Matthew Milam says:
I'm making my character info section in my proposal now and I'm wondering how character backstory is usually typed out.
A Participant says:
Hey Matthew,
The good news is there is no standard format for backstory since this is something that doesn't normally go out with a script. The bad news is there's a reason for that: because no one wants to read backstory.
So make it quick. Make it easy to read. I suggest a simple narrative style. Take Aladdin, for example:
"Aladdin, 18, big eyes and billowy pants. A vest with no shirt. He's a go-getter with no shoes to get him there. He pretends to be a prince, but he's only a street rat. At least that's what everyone in Agrabah calls him. He steals, but only to eat and help others. He's a crowd-pleaser and wants to be loved. He looks like Tom Cruise, but he's insecure. When he meets Jasmine, he knows it's time to stop pretending and become a real prince."
So from this, you know he's good-hearted and probably good-looking, but poor. And everyone knows him, but for the wrong reasons. And he's a dreamer who's gonna take action. What more do you need to know? Is he an orphan? Probably, but we don't need to know what happened to his parents.
Hope this helps.
The good news is there is no standard format for backstory since this is something that doesn't normally go out with a script. The bad news is there's a reason for that: because no one wants to read backstory.
So make it quick. Make it easy to read. I suggest a simple narrative style. Take Aladdin, for example:
"Aladdin, 18, big eyes and billowy pants. A vest with no shirt. He's a go-getter with no shoes to get him there. He pretends to be a prince, but he's only a street rat. At least that's what everyone in Agrabah calls him. He steals, but only to eat and help others. He's a crowd-pleaser and wants to be loved. He looks like Tom Cruise, but he's insecure. When he meets Jasmine, he knows it's time to stop pretending and become a real prince."
So from this, you know he's good-hearted and probably good-looking, but poor. And everyone knows him, but for the wrong reasons. And he's a dreamer who's gonna take action. What more do you need to know? Is he an orphan? Probably, but we don't need to know what happened to his parents.
Hope this helps.
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