I talk about character backstories and how to write them here. Basically, I believe they’re the best way to get to know your characters and what motivates them.
How passionate or emotional they are. What their style of interacting is. The lengths they’ll go to to achieve their goals.
A backstory will help you create believable, credible characters who act in authentic ways, rather than forcing your characters to behave the way you want them to.
If you really respect your character’s backstory, you may even be surprised by their actions. I have been many times.
You can see all my Writing Lite tips thus far here on Pinterest.