Typically, the writer does this to offer additional backstory on the character or events occurring in the present.
The events in the dream often prepare the reader for key plot points. Dream – This type usually occurs as a dream sequence when the character recalls events from the past while dreaming in their sleep.
#Flashback examples poems how to
Below are the 4 main types of flashback and how to use them. To avoid confusion and try to make things as simple as possible, we’ll focus on the commonly accepted typing by most educational systems. Depending on who or what you consult, you’ll probably get a number between 2 and 6 with varying identifiers. We love you!Īs with any literary device or tool out there (and because the internet is what it is) you will find conflicting information floating around about how many types of flashbacks exist and what they are called. Remember: A whole novel can be a flashback.You may not know exactly where to fit your flashback until your second or third draft. Keep in mind multiple drafts may be necessary. If they are too long, or dull, or tedious, the reader may become bored and lose interest. If they stray too far from the character or main story, the reader may become confused. Keep your flashbacks relevant and not overly long.For a longer jump back, try to incorporate a few past perfect tenses in the memory or recollection and then return to a simple past tense. If the recollection is brief, describe it briefly and transition back to the present. Always try to alert the reader that a shift, or jump in time, is occurring. Use verb tense shifts between the past and present to help signal to the reader the change in time. You should be mindful of your verb tense.When using a flashback in your writing, there are a few crucial elements to keep in mind to avoid confusing the reader or audience. Whatever the reason a writer chooses to incorporate this device into their writing, it will no doubt enrich the story by making it more interesting and a more realistic feel. The use of flashbacks in writing can also be used to deepen the connection between character and reader. By doing so, the writer may choose to provide insight into current conflicts as is the case in Harry Potter when Rowling uses flashbacks to explain what happened to Harry as a baby and why Voldemort wants him. Writers do this because they want to provide the reader with a deeper insight into the present or to develop a character more fully by providing the reader with more information.įlashbacks also provide the writer with an opportunity to delve into different time periods. Writers use flashbacks to slow down a story and interrupt the natural flow of time. A flashback may be a quick trip to the past or a prolonged stay, based upon what the writer wants to convey to the reader.įlaSH – bak When do writers use Flashback? A flashback takes the reader back to a time before the present story began and provides the reader with useful information needed to understand the present chain of events and to learn more about the character. Writers use the flashback for a variety of reasons but usually, to change the pace of the story or action while offering insight into a character or history.Ī flashback, also known as an analepsis, is a tool writers use to interrupt the natural flow, or chronological order, of a story or novel.
This type of interruption is called a flashback. At times, this change of pace may be welcome but at others, not so much. This shift in time changes the pace of the story, and sometimes, the setting, too. Sometimes, the return to the past is signaled with a phrase or explanation alerting the reader to what is happening. This occurs when the writer jumps back to recall a past memory or event. We’ve all read a story or novel where everything seems to be moving right along in the present and then suddenly, “Bam!” it’s taken you somewhere else entirely.
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