tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post5477800209205536505..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: BackstoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-2745576909913238562014-03-18T09:04:10.313-05:002014-03-18T09:04:10.313-05:00I've had to deal with this in the Penns River ...I've had to deal with this in the Penns River series, and worried about many of the same things you talked about. I dropped bits of Book 1 into Book 2, but, I hoped, only enough to let those who'd started from the beginning know I hadn't forgotten about a couple of threads I left out there. The total backstory explanation consisted of about a paragraph, plus the short scene to show the residual animosity between the characters.<br /><br />Then I got lucky and Stark House picked up GRIND JOINT, which was Book 2. I half expected to be asked to either cut that scene, or expand on it. No mention was made, and no review has made mention of it. You're right: the only person who cared was me.<br /><br />I think we owe it to readers to create plausible situations for our characters to start with, which addresses John's comment, as I don't believe it's entirely the reader's problem. Even Carl Hiaasen makes sure we understand why a character who's missing a hand has a week whacker as a prosthesis. (No kidding; it's in STAR ISLAND.) He still only takes a few paragraphs, and fills in details as needed.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-19218348794831064012014-03-18T08:48:10.305-05:002014-03-18T08:48:10.305-05:00Yes. But I do have to say that I have often (too o...Yes. But I do have to say that I have often (too often) been pulled out of a story because I can't see any way for these characters to have gotten into this position in the first place.<br /><br />But then I realized that's my problem.<br />John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.com