Hero Backstories

​Backstories are a powerful writing tool because they intrigue and hook readers, investing them in a world or character with quick glimpses of history or motivations. However, there must be a balance; too much backstory threatens to drown out the current action. Too little backstory can leave the characters wooden or unsympathetic. So, I’ve created this series on how to write backstories to help us bring just enough of what is hidden onto the page. 

The Power of Why

​We ask our readers to suspend their disbelief when we write about heroic characters, especially in the sci-fi and fantasy realms, where our characters may have fantastic powers or alien technology. The best way to keep readers in the story is to ensure the characters’ motivations and actions make sense. We explain motivation and subsequent action through backstory. Some motivation will happen within the narrative, but most of what shapes that character and makes them into a hero or an antihero with a redemption arc are events that occur outside the bounds of the narrative. If you tell readers why, they don’t have to ask it, and they can stay immersed in the story.

Motivations for Bravery

There are as many reasons to be a hero as there are heroes. Some people seem to have been born “good” with an innate desire to help and the means to do so. Superman and Discworld’s Captain Carrot come to mind here. If your hero is innately good, people around them will react to them, shaping their backstory. The setting will be a part of determining if innate goodness is viewed as positive or suspicious. No one is good in a vacuum.
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If the world around the hero is evil or corrupt, something may have happened to them to spur them on the path of righteousness. In the world of heroes, tragic backstories abound. The most famous example of this is the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, but the violent death of a loved one is such a trope. I urge any writer going in that direction to find a way to make it a uniquely compelling backstory. 

​Motivation to Action

While action versus stagnation is not unique to heroes, villains are likelier to have a solid reason for acting. For heroes, we must know why they are not staying home, enjoying their families, or working their jobs. Perhaps they are an intergalactic sheriff, and the motivation is their job. Maybe they don’t have a job, home, or family – but why not if they don’t? Whatever plot point spurs your hero into action isn’t enough to make the character well-rounded. The backstory that motivated the action is what makes the character real.
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Let’s say orcs invaded a village. Barry, the blacksmith, fights the orc while almost no one else does, and now Barry is the story's hero. Whatever happened in Barry’s past that made him the one person who stood up to the orcs makes him a compelling character. Otherwise, he’s a plotline banally floating in space. 

Hero Backstory Examples

Spiderman has a good backstory because he would not have used his powers to fight crime without Uncle Ben’s murder. Spiderman already had his powers and used them to putz around as most of us would. In addition to making Spiderman compelling as a character, this backstory offers a solid drive to action. We never have to ask why Spiderman stopped putzing and started fighting crime.

Frodo Baggins’ idyllic life as Hobbit provides an interesting juxtaposition when he’s suddenly thrust into the world of adventuring. Tolkien makes us love and miss the Shire just as much as Sam and Frodo, and protecting his homeland is both notable and a valid motivation.

In the Hunger Games Trilogy, Katniss Everdeen is offered a rich backstory with both loss and a fight through poverty. So, when she volunteers in place of her sister, we readers are not surprised. 

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Other Blogs in This Series:

Intro to Backstories
Where do Backstories Come From