Better Background (episode 58)

Avishay Zarad wrote:
Good afternoon!
It’s hard for me to write a good background for my characters. I tend to fall into the trap of writing an overly complicated background that, in retrospective, isn’t relevant, or doesn’t come into play. When I try to avoid that - I write an overly simplistic background that is less enjoyable to me.
Do you have any tips on writing a better background story for a character?
Also, do you have any advice on how to better portray a character (roleplay-wise)?
Much love, Avishay
Further listening: Avoiding Character Cliches (episode 2), Customising the Campaign to the Players (episode 19), Personal Plotlines (episode 21) , Personalise Your Character (episode 23), Who is An Adventurer? (episode 50) ,
If it doesn’t come into play, it doesn’t exist (3:34)
Bringing the background to the foreground (10:13)
Path 1: Make it up as you go along and try to keep track.
Path 2: Plan a basic outline and slowly fill in the blanks.
Path 3: Plan a backstory and think of ways it will influence your character and the story.
Path 4: Build a backstory with your GM, ingrain the character backstory in the world and the plot.
Consistent Characters (18:25)
How Uri Plays Consistent Characters (currently offline)
Leaving the timeline open for additions (19:15)
Leave open spaces around your established events. Limit yourself to something small, and be open to expanding - both forward (people change) and backward (this fact has now always been true). 
Your character story should be what you’re playing (20:53)
Think of your character’s story not as something that already happened, but as the thing you are playing.
Summary (22:45)
Taking the Load Off (23:42)
Uri: conflict, conflict resolution, improvement, ass-kicking.
Eran: Savage Worlds! 50 Fathoms!