Background Information Quotes & Sayings

Exposition has legitimate uses. It's the most efficient way to summarize background information, including necessary information about a character's history. It can set the stage well for a major dramatized event. — Nancy Kress

Writing an encyclopedia is hard. To do anywhere near a decent job, you have to know a great deal of information about an incredibly wide variety of subjects. Writing so much text is difficult, but doing all the background research seems impossible. — Aaron Swartz

There is no public record of Barack Obama's (or Stanley Ann Dunham's) being in the CIA. Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. The reader may consider the information and, based on background, life experiences, and ability to keep an open mind, may come to either conclusion.
But any explanation of why Barack Obama would not have mentioned a word of his Most Excellent Pakistani Adventure in either of his two autobiographies requires a conspiracy theory that might cast doubt on either the sanity or the sincerity fothe person proposing it. — Mondo Frazier

Mother tells me,
They tease you
because they adore you. — Thanhha Lai

Now try writing some pages to serve as later notes. Because you're not yet sure of voice or anything else, you're free from the need to squash in all manner of background information, explaining what year it is, etc. That stuff will just get you back in your head and drive you nuts. You're free to write as if all that stuff is in the reader's head already. It will be, by the time you get to this part of the book. You — Mary Karr

8I have charity for the Jew (I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came). 9 — Grant Hardy

Don't set pen to paper until you know your main characters inside out. Create files detailing their appearances, likes, dislikes, and personal background. You may not use all the information, but it is a crucial step in planning your story. — Jojo Moyes

Another mistake is presenting too much background information, and doing so in the first few pages. Writers should begin their stories with the event that kicks off the story, and then spoon-feed us background information only when it's needed to understand what's going on."

[A Conversation with Evan Marshall (Writers Write, September 1999)] — Evan Marshall

What do you know? This is where it all began," he said.
"Began?"
"This is exactly where I was when I wanted to kiss you," he whispered, his lips brushing along my neck causing me to melt under his touch. "So bad."
"Except this time there's no drunk netballer squawking at us," I teased.
"I wouldn't care if the seven horseman of the Apocalypse charged through the garden right now, nothing's gonna stop me from doing this." He leaned down and captured my lips with tenderness, a completely perfect kiss, like it always was. — C.J. Duggan

Books can create a depth of story, a background of information and ideas, that televison and movies can't. Sure, the television shows may shock, but only on a superficial level. They'd never risk market share to really explore the issues. They report, but don't analyze or suggest any new ways for living our lives. — Chuck Palahniuk

We cultivate our feelings the way we cultivate a garden: we can't entirely prevent weeds from coming up, but we can take care to remove them before they do much harm. — Phillip Cary

We need to ban assault weapons. We need to ban the high-capacity clips and magazines. We need serious background information, system upgrade. — Michael Nutter

Certain loves can't be fought. The harder you tried, the harder you would be knocked back, over and over again, until it beat you into submission, until your heart caved and body surrendered. Love like that didn't know the rules of society; it didn't care about life mistakes. It only knew what must be, and what would happen - no matter what. — Alessandra Torre

The script in many ways is limiting and novel is liberating. You get to go into the heads of your characters and their background and have fun with them; something you are discouraged from doing with a script. With the novel, I can tell you what the characters are thinking, I can tell you their view of the world, background information, things I wouldn't dare touch in the script. — Juliet Asante

The quality of the information used in background checks is another cause for concern. One of the most common problems is that databases may include arrest records without any indication of whether a person was convicted. — Anonymous

Was there ever an aerial war in our distant past, maybe 2,000 years ago? An aerial war? Yes. There are certain understandings, what you would call treaties between various visiting civilizations, specifying how they are to conduct themselves in contact with humans. Those that did not have the best intentions for Earth applied certain arrangements and pressures to certain civilizations. These aspirations were restrained to create a reasonably safe and neutral area of space that includes Earth and many other planets. This might be what you call aerial warfare. That is probably it. The reference comes from very old writings in India and a description of ships in the sky, fighting. I understand the Hindu texts. They give insights into the background of a number of civilizations that have come to Earth. These Indian texts have many clear insights and provide early information on contact with humans. — J. Steven Reichmuth

A brick could be used in a levitation demonstration. The best way to keep it afloat, along with the American Dream, is with debt and denial. — Jarod Kintz

For me, with any character, there are different ways that you approach understanding him, and in this film in particular, because I had the novel to refer to. It's always really helpful to have all of that information and all of those hundreds more words which give you an idea into the background and your character and all. — Asa Butterfield

When I was a kid, I desperately wanted more background information on especially cartoonists. — Bryan Lee O'Malley

People learn by integrating new information into their existing web of knowledge. They don't like it when a fact is hurled at them from out of the blue and they have to keep it levitating in short-term memory until they find a relevant background to embed it in a few moments later. Topic-then-comment and given-then-new orderings are major contributors to coherence, the feeling that one sentence flows into the next rather than jerking the reader around. — Steven Pinker

They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship - " "Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. "Right you are, Professor - just giving a bit of background information - the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and - " "Jordan!" "Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for goal ... — J.K. Rowling

The moment we rationalize chemistry, we risk losing it forever. — Jennifer Probst

Art needs motives that are more profound than profit if it is to maintain its difference from - and position above - other cultural forms. — Sarah Thornton

When I was in the running for the role of Elphaba, I knew it was important to research and study as much background information as I could, so I got my head stuck into 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire, and I believe I lost many days, weeks, and months reading it - I was captivated! — Rachel Tucker

I feel the older I get, the more I'm learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it's all about finding yourself. — Ringo Starr

I can get a better grasp of what is going on in the world from one good Washington dinner party than from all the background information NBC piles on my desk. — Barbara Walters

This sweet little spot needs some TLC. Here's the deal, Soph. You admit it was me you thought about when you got dressed this evening, and I'll kiss it better. — Samanthe Beck

On working with other writers: You develop honesty and you can then ask the really embarrassing questions. I have learned so many things I didn't want to know, and they were all a result of interesting interviews for background information. — Dan Alatorre

Contextualization lies in bringing out the right messages from the abundant content; in sandwiching the subject between the background of information and the foreground of its utility. — Suyog Ketkar

Do you know why the leaves change colour, Makin?" They did look spectacular. The forest had grown around us as we traveled and the canopy burned with colour, from deepest red to flame orange, an autumn fire spreading in defiance of the rain.
"I don't know," he said, "Why do they change?"
"Before a tree sheds a leaf it pumps it full of all the poison it can't rid itself of otherwise. That red there - that's a man's skin blotching with burst veins after an assassin spikes his last meal with roto-weed. The poison spreading through him before he dies. — Mark Lawrence