Keeping the timeline straight.

shrimpsdad · Mar 16, 2018

I just read a post from 2009 about how to keep scenes and timeline straight. I did not want to reply to 2009 thread but I thought I could share something useful.

I am new to AW and have only been taking and not giving back. Not because I am selfish but because I do not think I have the skills to do so, yet.

I found a trick that works for me though and I'd thought I would share it.

At the end of each scene, I write the date, day of the week, and time with the city in which the scene takes place.

All is written in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). (London) Just think of Big Ben. If the story doesn't move from a single time zone then I eliminate GMT and use for example EST as the standard. That, of course, would be if the story only takes place in NY or Miami.

Stories I have written in the past bounce from city to city and it can get confusing when a plane is in flight and a character is having a conversation or there is an event which occurs on the plane.

Even if the date is not relevant to the story I include it anyway. I make up the date if one does not exist, even if it is in the future.
I am sure there are many better ways but after having 3x5 cards pinned all over my house I found this works better.

At the end I delete everything.
Please criticize if you'd like or if you have a better way, but I am trying to give back.
Thanks to all of you who have made my welcome party so enjoyable.

benbenberi · Mar 16, 2018

There's a tool called Aeon Timeline you may find helpful for managing your timeline. If you write in Scrivener, it also integrates with Scrivener to automate some of the management. It's not expensive and there's a generous free-trial period so you can check it out in detail and see if it works for you.

BethS · Mar 16, 2018

shrimpsdad said:
Please criticize if you'd like or if you have a better way

Hey, whatever works. We all have our methods, and who knows, someone may end up finding yours works for them, too.

I have a story where I have multiple plotlines going at the same time but in different locations. On any given day in the story, I have to know what what's happening in the various locations. I don't necessarily show all of that in the story itself, but I still have to be aware of it. So I keep a calendar-diary--Day One, Day Two, etc.--and under each day I write what has happened to which characters. This has kept my story in order and me sane.

cmhbob · Mar 16, 2018

I use a fairly simple spreadsheet.

Column A is the date
Column B is the day of the week (use =TEXT(A3,"ddd" as a cell formula to get the day of the week automatically)
Column C is a description of what happens that day.

I also set main character's dates of birth, in Row 1, then for each row, I cna easily check their age (in case their birthday happens to fall during the story)

Enlightened · Mar 16, 2018

I keep Word databases on each character (I call character bios). I created a template of 28 sliders (scales of good and bad elements, such as Charity to Cruelty), SWOT analysis, many other items, and a means of jotting down the most important elements of their character arc (timeline of events, so I know where they are at all times). When I need to know where someone was left, last, I just open their file and I know right away. I have to do it this way, if I end up writing all books of my series. These documents will help me with other elements, in the future (things not associated with writing the novels). For example, if I am ever offered to do a cartoon series or movies on the characters, I can pass the bios on to whomever decides the project's fate. If it happens, it will save me from stressing with timelines.

Old Hack · Mar 17, 2018

shrimpsdad said:
All is written in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). (London) Just think of Big Ben.

I know this is a diversion, but sometimes I can't help myself.

I recently read a book in which a character who was meant to be very knowledgeable about our history called the famous clock tower "Big Ben". It ruined my enjoyment of the book.

Big Ben is a nickname for The Great Bell, which is housed inside the Palace of Westminster's Elizabeth Tower. It's not the clock or the tower, it's just one of the bells inside the tower.

Please, everyone. Do your research. Don't make assumptions. Check everything.

I shall now return this thread to its original purpose. Sorry for the derail.

Helix · Mar 17, 2018

Old Hack said:
I know this is a diversion, but sometimes I can't help myself.

I recently read a book in which a character who was meant to be very knowledgeable about our history called the famous clock tower "Big Ben". It ruined my enjoyment of the book.

Big Ben is a nickname for The Great Bell, which is housed inside the Palace of Westminster's Elizabeth Tower. It's not the clock or the tower, it's just one of the bells inside the tower.

Please, everyone. Do your research. Don't make assumptions. Check everything.

I shall now return this thread to its original purpose. Sorry for the derail.

And doesn't the clock change to BST?

shrimpsdad · Mar 17, 2018

Ha! I never knew that. Big Ben is not the clock. i just spoke with a writer who actually made a crossing through the Rio Grande at night to research a book he was writing about illegal crossings into the States. That's dedication. It is amazing the knowledge writers retain.

Old Hack · Mar 17, 2018

Helix said:
And doesn't the clock change to BST?

Of course. It's a very good clock.

(It's possible to book a tour of the tower, if anyone is thinking of visiting London. It's great.)

Carrie in PA · Mar 17, 2018

To the original question - I have a stack of calendars printed out. I start my MS at whatever point it needs to start, then I stick to that calendar. So if my story starts on July 4, and I want it to be a Friday, I'll dig out the calendar that 7/4 is a Friday. Then I use the comments feature in Word to note the date every time it changes. This keeps me from tripping up over dates/days, so I don't end up with silly errors like Christmas being on a Tuesday but then New Year's is a Sunday.

I've never broken it down by time of day, but I can see where that would be really helpful if there's a lot of travel or a ton of action in a short span of time.

indianroads · Mar 17, 2018

You can find images of calendars for the past (and probably for the future too) using Google search.

Lakey · Mar 17, 2018

Carrie in PA said:
This keeps me from tripping up over dates/days, so I don't end up with silly errors like Christmas being on a Tuesday but then New Year's is a Sunday.

I once tried to work out the timeline of events in a favorite book (I know, but you know how obsessions are). Big mistake - way too much happened between Christmas and New Year’s, too many events on screen and conversations that we inferable to have happened off-screen. There wasn’t any way to make sense out of it. The author either didn’t do what you did, or never guessed that anyone would do what I did. :ROFL:

Roxxsmom · Mar 17, 2018

I typically write in made-up worlds with their own calendars. I"ve printed up calendars that reflect those world's years, months and seasons for this purpose. I even included moon phases, so I'd know whether or not it made sense for the moon to be full or the tides to be high in a given scene. Many writers drive me nuts by assuming the moon always rises at dusk and sets at dawn, or by skipping around illogically with moon phases, even in stories set on Earth.

There's a piece of software called Stellarium that can be very useful for writers of historical or futuristic fiction set on Earth, or even on some other planets, if the night sky or astronomical events are important to the story. Knowing which stars and planets were visible in the night sky on a particular date can be handy if that affects one's plot in some way.

Thinking of this, though, it's occurred to me that many writers make little mention of the exact passing of time or dates, aside from what's implied in the story. It's easier to have an assumed linear structure when there's one main character the narrative is tracking, though. It gets harder when there are scene breaks that can reflect variable shifts in time, location and viewpoint.

cmhbob · Mar 17, 2018

TimeAndDate.com also has some easily printable calendars if you want to go that route.

BethS · Mar 18, 2018

Roxxsmom said:
I even included moon phases.

Me, too. I have to know what the moon is doing on any given day, so that if I mention it in the story, what I've described is correct.

Hopefully WLCT · Mar 18, 2018

Awesome thread and answers, very helpful

mmbmalik · Mar 18, 2018

I use a fairly basic program called Scapple (from the makers of Scrivener) which lets me plot out interconnected ideas. When things get tricky I add in day indicators but rarely use an actual date.

WriteMinded · Mar 18, 2018

At the start of a chapter or a change of scene, I sometimes type the date directly into the MS. I use writing software that allows for writing notes that will not be printed or exported as per the wishes of the author. Sometimes I use a spreadsheet. My books usually cover several years, so I also often need to track a character's age. Again, I use a spreadsheet. Handy, aren't they?

Clovitide · Mar 18, 2018

This is cool. I've never put too much thought into time passage and that fun stuff, but this novel I'm going have to try. Keep up with the passage of time, you know? Thanks for this insight! Nice thread

Sage · Mar 18, 2018

I had a nice pen and paper timeline for a story where two characters where progressing at the same time, but called the time different things. So I had two parallel lines to keep track of their events in relation to each other, and also what the date was according to where they were. Another character had his own timeline, but everything for him was in the past. That timeline was simply to keep track of where his events (told out of order) were in relation to each other, not in relation to the other two characters.

I have to admit that an electronic timeline might have been nice if it was more easy to change with revisions. An editor had me do an edit with a major restructure of the novel, so that everything was out of order and some things stretched out, others shortened. The timeline I drew was pretty much moot by the end.

cmhbob · Mar 19, 2018

Sage said:
I have to admit that an electronic timeline might have been nice if it was more easy to change with revisions. An editor had me do an edit with a major restructure of the novel, so that everything was out of order and some things stretched out, others shortened. The timeline I drew was pretty much moot by the end.

That's why I like using Excel. You can sort by the date.

Keeping the timeline straight.

shrimpsdad

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

BethS

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

Enlightened

Always Learning

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Helix

socially distancing

shrimpsdad

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!

indianroads

Wherever I go, there I am.

Lakey

professional dilettante

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

BethS

Hopefully WLCT

mmbmalik

WriteMinded

Derailed

Clovitide

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?