Tips and Timesavers
Showing, not telling
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of moonlight on broken glass. (Antonin Chekov)
I love this rule. It's one of the most constructive and useful tools for keeping yourself from getting bogged down in backstory and exposition and it's so easy (in theory) to implement.
The rule is exactly as it sounds. Comfortable writing will 'show' action and character/plot development instead of 'telling'. Showing seems to work well in romantic fiction, to help build empathy and to involve the reader. "Telling" is often more heavily used in general fiction.
Tell
You get all the backstory or other detail out of the way with chunks of exposition (often in past tense) before moving back to the main story flow.
There was no way Nikki could have known about the crazy goings-on in the old house after the clock chimed midnight. No-one had lived in the McMurtrie mansion since Old Man McMurtrie had passed away near on thirty years ago. He had been born and raised in the old homestead, even raised his own family and eventually died there--as had four generations of McMurtries before him. Now, even Drake McMurtrie wouldn't step foot in the building unless he had to.
Show
You play out scenes in which exposition or back story is delivered through dialogue between characters, or generated naturally through happenings in the plot. Often takes longer to construct but gets the information across more subtly & helps keep the story moving forward. There's room for both styles in a manuscript, but everything in moderation. Balance. Example:
"Why is no-one living here?" Nikki voiced her thoughts as Drake reached the landing of the stairs.
"This was my Grandfather's house," he clipped, annoyed to even be indulging this conversation. Why was she even still here? He'd asked her to leave. He started down the stairs toward her. "He grew up, married and died in this house where four generations of McMurtries have lived their lives."
"Why don't you live here?"
There was no way Drake was going to tell this stranger about the crazy goings on in this house after midnight, about how he found any excuse not to enter the creepy family estate.
"I choose to live elsewhere."