Backstory Badassery and the Conservation of Detail

Need a outside opinion or two on something. I had an idea for something really awesome to include in the backstory of my latest WIP but there's a good possibility that it won't actually inpact the actual plot. Should I mention it anyway as a 'why yes, these guys are actually badass' thing and to have it in reserve in case I do decide to do something with it, or would doing so without it immediately being relevant to the plot tick off my readers?

If it isn't relevant to the story, junk it.

Without more information, there's no way to answer your question. Normally, one wouldn't include anything that didn't contribute directly to either the plot or character development. If you think the incident reveals something important or interesting about the character, but cant figure out how to include it within the plot, you can always show it in flashback, have one character tell another one the story of what happened, or have one or more people allude to it indirectly.

I agree with both of the above. If you don't need it, don't add it. If you do need it, and it doesn't move the plot along, show it quickly. You could even just have some one say something like "Crap. Run. It's the hundred man slayer" (Berserk) or have an in-universe trading card describe him (HarryPotter) and move on.

{{Or, you could write another story as a prequel, detailing that characters exploits. Sarcasm Mode}} {{And that's why I haven't touched my so-called "current story" in about 20 months or so. Sincerity Mode }}

edited 13th Nov '14 9:03:34 PM by Sharur

Wrong punctuation.