Read the disclaimer if you haven't already.

This chapter covers flashbacks in the first chapter and why you should be cautious about using them. I will also talk about flashbacks in general later in the chapter.

Okay, I'm very aware this will make me sound rude. Are you ready? Alright, here goes nothing.

I click off most stories that have a flashback in the first chapter.

Okay, okay, go ahead and boo me, put the boos here in the inline comments.

But before you judge, let me explain.

I'm not saying flashbacks in the first chapter are inherently a bad thing; in fact, they can work very well in some cases. The problem is, they're very risky (depending on the story you're writing).

Imagine reading a new story with a new world, new characters, a new plot, etc. You read a quarter of the first chapter and are trying to learn the new world. Then, bam! You're thrown into a flashback that easily could have been put in a different chapter or been the very start of the story instead of halfway through chap 1.

Do you see why this would interrupt the narrative flow?

I'll talk more about pacing in a future chapter (I already talked about slow pacing though!), but for now, I'm going to focus specifically on what a first chapter flashback can do to the story.

By the way, I'm not talking about narratives where the first chapter takes place fully in a flashback. Most prologues do this where they take place in the past. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about stories that start in the present timeline of the story, then later in the first chapter, switch to a flashback. Again, I'm not saying this is inherently a bad thing, just a very risky thing.

I never cared for flashbacks in the first chapter. I thought that, in many cases, they interrupt narrative flow because the author is trying to do too much in one chapter.

You know what? I respect that. As an author myself, I totally understand getting super passionate and ending up with a longer chapter than you wanted (cough Starfield cough); however, that's where the phrase kill your darlings comes from.

The popular phrase, "Kill your darlings," comes from the idea that no matter how much you love a scene, character, plot point, etc., if it doesn't serve the story, then you need to have the strength to eliminate it from your book or save it for a time where it does serve the story.

There are many different interpretations of that phrase, but the most common is to eliminate scenes you love if they don't serve the story.

We'll talk about how to know if something serves the story + combining scenes to make one scene that tightens the pacing later, but for now, let's focus on how flashbacks relate to this saying.

There are many times you may want to put a flashback in the first chapter because it shows a core part of the characters' backstories; however, I ask you this: Would it be better to save it for later?

Would it be better to save the flashback for later when the audience is more adjusted to the characters and the world you've created? Would it be better to save it for later so you create mystery as to what the characters' pasts look like?

Is the flashback even necessary, or can you have the information you need to tell the audience be told in a different way, such as by having an emotional scene between character A and character B where character A explains the flashback instead of the scene jumping back in time?

I'm not saying all of these questions will apply to your story. It fully depends on what you're writing and how it fits with the character(s), plot, and world.

The problem is, I see flashbacks in the first chapter the most on Wattpad, and 9/10 times, it hurts the pacing. It hurts even more for original stories. At least for fanfics, we tend to know the basics of the characters and world (again, depending on the type of story you're writing), but for originals, it can be harder since it's all new information to us.

On the opposite end of things, there are stories that rely on flashbacks and the entire narrative revolves around jumping between flashbacks. There are stories like that that are executed super well, so remember, it's about execution.

To give you an example of a poorly placed flashback, one time I was reading a fanfic and I was starting to get invested in the two lead characters when suddenly we got thrown back to the past in the very first chapter, and we stayed in the past timeline for a few chapters. I didn't see the point of starting in the present timeline since we didn't get to see it again for a while, and by the time the flashbacks were done several chapters later, I completely forgot where they were (yes, it picked up right where the first chapter left off).

If the story started in the flashback, it would have been much stronger. Or, the flashback could have been saved for later to add mystery and tension so the readers were left guessing why the two leads had the relationship they had. I also felt the flashback was far too long and easily could have been one chapter instead of multiple.

Your first chapter is extremely important. It is the hook that makes your audience want to continue reading the story. Making sure the pacing is on point is imperative to hooking your audience in.

Again, I'm not saying flashbacks are inherently bad or can't be done in a first chapter, but please consider what the flashback is doing and what the flashback is. There are plenty of writers who use flashbacks in their first chapters and they're done well. I'm mostly talking about Wattpad first chapters where it feels like the author is trying to do too much in one chapter.

Another thing is there are many stories that have a vague flashback where it shows part of the flashback but not enough of it to reveal answers (for example, Luke and Kylo's backstory in TLJ; every flashback adds more information, but it isn't until the last one that you get a clear answer). In most cases, I think that technique could work well, even if you introduce it as early as the first chapter. It sets up mystery without derailing the pacing (again, in most cases).

I've done this with my story, Heartless. While it's a little more complicated than that (and it wasn't in the first chapter), I used vague flashbacks for Jimin's past to purposefully leave the reader guessing what happened to him. I use a vague flashback to set up Jimin's backstory, and as time goes on, you learn more until you're horrified and wonder what the actual f*ck is wrong with me for writing his character.

Heartless Jimin 🤝Like Crazy Jimin

#Traumatized

My readers now have PTSD whenever they see white roses or Dumbo. You're welcome <3333

I should start a list of the things I've traumatized for my readers.

- Dumbo

- White Roses

- Park Chaeyoung (Rose)

- Literally any Emperor

- Jikook (Breylin readers still hate me lmao)

Anyway, back on topic.

I think there are many cases where using flashbacks in the first chapter can work incredibly well. Again, just keep in mind the type of story you're writing, what the purpose of the flashback is, and if it really needs to be in the first chapter.

Flashbacks (In General)

I've never been the biggest fan of flashbacks. I'm not against them and I don't automatically dislike them if I see them in a story, but for some reason, I've just never been a huge fan of them.

In my stories, I don't use them very often. I prefer to stay in the current timeline and let past events slip through using other methods like the emotional scene between characters A and B that I mentioned before.

Heartless is honestly the only story of mine that has multiple flashbacks (I think, don't quote me on that). Granted, that story is old and it definitely shows in the writing style, but it needed flashbacks to tell its story accurately.

It's all about the execution of flashbacks. What are you doing by showing the flashback? Is it imperative to the narrative, or are you showing it because you feel you have to?

This is weird but I prefer flashbacks in movies and TV shows than in books. There's nothing wrong with them in books, but for some reason I'm more attracted to the visual media's portrayal of flashbacks.

But anyway, back on topic. I think the same thing in the first section applies here. Flashbacks can be amazing storytelling devices that help you elevate your story to the next level. For example, you might have a trippy story that goes in and out of flashbacks, and that's awesome!

Again, it's about execution. You could have 40 flashbacks in one book and still somehow make them work if you execute them right and they fit in with the story you're telling.

How do you know if flashbacks fit in with the story? Well, seeing as I don't write flashbacks very often, I'm not really the most qualified to answer that. However, I will explain as best I can. When I wrote Heartless, I wrote Jimin's flashbacks so...

Well, minor spoilers I guess? I'm not going to say anything about his past, or the plot, or what the flashbacks were, or his character development, it's just his mental condition. So very very minor spoilers. I don't even know if I'd consider this a spoiler tbh.

I wrote Jimin's flashbacks to demonstrate his PTSD and how he cannot move on from the traumatic event that has dominated the past five years of his life. PTSD is a very serious condition that deals with sudden flashbacks. It made sense for Jimin to have flashbacks in that story, especially when he's looking at something that reminds him of said flashbacks. It's his mental condition.

Heartless is far from my favorite story of mine due to the technical writing (I'd change like 100 things about it if I could), but Jimin's character was damn good and I stand by that. His flashbacks were an essential part of who he was and why the readers grew to care about him so much. He sits at the table of my most beloved characters of all time at #3. Adrift Jimin, Commander Park, and finally, Heartless Jimin. The flashbacks I gave were a core reason readers fell in love with him. They saw every side of him and fell in love.

No but seriously what is it with me and traumatizing Jikook every chance I get?

Anyway, back on topic.

You may be writing a story about PTSD and are on the fence about flashbacks. I'd say it's not a bad idea to include them.

There are many many many many different reasons why you might write a flashback, so I'm not trying to discourage you from writing them since I think that's counterproductive. But what I am encouraging is thinking about what the flashback is doing and why you're placing it where you're placing it.

I bring up The Last of Us 2 so much I feel like a broken record, but the flashbacks in that game were up and down. The flashbacks themselves were good, but where they were placed? Not so much.

Many times the flashbacks were random and just kinda thrown in there, other times it was because Ellie had PTSD and had a flashback of a certain event in the story I won't spoil. The random flashbacks themselves were good, but the reason they happened wasn't. There was no reason for Ellie to have a flashback, so why did she? I know why! To give the audience what they wanted.

They could have easily alleviated this just by having Ellie look at something that reminded her of the flashback. Just look at something, that's it. But as is, they kinda threw some flashbacks in there for the sake of it.

Not all of them, some of them were well-placed, but on the other hand, some of them were thrown in there for the sake of it.

That's what I mean. Are you throwing the flashback in there for the sake of it, or is there a reason it's there?

That was an extremely long way to say "Make sure your flashback makes sense," but yeah, make sure your flashback makes sense.

That's all, peacceeee ✌️

~End~

If you would like me to cover a certain topic, please let me know. I'm going to cover a whole bunch of stuff like worldbuilding, themes, pet peeves, etc., so be on the look out for those!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!