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This flashback is from a short story I'm writing (unedited first draft):
I met Limei last summer. Our class had organized a graduation trip to
Green Island, where we stayed for fourteen days and fourteen nights.
One of my friends had dragged her along. He barely knew Limei, but he
apparently wanted to make a move on her. The reason she had accepted
escaped me. Probably because she didn't have many friends at that time,
so an invitation like that was a big chance for her to make new
acquaintances.
She'd been specially quiet on the trip. She would would just sit alone
in the beach, staring listlessly at the blue ocean. My friend had
already lost interest on her by then, saying that talking to her was
as fun as talking to a lettuce.
I sat next to her one day, without being quite sure about why. She wasn't
exactly my type, but I had to admit she had a attractive facial
features; big deep eyes, a well-shaped nose, and smooth red lips. I
wasn't the kind who usually approached strangers either. So what did I
want from her then?
"Seagulls," Limei suddenly said, still gazing to the front.
I stared at her for a moment, confused, and then turned to the sea.
There was a flock of seagulls flying above us, moving randomly from
one spot to another, but never leaving the group.
"You like seagulls?" I asked looking at her again. Her jet-black hair
was blowing with the wind.
"Not really," she said, shaking her head. "I was just...wondering."
One of the seagulls descended into the water, in an attempt to catch a
fish. But came out with nothing.
"I was wondering—why do birds, like seagulls, have to migrate every
year?" she continued. "Why don't they stay in the same place like most
animals do?"
"Well," I said. It was a difficult question. "I guess each animal has
developed their own survival strategies. Maybe it doesn't matter what
the strategy is, as long as it works, it will remain in the specie.
And the genes responsible for that behavior will pass to the next
generation."
Limei turned to look at me with a inquiring look. I wasn't sure
whether I had answered her question or I had just annoyed her with my
attempt of displaying knowledge in evolutionary biology.
We remained silent for a while watching the seagulls. I had no idea
why Limei was being more open to me than the others. Or could it be
that she had actually many things to talk about, just that no one had
sat beside her and actually listen to what she had to say?
"Hey, I'm curious," I finally said, "why did you accept Jung's
invitation for coming? I bet you don't particularly like him. And
besides, you don't know any of the other guys."
She looked at me again, and then fixed her eyes into the sand. I let
out sigh, cursing myself. I'd always had a special talent for asking
inappropriate questions. An awkward quietness surrounded us. I
pretended to be immersed in the fly of the seagulls.
"I...just wanted to to leave my house," Limei suddenly said with a
sigh.
"Family problems?" I asked.
Limei shook her head. "It just that my dad's work requires him to
travel constantly abroad. So, I spend most of the time alone at home.
And it feels really strange to be just by myself in that big house.
The empty space inside is so much that sometimes I feel like I can
barely breath." She raised her head. "I wish he spent more time at
home."
Her mini declaration had shocked me a bit. I wanted to ask: what about
your mom? But I decided to skip the question. Something told me that
she wasn't around anymore.
"But I guess that's the reality of things," Limei continued, gazing up
at the seagulls in the sky. "Everything's always in constant movement.
Nothing in this world remains still."
Not sure if I'm mistaken, but I think authors usually just use telling in flashbacks instead of dialogue (e.g. We talked about this and this, and she also told me about this other thing...)
Is this usually the case? Or it isn't?
(3)More posts by @Smith147
3 Comments
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If a flashback is a paragraph or two, you can (sometimes) get by with telling. But if a flashback is longer than that, it has to engage the reader in the same way that current-time events do. And that usually means you have to show. And that means that, once you transition into the flashback, it reads just like any other scene.
Note that the term flashback is not limited to short flashes. Scene- and chapter-length flashbacks are common. I've seen flashbacks that take up the middle third of a book--for example, Richard North Patterson's Caroline Masters.
A flashback is usually a memory. Whatever is in that memory should be in the flashback. (Even if it is not the character's memory, I still treat it as a memory). If that memory contains a lot of dialogue, don't you think you should include it so the reader gets the full effect of what you're trying to convey? I hope this helps!
I don't see a problem with what you have done.
Flashbacks (like any literary device) can be implemented in many different ways. Some authors prefer to simply tell the flashbacks as you mentioned, but I assure you that that does not necessarily establish an implicit norm.
I have read many texts and short stories that have dialogues in flashbacks. In your case specifically, I think you made effective use of a flashback to establish the background information. But again as Tom stated, I don't really know what's usual as I've seen a lot of different implementations. All that matters is that you achieve your desired effect.
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