antique-clock

Def­i­n­i­tion:

flash·back

noun
1. a device in the nar­ra­tive of a motion pic­ture, novel, etc., by which an event or scene tak­ing place before the present time in the nar­ra­tive is inserted into the chrono­log­i­cal struc­ture of the work.
2. an event or scene so inserted. –from Dic​tio​nary​.com

I must admit that as a reader I don’t really care for the heavy use of flash­backs. No. I hate them. I couldn’t explain to you the why of my dis­plea­sure with them only that I inwardly cringe when I run across them as they con­tinue to go on and on at length. There are excep­tions of course. Yes, of course! It would have to take a skill­ful writer to make me for­get that I am lost in ital­i­cized flashbacks.

As with every­thing, there must be bal­ance. If the major­ity of the story must be told in flash­backs then chances are slim to none that I’ll read your book or fin­ish your book. I don’t mind “flash­backs” when they are maybe a para­graph or two in length but no, flash­backs for me are a major PITA. What say you, the gen­tle reader about flash­backs? Love them? Hate them? Neu­tral? Yes, this post was inspired by a book I am cur­rently read­ing. That is all.