"As with so many elements in writing, flashbacks can be overdone and overused."
Flashback, when used sparingly can be effective but often it seems to be just a convenient way for an author to dump-in a bunch of backstory. I like the non-linear approach, although there could be a fine line between that and flashback. Lots to think about. Thanks, Robb.
I see overuse of flashbacks most frequently in stories written in present tense. The writer then switches to past tense for any backstory or brief thoughts about something that happened earlier, and drifts into flashbacks to provide that info-dump. It might even be something that happened earlier that day. Irritates me as a reader. Plus it's so easy to start making verb tense errors because it's shifting so often.
"As with so many elements in writing, flashbacks can be overdone and overused."
Flashback, when used sparingly can be effective but often it seems to be just a convenient way for an author to dump-in a bunch of backstory. I like the non-linear approach, although there could be a fine line between that and flashback. Lots to think about. Thanks, Robb.
I see overuse of flashbacks most frequently in stories written in present tense. The writer then switches to past tense for any backstory or brief thoughts about something that happened earlier, and drifts into flashbacks to provide that info-dump. It might even be something that happened earlier that day. Irritates me as a reader. Plus it's so easy to start making verb tense errors because it's shifting so often.