Dual Timelines... Arg

Versailles · Apr 19, 2018

What's the appeal of dual timeline novels? I personally don't like them, and I would think switching back and forth between two distinct story lines takes the reader out of one story, jolts them into another, then pulls them back again, etc.

I'm more of a linear gal, but for the second time my agent is advocating a dual timeline for a book I am working on. The first time he suggested it, I tried it out for some sample chapters and it worked - everyone agreed it made the story stronger - but I want to understand WHY it worked and why it made the story stronger.

I eventually abandoned that book - my heart wasn't in it - and have been working on a new project. This new book takes place over the course of one day and has a lot of backstory and after submitting my first draft, my agent is once again suggesting that because of the amount of backstory, I switch it over to a dual timeline and build the backstory at the same time as the current story / day unfolds.

I'm speaking to him tomorrow and before we talk I'm trying to wrap my head around the appeal of a second timeline - any thoughts or experiences would be helpful! Thanks.

Bufty · Apr 19, 2018

I can't see any issue in a dual timeline so long as the moves from one to the other are clearly conveyed.

JFitchett92 · Apr 19, 2018

Bufty said:
I can't see any issue in a dual timeline so long as the moves from one to the other are clearly conveyed.

Seconded. The only other thing I would stress is relevance. I don't mind stories that hop from one timeline to the next, but not if it's to give me some pointless backstory that has no relevance to the next/previous chapter.

Sam Artisan · Apr 19, 2018

I think part of the appeal of dual timelines is that it can be a bit 'refreshing' to take a break from one part of the story and peek in on another part, similar to switching narrators or main characters for a while. Quite a few of my favorite books have dual timelines, but then again a lot of them also do not! It's all in how you handle it, I suppose.

sideshowdarb · Apr 19, 2018

I have three in my current WIP. One of the things I enjoy most about it is the sense of rhythm moving back and forth creates. The narrative starts to anticipate itself, and impinge on itself, in ways that have been completely unexpected. It's a lot of work, and I worry about readers losing track of certain aspects through the story, but it's fun.

RobertLCollins · Apr 19, 2018

Kristine Kathryn Rusch did something like that in one of her early novels. One chapter would be following one character, then another would follow a second character. It went back and forth like for about half the novel. It's been quite a few years since I re-read it, but I recall the place-names in both timelines were the same, so it was clear the work was taking place in the same world. I won't say much more than that; spoilers.

It's worth trying, but only if you feel comfortable with it. What you could do is copy the manuscript file and try telling the story with dual timelines. Keep the original as-is and see how the alternate draft turns out. You will have essentially rewritten the story. If you're satisfied, then you know it's something you can try. If not, then maybe you need to figure out a better way of handling the backstory material.

MaeZe · Apr 19, 2018

I'm writing a duel timeline because my protagonist's earlier years are part of the story but I wasn't writing about a character from the age of eleven to the age of eighteen. Instead the story is set with her age 17-18 and during the first third of the book there are parallel chapters interlaced from her younger days. I like how it's turned out.

I have no problem with parallel stories as long as it makes sense overall.

Justobuddies · Apr 19, 2018

I'm not usually a fan of dual timelines, but I think it was done to great effect in Scott Lynch's The Gentleman Bastards series. Which follows a single POV character bouncing back and forth between his early life in learning the con man's trade and his adult life. I think it worked well to keep the pace moving, if these would have been told in chronological order it would have felt boring. In a way, the MC had changed enough by adulthood that it was really like having two POV characters, and in long fantasy novels (these are around 200k each) it's necessary to break the POV in order to layer in the subplots.

carrie_ann · Apr 19, 2018

I used two points of view in my con man story too. Though, in my novel the main character is the mark, so it is sometimes important for the reader to know things the mc did not.

DarienW · Apr 19, 2018

I think one of the advantages of the dual time line is that the backstory events can be told in live scenes, rather than being reflected on by the MC in the current story and potentially slowing the narrative.

Like Robert suggested, just try a new draft. Maybe paste all the backstory into one doc and then work them into scenes.

Best of luck with your story!

BethS · Apr 19, 2018

Versailles said:
I'm trying to wrap my head around the appeal of a second timeline - any thoughts or experiences would be helpful!

There are a lot of reasons why a dual storyline/timeline could be advantageous. It can add dimensionality and contrast in any number of ways. One storyline can cast illumination on the other, or that can go both ways. Having two protagonists can give the reader more to worry about. And if one storyline is the backstory, the gradual and timely revelation of information can increase tension even while questions are being answered. I seem to remember Barbara Hambly's Stranger at the Wedding doing this effectively.

Lakey · Apr 20, 2018

There are different things that might be called dual timelines, and I don’t think everyone’s post is talking about the same one - I wonder which the OP has in mind, and whether there are differences between them that might make the OP prefer one to the other. Here are some that I can think of.

Same POV character, two timelines interleaved: Ursula LeGuin’s The Dispossessed does this, alternating chapters between Shevek’s “present” (his visit to the sister planet) on the one hand, and on the other the story of his childhood, youth, and events that led up to the visit to the sister planet. Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale kind of does this too, though it’s a bit more fluid; The Dispossessed has a very rigid (and impressive!) structure. Oh, and A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman does this as well.

Different POV character, two timelines interleaved but set far apart in time: Like A.S. Byatt’s Possession, with one set of characters in Victoria England and another in the modern era. Or, Sarah Waters’s Affinity, though the two timelines are separated only by a couple of years; both are first-person, but with different POV characters, and they alternate chapter to chapter.

Two POV characters, whose interleaved chapters span the same general time frame: This is so common I don’t think I need to come up with examples for it. I wouldn’t really think of this as “dual timelines” but some of the other posts above sound like they might be thinking of this, so I mention it.

Carrie in PA · Apr 20, 2018

Versailles said:
What's the appeal of dual timeline novels? I personally don't like them, and I would think switching back and forth between two distinct story lines takes the reader out of one story, jolts them into another, then pulls them back again, etc.

<snip>

I eventually abandoned that book - my heart wasn't in it - and have been working on a new project. This new book takes place over the course of one day and has a lot of backstory and after submitting my first draft, my agent is once again suggesting that because of the amount of backstory, I switch it over to a dual timeline and build the backstory at the same time as the current story / day unfolds.

Here's a list on Goodreads of Dual Timeline books. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/dual-timeline I've personally read Rachel Hauck's The Writing Desk, The Wedding Dress/Chapel/Shop (they were fantastic), Outlander (although that one isn't strictly dual timeline, to my mind), and all Susanna Kearsley's books (also fabulous).

It's no more jarring than following two POV characters who are in different locations. I think my question would be - can you write a dual timeline book and do it justice? If it's something that you just Do. Not. Like., it's going to be hard to convince yourself it's worth doing. Especially since you've already given it a whirl and abandoned it. On the other hand, it was only one book you abandoned - maybe it wasn't the dual timeline so much as that particular story?

I'd suggest reading a handful of really well done dual timeline books and go from there. If you really dislike them, it's probably better for you to spend your time writing something else. (Dean Koontz's Intensity only covers 24 hours, so it can certainly be done, and done well, without dual timeline.)

Dual Timelines... Arg

Versailles

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

JFitchett92

Sam Artisan

Held captive by angry blue elves.

sideshowdarb

RobertLCollins

MaeZe

Justobuddies

Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!

carrie_ann

DarienW

BethS

Lakey

professional dilettante

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!