A flashback is a scene that interrupts the normal chronological order of a story to show an event that happened in the past. This can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
* Providing backstory: To reveal information about a character's past, their relationships, or the events that led to the current situation.
* Adding depth and complexity: To explore a character's motivations or to develop themes in the story.
* Creating suspense: By hinting at something that happened in the past, a flashback can create tension and intrigue the reader.
* Revealing a secret: A flashback can be used to reveal a hidden truth or a shocking twist in the story.
Some common ways to signal a flashback include:
* A change in point of view: The narrative might shift to the perspective of a different character who was present at the event.
* A change in tense: The story might shift from present tense to past tense.
* Explicitly stated phrases: The narrator might say something like "Earlier that day" or "In another time".
Here's an example of a flashback:
> "The rain beat against the windowpane, a relentless rhythm that echoed the hammering in Sarah's chest. She gripped the worn photograph in her hand, the image blurred by tears. It was her father, his smile as bright as the summer sun. She remembered the day it was taken, the picnic by the lake, the laughter of her younger brother. It all seemed so innocent now, so far away."
In this passage, the bolded sentence signals a shift into a flashback, which allows the reader to see the event that is causing Sarah's current emotional state.