Where do you stand on flashbacks. Good? Bad? Short? Long?

[padah513]

I'm in one that's pushing 80+ pages and still going. It's all a good fit for the story, but I can't seem to find an exit. I'm debating whether to restructure and start the story earlier to remove the narration, but the problem with restructuring is that I lose a really great character and I invested a lot of time in her. Just can't think of any way to add her elsewhere.

[Tetrachloride]

1. my imagination says that any size is okay. What is a prequel if not a flashback.

Regarding the exit of the flashback, some brainstorms:

does a character feel closure ?
a major death or social event ?
some good fortune ?
travel ?

somewhere , people come or go.

[lastlib]

2. For.

As a child of the 60s, I relish 'em.....

(Sorry, couldn't help myself......)

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. I use them

Generally I use them at a point where the main character is in bed and can't sleep, for one reason or another, and is thinking about the past. It seems to work fairly well. At last they do go to sleep but either do or don't sleep well,

[Lonestarblue]

4. An 80-page flashback seems far too long.

I would think a flashback that long risks causing readers to lose sight f the primary story line, not only interrupting but replacing the original story. As someone who frequently gets lost when a narrative refers to new characters or events out of blue, I can appreciate the use of flashback to give some background and context.

The question I would have is the time frame for the character having the flashback. Is the character old and musing about his or her whole life, in which case a long flashback might be appropriate. For example, an aging grandparent is writing a final letter to a grandchild and sharing key moments from his or her life.

Or is the flashback meant to be short, as when a piece of music triggers a quick memory of a past event, as when a song you haven't heard in years provokes a memory of your wedding day.

Have you thought about using a startling event in the character’s current time that could force the flashback to end or is the flashback needed to explain the upcoming actions of the character and others around her or him?

You have a really interesting conundrum. Let us know how it turns out!

[Doodley]

5. This isn't really a flashback if it is that long. It's more a non-linear narrative. What is its purpose? What

are you trying to achieve? How do you introduce it to the reader? Is it a memory? Will the reader understand these things?

[LisaM]

6. They can work, but often they are just a lazy gimmick.

There are a lot of writers who seem absolutely incapable of a linear narrative.

[padah513]

7. Thanks for the replies.

I decided to restructure the story and bring the characters in the flashback into their present and move forward from there. Should be fun and I get to work on an outline for a change. I usually write by the seat of my pants. Hate to lose Charity's wit and wisdom, but I'll put her in a folder and save her for another project. Either that or she'll find her way back into this one.