Write a short scene with a beginning, middle, and end. Your scene should be at least two typed, double-spaced pages.
• To begin, choose a setting for your scene. It is fine for the setting to be familiar to
your readers - maybe a café, classroom, supermarket, or living room.
• Keep in mind that a flashback helps reveal why a character acts the way he or
she does, illuminating tensions between that character and others.
• Provide a bridge between what is happening in the present and what happened in
the past. Your transition from the present to the past might be triggered by a
sensory detail, such as a scent ("A whiff of lemon cake brought Kit back to her
17th birthday ..."), a song lyric, or a childhood setting.
• Remember, pacing is vital. The flashback should deepen or illuminate the main
action of the story so that the reader can momentarily let go of the forward
movement of the narrative in exchange for a deeper understanding of the story,