: Re: Which of the two cases of writing Flashback Stories is better? I am currently working on a story which is based on a flashback event of life. I want the past scene to appear as a current

@Sims2267584

Vote Up Vote Down

In the example, it seems as if the narrator is lying awake at midnight thinking about the day gone by. If so, this is not quite a flashback—you're describing your character's thoughts in the present. The choice between "It is midnight" and "It was midnight" is about whether you want to write the body of your story in present tense or past tense. Either is fine, but past tense is more traditional.

For short pieces of remembered dialogue, you can just drop them in.

It was midnight. My eyes were open and my mind was buzzing with the
taunts of the students.

"Idiot!"

"Why don't you just leave!"

"You're an embarrassment to the school!"

I rolled over in bed. I couldn't sleep.

The reader will probably get the idea. If the transition out of the memory seems confusing or abrupt, you can add some description that places the reader back in that bedroom at midnight. Have your character adjust the sheets or glance at the clock.

When writing in the past tense, some writers are confused about how to describe events that are further in the past.

One approach is to use the past perfect tense (verbs beginning with "had") in your flashback. A little goes a long way here, and readers may be irritated by long passages written in past perfect. You'll probably find it's sufficient to use it at the beginning of the section, then switch back to the same simple past tense you use for the rest of the story.

It was midnight. My eyes were open and my mind was buzzing as I
remembered the cruel treatment I had received from the students that
morning.

Melissa's mouth had curled into a cruel grin as she pinned me against
the wall of the school.

"You think you're welcome here?" she'd asked.

"Give her a real welcome," said Gina.

Melissa's fingers drew a teasing line down my face, then pinched my
lips. It was agony.

The other girls laughed and jeered, then kicked and punched.

I rolled over in bed. I couldn't sleep.

There are many other ways to set off memories and short flashbacks. Some writers do it by placing the past events (often part of a memory) in italics. Others use description, phrases like "I remembered...":

I remembered how Melissa's fingers had drawn a teasing line down my
face...

There's no single "correct" way to do this. You may want to try different options and see which one you like best. Also consider whether you want to use flashbacks at all. It is often better to reveal a story in real time rather than through memories, and if events have already been described as they occurred, further reminders may not be necessary.

(0)

Login to post a comment!