How to Write a Flashback
In order to use flashback, it is important to be aware of why the flashback is necessary to the story. The flashback must reveal something intriguing which propels the plot forward or supplies essential information for the reader’s understanding of the story. To use flashback,
- Write the story in the present situation.
- Insert necessary information using flashback.
Let’s use the tips above to create our own flashbacks.
1. Consider a little girl who is deathly afraid of dogs:
- Story in the Present:
Madison absolutely refused to walk into the house, as she had heard dogs barking inside. She began to cry and ran away.
- Necessary Information:
Madison is terrified of dogs because her brother was attacked by one when they were younger.
- Story with Flashback:
Madison absolutely refused to walk into the house, as she had heard dogs barking inside. Overwhelmed by the memory of her brother’s accident with the large dog, the bloody knee, and the six stitches he had to get, she began to cry and ran away.
Without the flashback, Madison’s fear of dogs and resulting dramatic behavior remains unexplained. With the flashback, the reason and memory behind Madison’s phobia is revealed.
2. Now imagine a man who is about to jump out of an airplane.
- Story in the Present:
Brian stepped out to the edge of the plane beside his father, feeling the brisk air fly hard against his face. I’m really doing this, he thought. At last. They jumped from the plane and Brian gasped with excitement and pride.
- Necessary Information:
Jumping out of a plane was something Brian’s father had promised to do with him after he graduated from college, which had been a long and difficult endeavor for him.
- Story with Flashback:
Brian stepped out to the edge of the plane beside his father, feeling the brisk air fly hard against his face. “When you graduate, son, I’m going to take you out like my dad took me out and we’re going to jump out of a plane.” I’m really doing this, Brian thought. At last. They jumped from the plane and Brian gasped with excitement and pride.
Here, the flashback adds an emotional element to the scene, explaining Brian’s reason for feeling pride alongside excitement.
When to use Flashback
Flashback is an essential element of many creative pieces including speeches, poetry, prose, movies, television, advertisements, and songs. Flashback is necessary when information from the past explains what is happening in the present. It also can be used to provide information which would otherwise not be revealed in the present. Because flashback is an element of plot, it cannot be used in pieces which are not plot-driven such as technical writing and formal essays.