Absolutely.

I recently reviewed a novel that was so filled with technicalities and info dumps, the actual "story" could have been told as a short. Too bad, too, because when the story revealed itself, it was an awesome, creative, original plot!

Back story is definitely for us to know just to enrich the story at hand.


I write because I am a better person when I spend a good chunk of my time with people who only exist because I made them up."  -- Leslie Budewitz