# How to go about writing a flashback or memory?



## LemonJayde (Dec 3, 2012)

My character is currently experiencing a flashback. How would one go about writing this? Would I switch POV, from first person-present to first person-past? Or stay the same? DO I use italics? Sorry, just want to know opinions 






Thank you!


----------



## M. LeRenard (Dec 4, 2012)

Writing a flashback in present tense sounds like it would be incredibly confusing.  Generally if you're writing in first-person, it means you're having the character narrate the events of his own experience, so I don't see too many other ways to do a flashback in said perspective without just saying 'I did this, I did that'.  In which case, certainly don't use italics.


----------



## SkyeLansing (Dec 5, 2012)

There are generally several ways to refer to events that happened in the past, and which you use depends on what you need to accomplish and how well any given method fits in.

Perhaps the easiest way to accomplished this is to break to a completely new scene.  You then simply write the 'flashback' as if it was currently happening before breaking back to the present.  The main trick here is you need to have some indicator that clearly tells the reader when this is happening.  Usually simply coming out and giving the date or time is not a good way to go, but perhaps having things happen that the reader is well aware happened in the past is a workable.  For example, if you were to write a scene where the first thing that happens is a character gets a call from JFK or worries about the Russians putting missiles in cuba the readers immediately know this is taking place in the past.

Sometimes breaking to a new scene is not acceptable though.  In these cases you may want to handle it as if the narrator is telling the reader what happened, or one character telling another (who was not present for what is being described).  This may not seem like a flashback but it can make a pretty seemless transition.  For example if a character meets his wheelchair bound friend it is very easy to slip into talking about why the friend is in a wheelchair, and get very descriptive about the car crash that left him crippled.  Then with the information passed on to the reader you simply slip back into the story.  The whole event ends up being a minor side-story to the main work.

You can also experiment with different fonts or the like.  Such as you have the present be typed normally while the past happens in itallics.  The shift in the lettering clearly denotes a change to the reader and makes it easy for them to keep track of "when" they are.  You then simply write as normal.  This is usually best for when the story is taking place in two distinct times.  For example, a time travel story where things that happen in the past (or future) affect the present could use this method.

Finally you can have flashbacks where someone who wasn't even there talks about what happened.  He doesn't even need to have any knowledge about what really went on!  The key here is for them to talk about what 'probably' happened.  Use a lot of words about a prediction.  Such as: "Then Jim would have ..." "Mary probably didn't like that..." "Then something happened to interrupt them -- maybe a noise outside like a car door... "  This works really well for mystery novels and the such when the detective is trying to figure something out.


----------



## Kakiookami (Jan 13, 2013)

sometimes i like to used hints, as like one character was talking and after he said a few key words, that would trigger a flashback memory of the other character that would relate to the hint.

another style i used are memory reads, when another character acts as a guide, forcing past memories to come to presents in a mind read.

There are other ways too, but i hope my suggestions help


----------



## Furcade (Jan 14, 2013)

The method you use to present the flashback should reflect the tone of the flashback. If it's this really dramatic turning point that is very descriptive and/or emotionally engaging, make a big thing out of it and throw in italics and a different perspective if it brings something to the story and, if you want, do it from the present tense (in the past).

Otherwise, if it's just a thing that happened and you're using it to add background to a character or whatever, just do it in a separate paragraph in first-person past tense.

That's what I'd do, anyway.


----------

