--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every character has a back story. It’s…" description: "\"“Every character has a back story. It’s what makes them fully formed and believable. But resist the urge to describe your character’s past with a data ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/karen-sandler-66661_backstory_every-character-has-a-back-story-it-s-wh_3091866.jpg" --- # Every character has a back story. It’s what makes them… ![“Every character has a back story. It’s what makes them fully formed and believable. But resist the urge to describe your character’s past with a data dump of everything they ever experienced since birth. The best way to reveal a character’s back story is through the character’s actions/dialogue on…” quote by Karen Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/karen-sandler-66661_backstory_every-character-has-a-back-story-it-s-wh_3091866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/karen-sandler-66661_backstory_every-character-has-a-back-story-it-s-wh_3091866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/karen-sandler-66661_backstory_every-character-has-a-back-story-it-s-wh_3091866.jpg) > ““Every character has a back story. It’s what makes them fully formed and believable. But resist the urge to describe your character’s past with a data dump of everything they ever experienced since birth. The best way to reveal a character’s back story is through the character’s actions/dialogue on the page.”” Karen Sandler ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character’s history gives depth, but showing it through actions and dialogue is more engaging than exhaustive exposition. **In simple terms:** Show backstory through behavior, not a list of events. Key Takeaway Reveal past via actions and speech. Themes character development show, don tell storytelling Mood thoughtful educational Type advice instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑playing games - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative technique characterization show don’t tell Questions to Reflect On - How can you hint at a character’s past without explicit description? - What actions best illustrate hidden motivations? A Different Perspective Too much exposition can overwhelm readers and stall plot. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Trifles discover a character, more than actions of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/trifles-discover-a-character-more-than-actions-of-importance/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [For Marvel, we've never looked at any of our characters in terms of gender, race, or religion. It truly is about, who is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeph-loeb/for-marvel-we-ve-never-looked-at-any-of-our-characters-in-terms-of/) [Jeph Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeph-loeb/) > [The inspiration really comes first from the character and the story. That vision of what the story is, and what the character is, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/the-inspiration-really-comes-first-from-the-character-and-the-story/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [“In the writers mind, even a backstory has a backstory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-a-o-neal/in-the-writers-mind-even-a-backstory-has-a-backstory/) [Terry a O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-a-o-neal/) > [“Here is something I understand about psychology, and I think it relates to fiction: if you loosen up your understanding of yourself in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/here-is-something-i-understand-about-psychology-and-i-think-it/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [“It's said that there's three sides to a story: yours, mine, and the truth. Check out God in Wingtip Shoes and The Prison Plumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-j-medley/it-s-said-that-there-s-three-sides-to-a-story-yours-mine-and-the/) Yvonne J. Medley > [“A related question is where in time to begin. Should you begin far back in a character's past and move forward, or should you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-checkoway/a-related-question-is-where-in-time-to-begin-should-you-begin-far/) Julie Checkoway > [People reveal their character even in the simplest things they do. Fools do not enter a room, nor leave it, nor sit down, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/people-reveal-their-character-even-in-the-simplest-things-they-do/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Dialogue is not always the best way to show emotion, to show your thought process, or to reveal yourself, as a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/dialogue-is-not-always-the-best-way-to-show-emotion-to-show-your/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [The surest way to reveal one's character is not through adversity but by giving them power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-surest-way-to-reveal-one-s-character-is-not-through-adversity-but/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The best way to reveal a character is to get them to open their mouths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/the-best-way-to-reveal-a-character-is-to-get-them-to-open-their-mouths/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [One of the ways that you reveal character is by getting a character into a situation and seeing what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bass/one-of-the-ways-that-you-reveal-character-is-by-getting-a-character/) [Ben Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bass/) > [“1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/1-use-the-time-of-a-total-stranger-in-such-a-way-that-he-or-she-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Words reveal your beliefs and intentions. Actions reveal your character. When they are in alignment, they reveal your greatest life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/words-reveal-your-beliefs-and-intentions-actions-reveal-your/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Circumstances don't create character. They reveal character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/circumstances-don-t-create-character-they-reveal-character/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) ## More by Karen Sandler > [“My nurture mother never would have reset me. And I was never a kit. Or a ‘female.’ I might be a non-human, but I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-sandler/my-nurture-mother-never-would-have-reset-me-and-i-was-never-a-kit-or/) Karen Sandler > [“I think one of the prophets stuttered when he dictated your specs,” Jal said, snickering. “Or the gene-splicer was daydreaming about his high-status trueborn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-sandler/i-think-one-of-the-prophets-stuttered-when-he-dictated-your-specs-jal/) Karen Sandler Explore all 3 Karen Sandler quotes ## More Backstory quotes > [“It's said that there's three sides to a story: yours, mine, and the truth. Check out God in Wingtip Shoes and The Prison Plumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-j-medley/it-s-said-that-there-s-three-sides-to-a-story-yours-mine-and-the/) Yvonne J. Medley > [“In the writers mind, even a backstory has a backstory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-a-o-neal/in-the-writers-mind-even-a-backstory-has-a-backstory/) [Terry a O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-a-o-neal/) Browse all 3 Backstory quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every character has a back story. It’s what makes them fully formed and believable. But resist the urge to describe your character’s past with a data dump of everything they ever experienced since birth. 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