main storyline is changing the POV from third-person to first-person. I write the character's name at the top to make it clear whose flashback this is, and I use their way of speaking when I write it to more fully immerse the readers in the mind of that character. I'll usually trigger the flashback in one of two ways: either another character says something or asks them about their past, or something happens to that character that reminds them of their past. This isn't the only way to handle it, but it's the way that that works for me.
Can you write an entire flashback using introspection? Example a character sees the picture frame of his dead brother and then back tracks to time how his brother died, how it affected his family, and how it affected his mental health because that's the main point of the story.
Can I use flashbacks about things that have to do with subplots and not the main arc? For example, a character may be terrified of spiders and this fear(even though seen throughout the book, yet not main conflict) is explained much later through a flashback when he comes into contact with them or something.
If it's important enough to that character then I see nothing wrong with it. Just make sure that if it doesn't relate to the main plot, it does relate to who that character is as a person. If the fact that this character is afraid of spiders significantly impacts their character arc, even if it doesn't have much to do with the main story arc, then a flashback might be appropriate. But if their fear of spiders is just added for a little flavor, the flashback is unnecessary.
Can a prologue be a flash back? Writing a novel and I want the first page to be present day but it would benefit the story to have something that had happened in the past right at the beginning.
Hello. Is it okay to add a flashback in the opening of your story? It's important to the plot. Here is mine: The Transylvanian Alps caved in around them, swallowing the train as it flew down the steep hillside. Viata snapped a picture before the sun sank behind the summit. Up in the pine trees of the forgotten forest, a set of glowing red eyes glinted in the twilight. She froze, her heart racing. She slowed her breathing down, trying to stay in the moment, but those same blazing eyes brought her back to that dark, snowy night. A chill rushed through her and the scent of burning rubber filled her nose. “Here it comes!” her mother yelled. Viata jolted upright in the backseat, then something smashed into the car, sending it spiraling out of control. Her mother’s guttural scream was cut short as the car slid under the tractor-trailer. Glass shattered in her face, then a man burst through the window and ripped her from the wreckage as the car crumpled behind them. The stranger’s face spun above her as he gently set her on the grass, her mother’s blood dripping down her face and into her mouth. A low grunt broke the silence. She looked up to red eyes looking down at her. She gasped. The eyes flew backward, and a gust of wind carrying the scent of sandalwood blew her hair back. Viata clutched the armrests and focused on the soft leather beneath her fingertips, desperate to pull herself away from the memory. She blinked away her mother’s mangled body. “Breathe, just breathe,” she said in a shaky whisper. What did mom see? Why did my guardian angel only save me? And why did he have red eyes? She asked those same questions for ten years and still got no answer. Maybe she never would. Viata sighed and looked out the window as the train screeched to a stop, thinking about the red eyes she saw on top of the mountain that triggered her flashback. She was sure it was wolves and their eyes somehow reflected off the trains interior lights.
I didnt read the whole comment but mine starts with a flashback too, I think it is better for knowing the character even before meeting them. So I guess keep it up in the book! 👍🏻
Ma'am, your channel is, hands down, the best writing series on UA-cam. There are hundreds of authors, all touting their own method of writing as the path to success. Your channel is better because it is a distillation of all the authors you have worked with. They preach based on writing techniques that have worked for them. You educate, based on the fundamental principles behind those techniques. I want you to know that I am applying these lessons. If my writing doesn't suck, it will be due in large part to you. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
Thanks so much!
I concur! So great.
you resolved a specific question that I had and I found myself saying out loud "YES, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT"
Hey guys! I had a sore throat when filming this video so sorry if my voice sounds a bit strained at times. Thanks to everyone who shared and liked the videos last week and to everyone who left such nice comments! Your support is very encouraging and means a lot to me!
Hope you're feeling better:)
Flashbacks and foreshadowing can be great devices in books once done properly. Thanks for discussing this Ellen.
this is really interesting, especially the foreshadowing one, it really explains why i think all modern netflix specials are poorly written, they always just end without any connection to what happens next.
Very helpful advice on flashbacks. Perfect example, I just finished rereading The Hunger Games and watched the movie again...so good. I hadn't realized how much that one scene impacts the plot.
So glad you are doing videos again!
Good to have you back.
Gotta say, I only discovered you like a month ago, and your videos have been super helpful and informative, I found myself wondering if you'd done more recent stuff, and though i'm not a long-time watcher, I'd just like to say a big welcome back to you and that seeing you'd posted only 40 mins ago was super uplifting! Hurrah!
Hi Ellen, I am a script consultant working in film with new and emerging writers and I find your videos so helpful and insightful. Even if you focus on novels, so much still of what you say applies to film too. Thank you!
I had been slogging through trying to write a flashback scene. This video reminded me to think about the flashback's purpose, not just in relation to the plot, but in relation to the reader. It also got me excited to give writing the dang scene another go! So, thank you! 😄
I love the idea of foreshadowing a flashback. Some great thoughts in this vid that I'd never really come across. Thank you!
This was excellent, thank you so much. You made it very, very clear that in my case, most of my flashbacks need to be relegated to backstory that won't show in the story itself. They are just for me to get things in order.
I am so grateful for this video on flashbacks. In my dystopian fantasy novel I have several flashbacks. If I took them out the book would, in the main, be the same, but the flashbacks are, I hope, interesting, and anticipate the disaster that's to come. (Submitted first page and signed up for the blog! Thanks as always, Ellen!)
I love your stuff. Always the Best!
Excellent video in a series of excellent videos. Each day, before I continue my revision, I make it a point to check out your videos. It's a little like plowing a field: I keep one eye on the spot just in front of the plow and the other eye on a landmark in the distance to guide me in plowing a straight furrow.
Great video. This is making me look back at a flashback I planned to include in the novel I'm writing to decide if it's really relevant, or if it should be saved for a later book.
Wow, thank you. I was in need of some of that advice. Also, so good to see you doing videos again!!!!!!!
Oh, this is brand new! I'm glad you're still putting out these episodes.
This one is especially useful. I'm so tempted to start in the past, then flash forward to the story's present (which is 1975).
BTW I miss your short hairdo, like in your thumbnail.
Thanks for posting this! I'm currently working on both foreshadowing and adding backstory through flashbacks in my novel so this video is perfect timing!
have been following Ellen’s video blogs for quite some time. practical and motivational are the words that come to mind. any other words she inspires I keep for my own writing. thank you for these insightful videos.
I LOVE your videos. I wish you would post more often during the rest of the year! Your channel would grow so much, your videos are SO GOOD! Thanks for existing ): You have no idea how much you help us.
Thanks for your support! I'm working on finding a way to post more often.
Videos like these deserve way more views! Please keep going, they are amazing!
Thanks for your videos. Your work means something to me and others like me.
foreshadowing a flashback! this had never occurred to me. love it!
This helped me edit some of my work......so helpful 😁
In one of my books (sadly yet to be published but one day..) I had a flashback near the end to explain events from another characters POV during the same time as the M.C.'s timeline. I think it also works in this case because of how I use it, but I agree, there are times to use it & time's it's best not to. I generally try not to unless it's necessary to the story. In my case, it was. Loved your video on the subject, not many have done this. Keep it up. You're awesome!!!
Thank you for teaching me flashbacks 👍👍👍👍👍
I absolutely adore this new series!! On top of great writing advice I get book recommendations
You are a gem, thank you for this!
Thank you for this. I was having a hard time on how to logically input it on my novel.
These videos are amazing!
Came specifically looking for this topic. I probably need to read the Handmaid’s Tale because I get the impression it’s supposed to be info learned in present time but written during and about events in the past. I’m trying to work out a plot that’s present, but about the past and how the present came about. Not sure how to do it. This helps. Never occurred to me to just use past tense. Had myself convinced there’s something more difficult about presenting it.
Perfect timing bcz I was just developing a HUGE flashback that’s meant to bring my whole book together✨
New subscriber - thank you are amazing! I’ll have a few flashbacks in my novel - this info is not the advice I was expecting - yea!!
thank you for everything you do
I'm concerned about something. I have a flashback near the beginning of my novel about my main character's lost of her dad and how it kind of affected her mother. Someone told me not to include it in because we're just getting to know the characters and they aren't attached to them to feel bad for her. But I think it's important, as it explains how her mother is and the daughter's relationship with the mother now. What do you think?
TheRandomJukebox Trust your judgement.
Authors have their own specific writing stamp. That is why we study author's style and technique. Otherwise, all literary writing will become generic. If it helps with the story and it is the way you unfold it, why not? There are many ways to skin a cat.
Great video, the content is neat and structured as always. You could really use a better mic to make your videos more engaging though ! Sound is important for perceived quality.
I.. LOVE your Hustle. I'll like every video I view of you.
Can you make a video on same old pre established cliches phrases
I've submitted my first 500 words of my novel. Hopefully I get the critique.
Thoughts on how to use Character arcs where the character goes from good to bad? Or bad at least in that Character's world view? Also, how dark is too dark to go if you're aiming at a teenage audience?
THANK YOU
Great tips on flashbacks! But I have a question: Does the flashback scene contains narrative alone, or may also have dialogue?
I definitely prefer flashbacks that offer some kind of context or useful information, rather than ones that tease the reader by playing on their lack of understanding. If you’re going to pull me away from the present day storyline then it better be worth it haha. I switch off almost as fast as I do with dream sequences ^_^
Could you please make a video about non-chronological stories?
These are great tips! Thank you for spending the time to make this video. Do you have any advice for flashbacks that are NOT the protagonist's memories? i.e. The flashback is someone else's memory, but it still affects the protagonist even though s/he didn't experience it.
Lisette Marie There's no way of knowing if that works unless we read the entire book. Trust your judgement.
Hey there! Glad to have you back with great content as always. I have a question I hope you can help with. I'm currently writing a trilogy where the first half of each book takes place in the main characters past and the second half takes place 5 years later. What are some things I should look out for when tackling something like this? I want the future version of the main character to be the "completed character" which would be incomparable to the main character in the past as she grows towards being that future self. I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything that would confuse the reader with these drastic time jumps in each of the three books. Thank you and keep up the good work!
David Cawley It's a different approach. Just look out for ensuring it's gripping and clear.
Any tips on filling gaps? And on how to work out vague ideas?
I'm a bit stuck with one part of my story. Kind of comparable to Harry learning magic to eventually find the philosopher's stone. I'm not 100% sure how I want to have my character learn the magic. Over a longer period throughout the book or through some kind of trial system that makes him adept at the magic in 1 go.
Everything Avivit said; and if possible, sit down with friends or family members, and tell them about the problem. You'll probably come up with some stupid ideas, but you can morph those into really useful ideas (for one of my stories, stereotypical medieval-style fantasy, I was completly stuck, my dad sugested alien abduction. This led me to thinking of kidnapping, and eventually, I decided to have the main character locked away for her own protection, which she eventually escapes from. It feels stupid considering weird suggestions, but they can help a lot!).
What's your take on flashbacks used near the end of the story? My villain acts like the protagonist's ally until the 80% mark, then betrays the protagonist and explains why via a (brief) flashback. This scene sets up the climax, which happens directly after. Can you see any structural problems here?
I had a writing teacher that said you should NEVER use flashbacks because they destroy the forward momentum of the plot. He criticized flashbacks where the narrator suddenly recalls a long, vivid, detailed memory, & said that was unrealistic. What do you think?
Aria Anything can work if done well.
How would you like, introduce your flashback though. If your novel is written from a third person point of view, how exactly can you help identify to the reader it's a flashback, and how exactly would you _enter_ a flashback?
I'm no expert on flashbacks, but I have a third-person novel that has plenty of them. One thing that I do to distinguish between flashbacks and the main storyline is changing the POV from third-person to first-person. I write the character's name at the top to make it clear whose flashback this is, and I use their way of speaking when I write it to more fully immerse the readers in the mind of that character. I'll usually trigger the flashback in one of two ways: either another character says something or asks them about their past, or something happens to that character that reminds them of their past. This isn't the only way to handle it, but it's the way that
that works for me.
welcome baack! it's good to see you post new vids. :))
Can you write an entire flashback using introspection? Example a character sees the picture frame of his dead brother and then back tracks to time how his brother died, how it affected his family, and how it affected his mental health because that's the main point of the story.
Done well, this can be very effective. The challenge is keeping your readers invested.
Can I use flashbacks about things that have to do with subplots and not the main arc? For example, a character may be terrified of spiders and this fear(even though seen throughout the book, yet not main conflict) is explained much later through a flashback when he comes into contact with them or something.
If it's important enough to that character then I see nothing wrong with it. Just make sure that if it doesn't relate to the main plot, it does relate to who that character is as a person. If the fact that this character is afraid of spiders significantly impacts their character arc, even if it
doesn't have much to do with the main story arc, then a flashback might be appropriate. But if their fear of spiders is just added for a little flavor, the flashback is unnecessary.
thanks
When would you include this detail in dialogue?
The character telling the series of events to another character
What do you think of Charles Bukowski's "So, you want to be a writer?" poem?
VieneLea Go all the way!
Can you explain how to make god dream sequences please.
Posted mine. It looks like I'm the first to post on your site for this workshop. How many have posted so far?
Tara Dobbs I just posted. Hope she gives you a good report.
Can a prologue be a flash back? Writing a novel and I want the first page to be present day but it would benefit the story to have something that had happened in the past right at the beginning.
Tom Oliver yep! The majority of prologue are flash back !
Jessica Carmen okay great, thank you!
She does a good job in these videos, also she looks 18.
Hello. Is it okay to add a flashback in the opening of your story? It's important to the plot. Here is mine: The Transylvanian Alps caved in around them, swallowing the train as it flew down the steep hillside. Viata snapped a picture before the sun sank behind the summit. Up in the pine trees of the forgotten forest, a set of glowing red eyes glinted in the twilight. She froze, her heart racing. She slowed her breathing down, trying to stay in the moment, but those same blazing eyes brought her back to that dark, snowy night. A chill rushed through her and the scent of burning rubber filled her nose.
“Here it comes!” her mother yelled.
Viata jolted upright in the backseat, then something smashed into the car, sending it spiraling out of control. Her mother’s guttural scream was cut short as the car slid under the tractor-trailer. Glass shattered in her face, then a man burst through the window and ripped her from the wreckage as the car crumpled behind them. The stranger’s face spun above her as he gently set her on the grass, her mother’s blood dripping down her face and into her mouth. A low grunt broke the silence. She looked up to red eyes looking down at her. She gasped. The eyes flew backward, and a gust of wind carrying the scent of sandalwood blew her hair back.
Viata clutched the armrests and focused on the soft leather beneath her fingertips, desperate to pull herself away from the memory. She blinked away her mother’s mangled body. “Breathe, just breathe,” she said in a shaky whisper.
What did mom see? Why did my guardian angel only save me? And why did he have red eyes?
She asked those same questions for ten years and still got no answer. Maybe she never would.
Viata sighed and looked out the window as the train screeched to a stop, thinking about the red eyes she saw on top of the mountain that triggered her flashback. She was sure it was wolves and their eyes somehow reflected off the trains interior lights.
I didnt read the whole comment but mine starts with a flashback too, I think it is better for knowing the character even before meeting them. So I guess keep it up in the book! 👍🏻
Thanks miss allen 😇?
What about instead of impacting how a character acts, the flashback explains WHY: or maybe that’s what you are saying.
Hello!!!!!
whos the 1 person disliking every video? lol
Well .. You are beautiful
Hey, stop moving your hands so much - I'm trying to see if you're wearing a marriage band! :D
°~°
-_-'
It's a joke, chill. :)