Ideas for Writing

Flashback and Backstory — What’s the Difference? by Diane O'Connell Flashback and backstory are two essential techniques in the writer’s toolbox. They are also two of the trickiest storytelling devices to do effectively. Used correctly, flashback and backstory help the writer craft characters with rich, fleshed-out histories. The most compelling novels deliver a clear sense of where the characters have been — and how their past experiences color and drive events in the present. But what’s the difference between a flashback and backstory — and how do you know when to use each? Backstory is the larger past underpinning each character’s journey. Sometimes, the entire backstory an author has created for a character isn’t even explained to readers. Rather, it reveals itself during pivotal moments. Flashbacks, on the other hand, are interruptions in your narrative — whether a short paragraph or a few pages — that act as direct conduits to a character’s past. There are two types of flashb...

  It’s a human tendency to avoid challenging experiences. Writing instruction was a huge challenge for me, so I avoided it like the plague. I knew it was important and essential for me to teach, but I was overwhelmed by the task. Where does one start? Brainstorming, outlining, grammar, organizing paragraphs? It felt like too much! Fortunately, there are models of writing instruction available to teachers, and one of them, the Teaching and Learning Cycle, comes from Australia. It’s part of their program called  Teaching ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom . This MiddleWeb article, based on a  podcast  conversation with consultant and workshop facilitator,  Indu Bedi , will walk you through the process of making writing visible to students. Context setting Long before students begin to write, we are setting the context. This means we are providing students with opportunities to learn content and form understandings about the topic. Teachers can set the contex...