Why is a time-line important?
- Continuity errors - after I began to edit my first book I discovered that characters couldn't have been where they said they were because I had them somewhere else in a different chapter. Especially when writing mysteries - where alibis are important - your readers may be keeping track (I often keep a notebook beside me while I read) and they will catch your errors.
- Cluttered days - I made this mistake too. I had my characters run around like chickens trying to find the killer and forgot that things like autopsy and forensics take time. They wouldn't have received the information the next day like I wrote. Another reason a time-line is vital.
- Snowing in summer - I don't have a lot of issue with this because I write my novels with a small time frame but if you're a cold case writer, you need to keep track of when past events happened as well.
- Sunrise/Sunset - Does your sun rise in the West? When your character is sitting down to dinner at six, is it dark or light out? In the summer, he can eat without lights. In the winter, he has to turn on the lights.
- Domino effect - If you change the day in the fourth chapter, make sure you change the chapters that follow.
Time-line by character
Time-line by scene or chapter
My current time-line looks more like the first but you can make yours fit how your novel progresses. If there is a lot of time between scenes (for instance, if days or weeks go by without action) you can make a combination of the first and second).
If you have a time-line, what does it look like?
15 comments:
Clarissa - Oh, you are singing my song! Timelines and other ways to keep track of one's story are so important, aren't they? I know I've caught myself writing a familiar, we-know-each-other conversation between two characters only to have those characters be introduced for the first time - later in the story! It's so embarrassing when that happens. Thanks for this reminder : )
Yes, you wouldn't believe the mistakes I've made because of not using it.
CD
I worked on a timeline, too. Fortunately, not many seasonal changes in space, but characters and situations change.
I mainly have this problem with the phases of the moon because I love describing the changes. I just have to get the timing right.
And yes, I once had it stormy outside but I wanted sun to glint off something... hmmmm. Fail. ;)
Important stuff that make the reading believable or sometimes laughable. :)
My time line is not quite as organized as yours, but I make a notation of the days/week # at the start of each chapter. If I mess up, when I do my print out read is usually the time I catch any other slip-ups that I missed.
hi miss clarissa! this is another really important thing for me to learn. my first book was all on one day but i got mixed up on hours and had to fix it so stuff happened when it was supposed to. its a good thing to make a plan and im gonna try it for my wip. i learned what wip is on miss justines blog.
...smiles from lenny
Alex, even when you work on sci-fi, a time line is important. Wouldn't want to be on the wrong planet.
Lynda, wow, I've never heard of it being needed for description but that's great.
Joy, yes, it's so funny when it goes wrong...
Lenny, you will probably love using a timeline when you have more complex novels. Also, you will learn more acronyms over time: WIP, POV, MC...
Thanks for the comments, guys.
CD
You are so right, but you know Clarissa, I'm really beginning to think I'm way too A.D.D. to finish a book.
Continuity is so important, you're right! In my first nvoel I didn't keep track of it at all and created a major mess to clean up later. Thanks for the reminder!
Did you just use Excel? Those look like great timelines. I am always looking for new writing software. Right now I have WritersCafe, and I love it. Thanks for the reminder that I need to keep up with each character!
Michele
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Pat, you may not write like a scheduled writer but I bet you write wonderfully under inspiration. Try to find that inspiration as often as you can. Whether it be through movies or song or by walking down the street...
Talli, yes, currently, I'm still fixing mistakes because my timeline was none-existent.
Michele, yes, I just used Excel. I haven't heard of the writer's cafe but I want to check it out.
CD
This is great. I've had a broad timeline, but I just realized I needed to add in a lot more things, as I am running short and thought of a strand for a character used earlier and then not much from about 1/3 of the way through. To work him/her IN though, I have to know everything else that is going on while this character performs the appropriate mischief.
Love the post! Once again, you've provided great information and some laughs at the same time. I can relate to this. I recently discovered that I wrote in that my character looked to the West and into the rising sun. Wow, didn't catch that until someone else pointed it out to me.
What a fantastic post, Clarissa. Tangled timelines is what did my first novel in. I am still trying to work it all out :-(
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