I'm not a big fan of backstories. Some players are great writers, but most aren't. When I DM, I mainly want plot hooks, not a short story. In one of my previous games, I asked my players for:
3 things that define your character
1 personal story goal that you would like your character to accomplish in the game
1 secret about your character
In exchange, they got one additional feat of my choosing.
Two players sent me bullet lists (with only the five items above mentioned). Both had great, fun characters. One player sent me five pages of character backstory that was nowhere near as interesting as either of the bullet lists. In any case, all three got their bonus feat. And I had seven plot hooks with which to start the game.
3 things that define your character
1 personal story goal that you would like your character to accomplish in the game
1 secret about your character
In exchange, they got one additional feat of my choosing.
Two players sent me bullet lists (with only the five items above mentioned). Both had great, fun characters. One player sent me five pages of character backstory that was nowhere near as interesting as either of the bullet lists. In any case, all three got their bonus feat. And I had seven plot hooks with which to start the game.