Emotional Echoes: The Art of Character Backstory

Backstory can deepen emotional stakes, illuminate character motivation... and grind your story to a halt if handled poorly. Speculative fiction writers face a unique challenge: balancing immersive world-building with emotionally resonant characters, without overwhelming the reader with exposition. In this session, book coach and story development specialist Stuart Wakefield will show you how to craft backstory that reveals rather than explains. You’ll learn how to identify the most important moments from your character’s past, decide when and how to reveal them, and weave them into your story in a way that enhances tension and connection. Whether you’re writing about faraway galaxies or enchanted realms, this session will help you turn your characters’ histories into powerful storytelling tools, not reader roadblocks.