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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35707
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35707
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

You should be able to answer a few questions here.

**Why is the flashback necessary _for the story_?** What does it add or change, that makes this a better story than without it?

**Why is the flashback interesting _now_, _to the reader_?** You may know the flashback is setting up important stuff, but the reader has to take that on trust. You don't want them to feel the new bit is a distraction from the "real" story; nor that the first piece was just a throwaway prologue, and could have been skipped. This means that _at the moment you cut to flashback_, the reader starts seeking a reason for both the new and old scenes to be interesting in conjunction; it's up to you to provide them with one.

**What would this look like if I did this without a flashback?** I'm by no means against flashbacks, but this is worth asking. Could you possibly encapsulate your conflict in one, sharp scene, rather than contrasting two opposite ones? I'm not encouraging you to prefer one over the other, but to tell whether something is necessary, it's helpful to consider the alternatives.

The three of these form a very solid justification for a flashback -- or help you see where its issues may lie.

Original score: 2