Wish: Character Backgrounds
For this week's WISH, Ginger asks:

Do you like to have bits and pieces from your characters’ backgrounds appear in the game? Do you write hooks into your character background for the GM to use in the campaign for your character? Do you like it when the GM gives you a background hook into an adventure or scenario with a previously unknown hook, such as creating an old friend of your character’s who is somehow involved? What are some examples of cases where hooks have worked or not worked for you?

Why have a background if you didn't expect the GM to possibly use it. I don't expect the GM to use everything, but if I write something into the background, I hope it will be of some use for the GM. I don't expect everything to be worked in. I know that when I'm GM, I can't always make use of everything someone writes in their background, but the bits that a GM uses makes that scenario a lot more perosnal for the character. Do I like it when the GM adds some backgound? Most GMs I have played with haven't added background elements that were way out of character and I don't expect that my character has lived in a void before I started playing, so I appreciate the additional background. Once again, it makes the character more real and the story more personal.

I can think of countless cases when background elements have worked and can't really think of them not working.