Skipping ahead in time.

lucidzfl · Aug 5, 2009

Are there any rules on skipping ahead in time?

I do not want to follow the daily lives of some of my MC's once they create a settlement. I would rather skip ahead to the point that the next catastrophe happens.

is it fair to say, "6 months later" ?

I may not ever do another skip ahead again in the book, is it ok if I only do this once?

beqs · Aug 5, 2009

What about saying something in terms of seasons such as...

"By the time the snows fell..." or something like that? It seems a bit more fluid than "Six months later."

aadams73 · Aug 5, 2009

"Six months later I was still standing on her porch. And, God, did I need to pee."

Yeah, it's totally fine.

blacbird · Aug 5, 2009

lucidzfl said:
Are there any rules on skipping ahead in time?

Other than clarity, no. Go look at any number of famous novels (always good advice, IMO) and you'll find a variety of ways it's been done.

caw

Matera the Mad · Aug 5, 2009

It beats the heck out of day by day plodding.

James D. Macdonald · Aug 5, 2009

What with this and that some six months passed.

Danthia · Aug 6, 2009

Skip away, just make it clear that time has passed. Only write the interesting parts, and skip over the boring stuff

It doesn't matter how often you do it. As long as the story is moving forward and keeping the reader interested, you're doing your job.

sadron · Aug 6, 2009

It's fine to skip time and make sure readers spot it.

lucidzfl · Aug 6, 2009

Oh it will definitely be spottable.

I've separated my novel out into 6 distinct "Books" each of which is about 15,000 words.

Between "Books" 2 and 3, about 6 months to a year pass. Basically at the end of book 2 they reach the site where they set up their commune. I don't really want to spend thousands of words talking about setting up tents, finding stuff to hunt, etc. Not that such things are boring, its just not what the book is about.

I want to fast forward to the point where they're already established and the good shit starts happening.

Wark · Aug 6, 2009

"You were asleep for six days."

I've never jumped further than that.

James D. Macdonald · Aug 6, 2009

Big time jumps is why they invented chapter breaks.

lucidzfl · Aug 6, 2009

James D. Macdonald said:
Big time jumps is why they invented chapter breaks.

Yeah. I could definitely just do it at a chapter break, but it just so happens it occurs at the end of the second "book".

SarahMacManus · Aug 6, 2009

Yep, chapter breaks. Or any kind of section breakt. I've seen it done all the time.

DMarie84 · Aug 7, 2009

It's fine. In my latest WiP I'm skipping ahead 300 years. That's going to prove to be interesting

Skipping ahead in time.

lucidzfl

Back from the dead

beqs

aadams73

A Work in Progress

blacbird

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

Danthia

sadron

Writing Dark Fantasy

lucidzfl

Back from the dead

Wark

Mark Brockman

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

lucidzfl

Back from the dead

SarahMacManus

DMarie84

I wish I had a time machine