How to Use Background and Foreground


There are all sorts of things that make writing effective. Getting the detail right is crucial, and one of the best ways if to create the right balance of background and foreground. Both make those details count.
But what exactly is background and foreground?
Think of a painting. The main focus is on the subject of the painting and what is going on immediately around that subject. This is the foreground. But away from the main subject, there may also be something in the background – another person or object, bright colours and layers, the kind of things we don’t see right away; things that enhance the whole picture.
That’s how background and foreground works.
The background is something all writers are familiar with. It’s the type of information that is relevant to the story, but is presented in manageable narrative snippets throughout, so as not to be too intrusive. In other words, certain information stays in the background, yet is always present.
Background detail works because the writer can show it to reader from time to time, when the time is right, to help layer the story – things like the setting, snippets of a character’s backstory, historical information on the main character, an important place or something else entirely.
This detail is most commonly placed within narrative. It can also appear in descriptions and can even be presented in dialogue.
Foreground information, on the other hand, has more relevance – it’s what the reader sees as part of the whole story. It’s the important information presented in description and narrative, which is right at the forefront of the story. It is what occurs to the characters in the present moment – it’s what stands out and gives the reader immediate information about the story and characters.
Together, foreground and background provide a detailed picture to the reader – they provide perspective, depth and dimension to create the perception of a three-dimensional world. While the foreground provides immediate information, the background provides context.
The best way to see how foreground and background work is to study a painting or photograph. Our eyes are immediately drawn to what is directly in front of us; we see the main picture. But there are also details that we can see in the background, things we wouldn’t normally see, things we don’t really look for. They can be hard to spot, they can be subtle, or they can be obvious, but every component in the background helps make the whole picture.  Every detail, large or small, helps to layer the story.
When to use background and foreground isn’t as hard as it might sound. Foreground forms part of the story in the way you “show” the reader – the details provided through your dialogue, description and narrative, as well as through character actions, and that’s what the reader focuses on. The background, however, should only become apparent at the right opportunity. Don’t drop in background information for the sake of it. It must be effective rather extraneous. It must help move the story along, so reveal a little bit of background at those moments that are crucial to the plot.
Tease the reader with snippets, hints and clues. And remember how a photograph or painting works. Behind the main subject there always lies something else.
Next week: How to avoid deus ex machina

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter & Novel Lengths

Just how long should a chapter be? What’s the best length? And does a novel have to fit into a set amount of words? These are just two of the most common questions asked by writers.   They assume they have to work to a strict template of X amount of words and X amount of chapters, usually because most novels have around 30 or 40 chapters and around 80,000 words.   Novel Lengths Firstly, let’s dispel a few myths - novel lengths are dictated by the story itself, not the writer or the editor or a specific written formula.   Secondly, writers don’t have to fit their word count into generic set amounts.   Again, the story will dictate how long the novel will be. It’s also worth knowing the different types of novels that work well with different word counts.   Uncomplicated stories containing minimal characters tend to be short – usually around 20,000 to 60,000 words.   These are called novellas. Longer, more complex stories, which contain a handful o...
Read more

What Makes a Story Dark?

If you’re a horror writer or you love to write dark, psychological stories and thrillers, or moralistic tales, this is the one question that needs an answer. Wanting a dark story and writing one are two different things, so how do you actually make a story dark? To answer that you first have to understand what is meant by ‘dark’. We usually define ‘dark’ as quantifiable elements that we know and are familiar with, but it’s more than that. Dark doesn’t necessarily mean scary or gory with a crazy psychopath going around chopping people into bits. Instead we have to think of ‘dark ‘as anything outside our accepted rose-tinted reality. Dark is the underbelly of our society; it’s the handling of ideas, themes, social issues and behaviours that would be seen as morally unacceptable. It’s less about fictional monsters but more about the real monsters that lurk in the shadows, something that is underscored by our fears and anxieties. It’s the unknown, because the things we don’t know ...
Read more

Modifiers, Intensifiers and Qualifiers - Part 2

Unlike modifiers, which modify words or phrases, an Intensifier is a term for a modifier that amplifies the meaning of the word it modifies. An intensifier is used exclusively to modify adverbs and adjectives and is placed  before the word it is meant to modify.  In simple terms, the intensifier emphasises adverbs and adjectives - it makes them more intense . The word is derived from Latin, meaning to “intend or stretch”. In grammatical terms, the intensifier lends no weight to the meaning of a sentence other than to give it an additional emotional nuance to the word it is modifying, however, since they modify adverbs and adjectives, they should be treated in the same way adverbs adjectives – used little and sparingly wherever possible within your writing. This is where learning to spot them will benefit your quality of writing. Intensifiers are attributive and serve only to fill space, so unless there is a valid reason to intensify the meaning and emotion ...
Read more