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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/8794
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **Short** : It depend what you need. Write all you need to explain why your character is like that.

**Long** : Firstly, I think you need to know what your character remember. It's obvious, but I know some people who forget it. Sure, it's could be difficult with character who have a good memory, but if you need he/she tell something of his/her past, you won't have to think about the event but only the way this event was tell.

What you probably want to know is the rest. An important part of his or her behavior could depend of his past, and you will probably need to know this events. It could be something he/she forgot but it's why he/she is protective, greedy, paranoiac... All. If an event don't leave any kind of scar (physical or psychological) on your character, it's not necessary to write it.

After, some part have to be more detailed than others. You don't need to write each hour of each event of course, but the most important 'scars' would probably be more detailed than others. You can easily resume quickly what was his/her education, but you'll probably need to be more detailed on his/her first love, a first failure... If you think something is important, wrote it. If it's really important, detail it. If not, just a quick note would be enough.

Original score: 2