Becca,
Yes! I never thought of flashbacks as being just one line, but they really can be little clue drops that give us a glimpse into the past. I tend to be an impatient reader, so I’m a huge fan of the mini-flashback! Thank you sincerely for letting me share content with your readers!

Angela,
Indeed! It’s very easy for things to go sideways with flashbacks. One of my favorite flashback books—or what winds up equating to dual-timeline narrative—is WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech. To this day, I’m still asking myself how she did it. The flashbacks weave in so smoothly, and she used them perfectly for the character’s journey. When they work well, they REALLY work! Thank you for having me stop by!

Scott,
Agree to all of this! It’s especially a great trick to use to keep giving the reader that “ordinary world” context so that they have contrast with the front story and the backstory. I’m so glad you joined the discussion!

Hi Saraina,
OOh, thanks for the recommendation! It’s always helpful to have strong mentor texts to get our creative juices flowing, isn’t it? Thank you for chiming in!

I’m so happy you found the post helpful. I admit I used to dismiss flashbacks. But the more I understand how they can be used to reveal plot and character, the more I try to dream up ways to make them really work for me! Thanks for letting me know the content was useful.

I should turn your ‘caveats to consider’ points into a checklist for SCBWI FL critique groups to use. They’ll help so many writers.

I found your third point helpful. Flashbacks allow us to see something of the character’s past that they might not be willing to reveal.

The important thing is that the flashback needs to be written the same way as present-time scenes. It must advance the story and it must be interesting.