Flashback I've Lost My Pants

Writing is funny. One day you can sit at your computer for hours on end and write only a page or two. Other days you can sit at your computer for three hours and write 10 pages. Today in the span of 4 hours I wrote 14 pages after writing 11 yesterday. And this after being at work all day and being out during the evening. I'd say I'm on a roll. Of course, they could be terrible. That's always something I try not to think about. I could just be producing piles of crap not even fit for toilet paper (that's funny because crap is meant for toilet paper - see how good at this I am? :/)

I realized today though that I may not be including enough flashbacks into the main character's childhood. As any how-to on writing will tell you, having proper backstory for your characters is integral to making them seem like rounded, fully fleshed out characters to readers. And since their opinion obviously matters, it's something I have to work on. 

I'm kind of wondering how I want to do this though. I already know that I have to go back and add things in here and there to help get me to an acceptable length (which from a book I read is 80,000 words. I'm actually pretty close to that right now - so it must be a lie.). But it might be interesting to instead have between chapters these sections where the character flashes back to some moment in their childhood, a moment that is somewhat relevant to the following chapter. I could give them stupid names like "4th Grade: Day I Lost my Pants" and talk about that. Or "Day I Nearly Died." That sort of thing. It would be like commercial breaks for the book, but instead of trying to sell tampons I'm offering insight into how the character became a screw up. 

But there must be a reason why most authors don't go this route. Maybe it's distracting. I've already done it the normal way, throwing them in as I write, so it wouldn't be hard to continue that way. I guess I'll give it more thought.

Wow I can't believe I've managed to stay up past 2 am, when only a few hours ago I wasn't sure I'd make it further than 9 o'clock. I guess writing has become an addiction, and though I wish it had happened in college when I had more time on my hands, this will do. I can't wait to see what tomorrow's writings will bring. I haven't felt this excited about something in years! Okay, if you don't count the Reeses I ate today, or how excited I am to sleep in tomorrow, then I haven't been this excited in quite awhile!