We all know what a backstory is, it's that sad, sometimes morbid past that your character has that makes them who they are today and explains the "why" of who they are.

Backstories can be good, and it's one of the things I personally feel Kishimoto did justice (maybe a little too much) to for a good number of his male characters.

But, in all honesty, backstories in naruto oc fanfictions are usually so poorly done that it makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Today, I'm going to explain three things

1. How to write a backstory
2. How to incorporate that backstory into the actual story
3. How you can make it affect your character.

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Before you write that backstory, ask yourself why. Why are you making her past like that? What good does it do to the plot and character?

I see a lot of people just,, throwing in sad pasts for the sake of making your oc someone people can "pity" or "admire", because obviously no one can relate or love your character if their life didn't have a sad beginning uwu.

But that's not backstories are for really. Backstories are meant to be essential to the plot and/or character in every way possible.

So how do we come up with that backstory?

Think of where your character's coming from. If they're from an Uchiha household and the massacre happened then w h a t that doesn't make sense but we'll get to those technicalities in another chapter. If they're from the Hyuuga household think, are they from the main house or from the branch house? If they're a normal civilian, then does that make their life normal or worse?

What I'm trying to say is, when you know exactly where they're from you can narrow down your backstory from "her parents were murdered she was kidnapped abused and then kicked out of the orphanage also she has no arms" to "her parents got murdered we move."

Don't get me wrong, it's not like having too many bad things happening to your character isn't possible, just learn how to do it properly so it makes sense.

Like, if her parents were murdered then how and why? Were they shinobi? Civilians caught in crossfire? Give me details fam

If they were kidnapped then for what purpose? To be experimented on? To be sold into some sort of slavery? Because of their kekkei genkai? And if they were kidnapped then how did they manage to get out?

Just give your backstory some detail, some purpose, some sense.

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Your oc's backstory isn't just a series of events of horrible shit that happened to them. It's everything people they loved told them as a child. Every hug, every piece of advice, every tear, every bad event. It's not just a "sad past uwu" for us to cry over. It's all the important things that affected them to the present.

For example, in my story Masters of Deception, Sasuke doesn't just remember only the bad (though the bad is more prominent) he remembers the good, the times with his mother, the weird masked man who whispered words into his ear like a creep, etc etc.

2. HOW TO INCORPORATE THAT BACKSTORY INTO THE ACTUAL STORY

my name is Ami, and when i was a kid my sister decided to become anbu and she died–STOP

Nobody, and I mean nobody, introduces themselves like that, so why would your character do that??

There are many good ways to incorporate backstory into your present and info dumping is not one of them.

A. Do it subtly

I love subtle writing that leaves much to the reader's imagination. Sometimes, not revealing every detail is the key to beautiful writing.

You don't have to explain how something affected your character. You don't have to explain every single walking detail of your character's past. Sometimes, it's best to leave the think to the readers and let THEM decide EXACTLY what your character went through in the past.

B. Flashback with sense

When I say "with sense" I mean you shouldn't just throw a backstory in the middle of two chapters just because "you want readers to understand your character" (most of the time you just want readers to pity your character, don't lie to yourself).

I think the best sort of flashback is the kind like in Stumble by writer168. You see, hints of what happened to Sakura was dropped from the very beginning to the end. At some point people had already pieced together what happened to her before we even got the full flashback, yet when we finally got the full flashback it didn't feel like a repeat. It felt real.

That's just the thing. The past affects us, and if your character's past is traumatic then they will remember it from day to day. Make your flashbacks repeat in the minds of your character. Give some certain triggers to the flashback.

C. Mention it and move on

Sometimes the best way to incorporate backstory is by incorporating it a couple times. This is usually for books that are less descriptive in nature and rely on the plot to move it forward. Don't dwell too much on explaining how the past affected your character and instead show us.

D. Start the book from the backstory

My favourite option, because it gives us the chance to grow with your oc. However, this means there will be a lack of mystery in their past for the readers–and if you like mysterious pasts then oof.

E. Suggest more ways in the comments. I can't be doing everything myself 😔

3. HOW TO MAKE IT AFFECT YOUR CHARACTER

A. CHANGES PERSONALITY

your backstory justifies your character's behaviour and that's all I'm gonna say.

B. TRIGGERS/REMINDERS 

some things may TRIGGER your character to react .

For example, Ami, whose sister died in an ANBU mission where she sacrificed herself to save her comrades, could react badly whenever she sees those comrades (or even ANBU in general). She could even get mad when she hears about Sakumo's suicide bc of how it reminds her of her sister's heroism. She could look through old data books and get nostalgic etc etc.

Some things may cause your character to react outlandishly, or just give them a reminder of what happened in the past

C. PLOT

the backstory can be a crucial part of the plot. Like when a dead character turns out to be alive or something (SURPRISE!).

D. Mental Health and Mental Illness.

Both will be discussed in two separate chapters. But i won't be telling you what OCD is or what PTSD stands for 🗿🗿 you have the fucking internet. Use it.

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This is short bc backstories aren't the main point of your character k? If you wanna read more about backstories then google is your best friend.

LET'S GET TO THE FUN STUFF WOOHOO