Backstory Worksheet

 

“What is the Why?”: Building a Backstory for Nuanced Characters and Authentic Conflict

Karen Odden www.karenodden.com

 

PART I: IDENTIFYING THE MC’s (Main Character’s) BAGGAGE (a.k.a The Personal

Myth)

Main Character Characteristics (Birth Backstory)

Physical characteristics: age, height, weight (or body type), eye color, hair color, skin color,

scars, tattoos, left/right-handedness, verbal tics, inheritable conditions (color-blindness, diabetes,

high blood pressure)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Social markers: race/ethnicity, gender, nationality, class, sexual orientation, education,

dis/ability, religion.

_______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Shorthands: only child, orphan, daughter of ex-Marine, divorce, Depression-survivor

______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

 

What is your Personal Myth?

 

Because I was born ___________________________________________________

and grew up with/without ______________________________________________

and because this happened _____________________________________________,

I came to believe ___________________________________________ about myself and

_______________________________________________________ about the world and

________________________________________________________ about other people,

and I came to desire ______________________________________________________.

 

© Karen Odden. This 4-page worksheet is provided in connection with the workshop given

June 29, 2023. Please do not distribute.

 

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MC Personal Myth

I believe ____________________________________________________ about myself

and _______________________________________________________ about the world

and ______________________________________________________ about other people,

and I desire _____________________________________________________________.

My Problematic Story that must be revised in order for me to move forward and achieve what I

desire is: __________________________________________________________________.

 

PART II. BUILDING THE BACKSTORY TO SUPPORT THE PERSONAL MYTH

MC WORLDLY REALM: begin with 8 significant events or prevailing political or economic or

social aspects that may affect your Main Character and Secondary Characters

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FEATHERING WRITING EXERCISE for later: Find an action scene and, if there aren’t

some already, feather in two mentions of some aspects that hint at the way the WORLDLY

REALM acts upon your MC.

 

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MC PERSONAL REALM: Sources of the Personal Myth (including the Problematic Story)

3-5 experiences

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PART III. BUILDING IN AUTHENTIC CONFLICT

INTRAPERSONAL CONFLICT within the self (corrected by Lived Experience)

What Lived Experience(s) does/might your MC have over the course of the novel that cause(s)

her to change or shift her Problematic Story?

 

INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT with a Secondary Character

What is ONE aspect of the Personal Myth and ONE Problematic Story for your SC that has

nothing to do with the MC?

 

What is something your SC DESIRES that has nothing to do with the MC?

 

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SC PERSONAL REALM: Sources of the Personal Myth (including Problematic Story)

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SC PERSONAL MYTH

Because I was born ___________________________________________________

and grew up with/without ______________________________________________

and because this happened _____________________________________________,

I came to believe ___________________________________________about myself and

_______________________________________________________ about the world and

________________________________________________________ about other people,

and I came to desire ______________________________________________________.

How will your MC and SC clash? How will their personal myths conflict?

 

Main Character Personal Myth, with the Revised Problematic Story

Because I was born ___________________________________________________________

and grew up with/without ______________________________________________________

and because this happened _____________________________________________________

and this happened ____________________________________________________________

and the world was like this ______________________________________________________

I came to believe ____________________________________________ about myself and

_____________________________________about the world and _____________________

about other people, and I came to desire _______________________________________.

But then _____________________________________________________________ happened,

which forced me to question my ideas about _________________________________________.

And though I initially clung to my original Problematic Story, eventually I had to give it up and

____________________________________________________________________________