What to do About Backstory

Backstory. It's the ugly red-headed step child that no one ever likes, but finds necessary to keep around. Like it or not, backstory can be very helpful in enriching a story and giving it depth that can't be done any other way. However, backstory also can be easily misused and become the anchor that pulls a story into a dark abyss of unreadable slush. This happens because backstory essentially stops the story cold. But don't fret, because there are a few things that can be done to help keep backstory from being said anchor.

The first rule of backstory... Only tell the reader what they need to know in that moment to understand the story. It isn't necessary to load a reader up with information that they don't need right away. Does the reader really need to know that the main character's father has been in a mental hospital for the last six years? Or that the main character's favorite team is the Red Sox? Or maybe the main character likes to wear cut off jeans and holey T-shirts every Saturday when he (or she) likes to go to their favorite local pub. Unless that information is necessary to the story right in that moment of the story, it should be come at a later time.