Coronavirus has changed the world, but it’s also meant a lot of plans get cancelled. I previously mentioned I had become very interested in the musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, and I was given tickets to go see it. Sadly, the show has been cancelled and as they’re not around in London for long, I may not get to see it. So, I found a recording of the original show online and watched it last weekend. And it really got me thinking…

I can really sympathise with Evan, and in fact, it’s made me feel very introspective as I can see a lot of myself in that character. I’ve blogged before about how difficult it is to portray mental health in the media and why, and that’s one thing Dear Evan Hansen wrestles with throughout. For any other person, what Evan does would seem unforgivable. But because he has mental health problems, you almost are inclined to forgive him. Or at least, that was what I got out of it. However, I think there’s one thing missing that makes it very difficult to do so. That’s Evan’s backstory.

If his backstory was stronger then maybe people would sympathise more. If the musical delved more into why he became like he did. Of course, it does in snippets, but it doesn’t feel strong enough to justify the character and why he’s so damaged. Some bits don’t make sense and a good back story would fix that. That’s my opinion anyway, and I know how important a backstory can be in making a good character.

Luke’s backstory is quite complex and there are so many things that have influenced who he has become. All of those things have built up the person he was in Atlantic Split and carries through all three books. For example, though befriending James and Steve seems stupid and irrational, Luke’s hunger for true friendship, his neglect from his dad and the bullying in his past made this a natural decision for him to make. It’s not out of character and is completely plausible. Hence, we get an insight into how his past has affected his decision making.

In A Long Lost Time, he really starts to confront his past, and the theme of backstories plays a massive part in this book for a lot of different characters. It’s one of the most important things, and especially in understanding why people make certain choices. It helps readers empathise and understand characters better, and therefore you can influence how people feel about them.

It’s what’s missing for me in Dear Evan Hansen, and I think with the right backstory, people’s views of him would be widely different. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, I thought it was absolutely fantastic and so important – definitely worth a watch. But, it just goes to show that when developing a character, you can’t miss out the most important part which is their beginnings.

You want to be able to choose how people react to your characters, so don’t let the lack of a backstory be thing that affects that. Otherwise, the character you put out into the world will be received widely differently to what you first intended. As a writer, your characters are the crux your whole book relies on, so make sure you fully develop them – they deserve it.

Atlantic Split, At Liberty To Live and An Undercover Dream, the first three books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! The final book of the series A Long Lost Time will be released in 2020!

Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K