Phone: (815)335-1405

E-mail: shelly@winnewlife.com

 

What is a back story? 

In literature when a character is first introduced in a book, the reader only knows what the author reveals.  Usually, it is what is currently happening to that character.  The author may open up the mind of the character, sharing his or her inner thoughts and emotions but, generally, the first introduction of the character does not include what the character has been through.

 

A technique that the author may use to enhance the character’s depth is to create a back story for the character.  The back story includes the things that have happened to the character which affect his or her current situations, thoughts, or actions.  This back story may be woven into the book, or it may be created only for the author’s understanding of how to develop the character.  A talented author creatively reveals the character’s back story in the piece of literature to give the reader insight into the character.  Through the back story, the reader can gain understanding of who the character truly is and why they act or react the way they do.  I’ve found, it is through the back story of a character that I become emotionally stirred and feel empathy, sympathy, anger, connection, or other strong emotions regarding that character.

 

We all have “Back Stories”

I have learned that everyone I meet has a back story.  Usually, it is a story of survival, as most people have been through their own, or a family member’s, crisis, illness, or traumatic event which greatly affected who that individual became and how he or she currently thinks, feels, and acts. 

 

When we look at the person head on, eye to eye, we may miss their back story.  Our first impressions, judgments, casual acquaintances, and shallow relationships, don’t allow us to gain the depth of understanding we need to truly emotionally connect. We see what they do, we hear what they say, and sometimes we jump to conclusions about who they are without considering their back story.  It is just a fact of life that we don’t get to know the back stories of everyone we interact with, but we must remember, everyone has a back story.

 

The Ministry of sharingourstories.cc

This ministry began as an outlet for women to share their back stories of sexual abuse, but has expanded to include any woman’s back story.  Just as a photo from the back reveals only portions of the woman’s identity, this ministry will keep the names and identities of the women as hidden as each woman chooses to be.  This is a place where women can put what they have experienced into words.  Whether it be abuse, addiction, abortion, illness, teen pregnancy, grief, or any other crisis or situation, women can share freely what they went through and more importantly, how God worked to heal them.    May their testimonies be used to connect other women with survivors and to connect all of these women with the healing power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Please read through this website and if you have a back story to share, please prayerfully consider submitting it as a way of using your testimony to minister to other women.

 

Thank You!

 

Back Stories

www.sharingourstories.cc

 

Photographs from the back have a powerful, story-telling effect.  Our eyes see the picture and our minds create their stories.  I call this collection of photos “Back Stories”.  What stories do their backs tell?