Character Quote by Julie Klassen

I didn't really have a major role in how it was described. I wanted it to be a collection of essays where each storyline…

— Chelsea Martin

Detailing and backstories are so important; only they draw you into the life of a character.

— Richa Pallod

I don't beat at the details, but I do always keep in mind that anything that isn't A) moving the story forward or B)…

— Jim Shepard

It's very important that all the supporting characters feel like they've existed in the world, that they've had a history, and they'll go on…

— Andrew Haigh

I think main storylines are what always intrigued me, with those that were the relationships between the characters against whatever backdrop, whether it was…

— John Noble

I think what I was after was a unifying story that could bring everything together, that could give me a sense of the whole…

— David Christian

It was always about the story rather than the character.

— Jean Dujardin

It is very grand and sumptuous and awesome to look at but it was really about the characters for me.

— Emmy Rossum

I like the idea of a big caesura between the narratives, a space which readers can fill in with their own speculative history.

— Jonathan Coe

The character thing really is sort of, for me, personally, rather ancient history.

— David Bowie

The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.

— Stephen King

I feel like it's hard to get into historical novels where you know what the story is far too well.

— Matthew Tobin Anderson