1 Week Later?
- Thread starter Laurababs
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If whatever happens during the time lapse isn't important to show, then yes, it's okay to use a jump. Some stories can be told over a short period of days, others are told over years or decades.
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Any time lapses are fine. A novel is not a diary -- you don't have to report every single day or minute. If nothing interesting or relevant happens during that time, then by all means jump. You may even jump ahead even if something did happen... there's always flashback or dialogue to tell us what happened. It's all about pacing and structures. Watch some movies -- they're not always done in chronological order. Jump cuts are very natural in storytelling.
Time jumps are fine when nothing story-worthy is happening. Occasionally using a phrase like "one week later" to signal that a jump has happened is also fine, although there are other alternatives as well.
One technique is to refer in advance to a Big Important Event which will be happening on a specific day. Then you can show the skip by saying:
One technique is to refer in advance to a Big Important Event which will be happening on a specific day. Then you can show the skip by saying:
The day of Big Important Event dawned rainy.
- or -
While Marisa dressed for Big Important Event, she...
- or -
Flat tires always happen at the worst times. Jason couldn't afford to be late for Big Important Event.
Or you can summarize a Boring Long-Duration Activity:- or -
While Marisa dressed for Big Important Event, she...
- or -
Flat tires always happen at the worst times. Jason couldn't afford to be late for Big Important Event.
After ten dusty days in the jolting carriage, the sisters finally reached London.
- or -
Gavin had spent all week sorting through the contents of Grandma's attic. He surveyed his results with satisfaction: a small pile of family keepsakes, a dozen boxes to be dropped off at the church, and a mountain of garbage.
- or -
For four months Caryn had gazed out her window at naked branches drooping under the weight of snow. Now they stood tall, dusted with tiny green buds.
- or -
Gavin had spent all week sorting through the contents of Grandma's attic. He surveyed his results with satisfaction: a small pile of family keepsakes, a dozen boxes to be dropped off at the church, and a mountain of garbage.
- or -
For four months Caryn had gazed out her window at naked branches drooping under the weight of snow. Now they stood tall, dusted with tiny green buds.
If nothing of consequence happens in a week, skip it. Stick with the important events that drive the story.
Do you mean beginning a chapter or scene with "ONE WEEK LATER" at the beginning?
Yeah, that's kind of tacky. If you mean is it okay to skip a week or a month, as everyone else has said, sure. Skip years if you want. Just find a way to alert the reader to thsi withotu the big bolded letters at the beginning of chapters or scenes. ^_^
Yeah, that's kind of tacky. If you mean is it okay to skip a week or a month, as everyone else has said, sure. Skip years if you want. Just find a way to alert the reader to thsi withotu the big bolded letters at the beginning of chapters or scenes. ^_^
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I like this. I've also used things like "the next two weeks went by in a blur..." or "seemed endless..." or something to that effect. It's a little more descriptive than just saying "two weeks later."
Unless you want to read/write about a character using the toilet, time lapses are a good thing. Whether it's an hour or a month. If it's not important to the story, skip it.
It's absolutely all right.
God help us all if we had to write out every single irrelevant day. ^^
God help us all if we had to write out every single irrelevant day. ^^
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