Our guest blogger, Kristan Higgins, is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, as well as a two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, the Oscar of the romance industry. Visit her at www.kristanhiggins.com or at www.Facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks. To buy her latest book, click on the links following the blog.
Where the past comes alive.
Nope, not talking about Colonial Williamsburg or Sturbridge Village (though sure, who doesn’t love those reenactors?). This is more about the grip of the past on a character during a book or movie.
Easy there. Was that screaming I heard? “No flashbacks, please, Higgins!” Right. Not everyone loves a flashback. Personally, I do and think they’re an art form when done right, like in Moneyball or The Debt. (When done wrong, though… I seem to remember All My Children’s Susan Lucci at the age of 50-something playing the 14-year-old version of Erica Kane. Now that was so bad it was fantastic).
Anyway, what I figured I’d talk about today were two moments I absolutely love in a story. The character in ordinary life lacks something, right? They’re in stasis, as good old Blake would say. Why is that? Because of something that happened in the past. Before the movie or book even opens, our character is basically screwed. The entire story is basically the hero saying this: “I desperately want to get over this, but I’m utterly and completely terrified here.” Yearning and fear. Fear and yearning. The motivating factors for everything our character has been doing. Delicious stuff.
And often, there are two moments that clearly depict the yearning and fear… two symbols, maybe. I couldn’t find official Blake-names for these moments, so I made some up. The first one I’m calling “Preview of Coming Attractions.” This one showcases about the yearning, and it comes early on. It’s a small moment, but heck, I love these! One of the best examples of this is from an oldie. Remember that timeless classic, Good Will Hunting? Will, the Matt Damon character, is a super-genius who resists changing and embracing his gifts. He works as a janitor, gets drunk, gets laid, hopes that the Red Sox will win the World Series (poor soul). He says he wants nothing more than that. Except there’s a preview of coming attractions. Where does he work as a janitor? Why, he works at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Most Brilliant Geeks in the world. That’s no accident. Will had to go fill out a form at MIT, even to clean their floors. He wants to be around all that cool math stuff I failed in college. He’s not ready to fully embrace his superpowers as a mathematician, but he chooses to be there nonetheless.
In another lovely example of a Preview of Coming Attractions, take a look at Bridesmaids, a movie I just loved. I’d argue that the entire movie is pretty much about Annie’s past (and nary a single flashback!). She’s a failed cake shop owner. Her boyfriend left her right after the shop closed. Her father ditched her mom for his mistress. None of this is shown during the movie. We learn the history through a few little lines and very brief moments.
Nevertheless, Annie desperately wants to get over the legacy of the past, even though she’s in stasis, as shown by a very brief scene. She may be a failure who now works in a grubby little jewelry store, but one night, she bakes a single cupcake. She whisks and mixes, pops it in the oven, then decorates it with incredible attention to detail. This cupcake is freakin’ beautiful. She looks at it for a minute, then takes a big bite. The scene shows the viewer that Annie wants more. She wants to put her talent to use, she wants to (forgive me) taste the sweetness of life.
These small moments give the reader a glimpse into the potential of our characters. Is it the promise of the premise? Sort of, sure! Even more, it’s the promise of the person.
And then there’s the flip side of that moment, and this I’m calling “A Glimpse in the Rearview Mirror.” Coming Attractions shows us what could be; the Rearview (giggle) shows us what has been, and how powerful it is. Remember, our character is in stasis, yearning for more but doing squat. Why? He’s scared. That thing in the past …that was the worst moment of his entire life. Ordinary life is all about avoidance. Are our characters aware of this? Not really. They think it’s fine, it’s done, everyone has their little horror story from the past, whether it’s watching Mommy being chainsawed to death (hi, Dexter!) or being left at the altar. But hey. No big deal, right?
Wrong! Instead, the reader (or viewer) is treated to a glimpse of how present that hurt still is. Back to Bridesmaids: Annie has a little breakthrough. Cute Irish Cop has seen bits and pieces of potential in her. Maybe she’s not such a mess after all. They go back to his place, shag like ferrets, and when she wakes up, there it is, her past. Cute Irish Cop has set out all these bowls, all this flour and butter and eggs. The nerve! How dare he! Truly! How dare he imply that she’s wasting her life (she is), that she’s capable of more (ditto), that it’s time to get off her butt and move on (it is). Clearly, she must leave him. Immediately.
It’s much safer to be miserable and stuck than to take an actual chance. Much easier to dwell in the past than to forge a different future. As writers, if we work in a scene or a moment, a symbol of the yearning and the fear, we enrich our pieces by giving our audience a glimpse of the struggle that makes the entire story worthwhile.
What do you think? Got any good examples of Coming Attractions or Rearviews? I know, I know it sounds vaguely dirty. Keep it clean, okay? Do you agree that the past is perhaps the most important element at work in a book or movie? How do you like to see it handled? Love flashbacks, or hate them? Leave a comment, and I’ll send one of you a signed copy of Until There Was You, where the past most definitely has a grip on the present. And yes, it has a couple juicy flashback scenes.
Buy Until There Was You from Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or from from a local, indie bookstore.
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Got a great Coming Attraction from Tess Gerritsen’s THE SINNER. While investigating the murder of a pregnant nun in the weeks up to Christmas, Jane Rizzoli learns she’s pregnant after a one-night stand. (Don’t worry, “Rizzles.” This is from the books, not a spoiler for the show.)
Jane’s in full denial, not looking forward to contacting the father and wanting to focus on the case, but she still has to Christmas shop instead or her family will clobber her, so she’s barging around Target with a shopping cart while preoccupied with her thoughts. She veers around an aisle and comes smack dab up to the baby supplies section. Ta Da!
Great post, Kristan. Thank you for such meaty food for thought.
Kristin,
I completely agree with your observation that “Before the movie or book even opens, our character is basically screwed.” I certainly approach my scripts that way. I just never thought of it in such simple terms. Coming attractions and Rearveiws: excellent food for thought. Thanks.
Love the post, very informative and helpful. Thanks Marian. PS I love flashbacks when done right.
Kristan, what a treat to find you here! Could you give any examples from your own books?
Thank you, Kristin! This is exactly what I needed to read right now!
I’m working on a rom-com (Buddy Love), my first one ever, and while the main characters are in the midst of changing their relationship in the present, everything started for them nine years ago. For the girl, her fears of starting a real romantic relationship with him began even farther back than that. Flashbacks will be essential to the story (I love them too, when used well!), but I was just wondering how to convey even more information in the present while keeping the story on track, and here you provided some great examples. Thanks again! I will be printing your column out for re-reading. :D
Hi Kristan,
I believe our past experiences form the person we are today. We either learn from our past experiences, or not, but they are important none the less. In the story it’s important to give the tidbits of past info to the reader to give them knowledge of your main characters. Whether you reveal it through conversation, remembered thoughts or flashbacks, is up to the writer. I don’t mind flashbacks at all. As a reader, I need to know what happened then to make sense of what’s happening now. Great post. Thank you so much for sharing.
Kristan – this post tailored perfectly with my current work in progress. As for flashbacks – I cannot stand them. They are one of my pet peeves rivaling dreams used in a narrative. Very few works actually need them. I consider it a lazy tactic on the author’s part, but that’s just my preference. Creatively exposed backstory is a joy to read.
Hi, Kristan: LOVE your 2 new beats–I will take another look at my work in progress to see if they’re there! Also, I use a novel-plotting chart based on Blake’s 15 beats and want to add in yours…do you have a sense where your two fit? Though it may depend on the story, of course, I’d love to get your input on this. Wonderful post!
I have not seen Bridesmaids….so can you tell me what time/ approximate page count each of the two beats you defined. I am loving your philosophy but am unable to guess where they fall in the STC structure that I know like the back of my hand. Thanks.
Great advice – now how to find a defining moment to show that yearning for more but doing squat because of that worst moment in my MC entire life. Your advice grabbed me and as soon as I finish typing I am going to grab a pen and paper and apply the inspiration your article gave me. I looked you up on Amazon and I’m going to buy your book “Too Good To Be True” because I love the premise.
Thanks, guys, and sorry for the delay in responding…was traveling and found WiFi to be elusive, unfortunately. So glad you liked the post, and thanks to BJ for having me…this is one of my favorite blogs, though I’m more of a lurker.
Melody, unfortunately, I’m not really schooled enough in screenwriting to name the page where those beats appear (and they don’t ALWAYS appear…it’s just something I’ve observed as a viewer and reader). Anybody else?
Rachel T., shoot me an email with your snail mail addy, and I’ll send you a copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.
Oopsy…looks like I gave away a book prematurely, so Rachel, you’re still good, but I’ll give away another on Friday.
Great stuff! For me the hard part is finding the differences in the characters that make them unique. This explains it in a usable manner. It also has reduced my therapy costs as I know understand my fears and inability to move on.
Get outta here, Bob! If that’s true, wicked pissah, as we say in New England! Listen. Get that butt out of stasis. Whole new world out there!
Thanks Kristan for the love.
I was thinking about this article when I realized the film I am curently working on is based on this entire premise. John has a car accident blames himself and creates a fictional existence to cope with the consequences. Thanks for opening the converation.
Very cool premise, Bob! Good luck with it!
Thanks Kristan for your words of wisdom. You’ve really driven home the importance of carefully constructing a backstory for the characters in a screenplay. So many times, I want to just jump into writing the screenplay (because, in a sense, I am scared of the stasis of not writing) that I don’t give proper attention to ‘coming events’ and ‘rearview.’
Thanks again for your perspicacious words.
Judy, you’re the other winner of a copy of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU! Send me your snail mail addy at [email protected].
Thanks, everyone! Always lovely to be here.
Kristan
http://www.kristanhiggins.com
http://www.Facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks
Kristan,
You are right. We only have so many minutes in a film, and Blake would say that you get into it as late as you can but you carry the past forward. Maybe thats not what he said but it’s what he meant when he talked about the limp and the eye patch. We know these things came from somewhere and some activity that had a lot of drama in it. It gives your story depth from the prior moments that we didn’t see.
Captain