On Backstories

I had two interesting experiences with backstories today.

The first was when walking to a meeting about volunteering today, I passed the girl who was my best friend in elementary school.  We didn't greet each other - I half-smiled, but I'm pretty sure she didn't recognize me.  (To be fair, I was wearing sunglasses, and I have far shorter hair now than I did in fifth grade).  She and I have barely spoken - we said a few words in middle school when we still had mutual friends, but in high school she and I saw each other maybe twice, and each time was completely by chance.  It could be a situation of interesting backstories, because our paths have diverged so much.  Our family situations are completely different, for a start, but we haven't been in the same school since fifth grade, and our personalities have probably developed to be completely different.

The second event concerning backstories was after the volunteer meeting.  Since the place was on the way to Starbucks, I stopped there on the way home.  I sat down with my pound cake and drink and tried to discreetly observe everyone and made up a back story for each of them.  I will type them up here later.

Backstories are the important part of the character in a novel - it can haunt a character; it can come back to bite them; they can avoid or pursue a certain thing or feeling if they've had a certain experience with it in the past.  We see it in everyday life; for example, I now avoid insects that sting with a passion because I've discovered that I will swell up and be miserable for the better part of a week if I get stung by something.  Because of that unfortunate experience with Things that Sting, I avoid them at all costs. Interestingly, all the unfortunate things that have happened to me have not been when I'm abroad; I've sprained my ankle before black belt tests and before hiking in Switzerland; I've gotten allergic reactions at home but not in Peru.  Interesting how things work out.