A Story of Flashbacks
Flashbacks are events that happened before your primary story began. You insert them in the scene in such a way as to flesh out the story, being careful not to slow the pace of the story, lose the reader’s interest, or create confusion. I recently read a novel set in World War II Paris. The book chronicles the lives of two women during the Nazi occupation of Paris. It is told almost completely in flashbacks. I guess they’re flashbacks since there’s no real timeline. The story begins in 1943, but the subsequent chapters bounce between 1939 and 1945 (when the Allies free Paris from Nazi rule). Not only does the story bounce around in time, it bounces between the two heroines. Does this type of story telling slow the flow of the story? Does it lose reader’s interest? Does it create confusion. Honestly, I’d have to say yes to all three. Still, many readers enjoyed the story and it has received good reviews. Some readers didn’t stick with it and voiced their dislike o...