RUE–Resist the Urge to Explain.
Over-explaining is one of the quickest ways to get your readers to skim. The problem is, no one can define how much backstory is sufficient or can pinpoint the exact place to insert it. This is one of the aspects of craft that can drive even an experienced writer around the bend. The last time I read an article about RUE, I remember thinking that a beginning writer might just give up if all anyone can do is point out the mistake. That’s when I thought about another pitfall of writing, which is thinking you’ve written everything down but discovering you really didn’t.
Eureka. The way to RUE is to know your characters so well that you think you already have written the backstory. I over-explain when I’m trying to figure out why my character is acting the way she is. If I only knew her better, then I wouldn’t need to waste five pages recounting her childhood holidays so I can understand why she freaks out over the wrong kind of cranberry sauce.
Now I have the incentive to complete those character-building exercises the books I bought recommend. With any luck, for my next story, I will know my characters so well that my critique group will ask me for more backstory.