Writing has changed over the past 50 years. Authors used to have the luxury of spending time introducing each character, moving them gently into a story. We don't have that luxury anymore: editors and readers alike are less tolerant about anything that slows the story down or interferes with it.

So how does backstory happen?

If we can't spend ten pages explaining all about the character's past (these days, that's known as an infodump and is to be avoided at all costs), there are still ways to bring the backstory into the book. The difference is that modern authors have to be more subtle about it.

In fact, we may be on to something intriguing – there are a lot of good reasons to be subtle about introducing your characters' backstories. You can use the backstory to tease the reader, giving out information in small subtle ways until the reader starts thinking, "Wait? How did that happen?" or "Why can't he do that?" When a reader starts to ask this kind of question, they're hooked – they're yours. That's when you drop the information in. Just a little of it. Enough to keep them reading.

You have to have a sense of when to do it, however. Wait too long and you'll frustrate your readers – never a good idea. You want the book in their hands, not flung across the room!

Be careful with flashbacks. They destroy the pace, eliminating the momentum that you've been carefully building as you go along. They can also confuse readers who are no longer sure if the scene is in the past or the present. Flashbacks can be provided through a prologue, thus keeping it separate from the rest of the story. And never provide any more information than is absolutely necessary.

Experiment with various ways of telling your backstory, and you'll find yourself writing beyond the elements of style!