by Shari Randall
Writers have to keep so many elements in mind when crafting a story – plot, characterization, dialogue, and setting. We think about pace, clarity, and the sneakiest spots for those red herrings.
Over the course of writing several books, I’ve learned that, for me, there’s another element that needs to be watched carefully - the timeline.
I’m a pantser. I write scenes and pray that they come together coherently when I finish my manuscript. This is why I think about plot and timeline differently. The plot is what happens and the timeline is when it happens. Nothing can pull me out of a story faster than ripples in an author’s timeline.
I recently took an online class where the talented author and writing instructor Jane Cleland interviewed Jonathan Santlofer about his new art thriller, The Lost Van Gogh. Jane asked him about his writing process. Jonathan mentioned that he keeps a detailed timeline – brief notes on each chapter - on a legal pad, taping the pages together into one long sheet. Some students commented that this was quirky, but it’s a quirk that I have embraced because if the timeline doesn’t work, the story doesn’t work.
The start of a new project.
There’s one aspect of the timeline that’s especially important to someone juggling a (hopefully) clever plot with several twists, turns, and surprises. That aspect is this: Who knew what when? When your sleuth questions suspects to gather clues to discover who done it, who-did-what-when is important. So is who-knew-what-when. I also note these details on my timeline.
So Mr. Santlofer and I will be making our 6 foot long timelines. How do you keep track of your timeline?
Shari Randall is the author of the Agatha Award-winning Lobster Shack Mystery series. As Meri Allen, she pens the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series. Her latest book, FATAL FUDGE SWIRL, had one very complicated timeline.
As a reader, those timeline details bug me. I appreciate it when authors work hard to get it right.
ReplyDeleteTimelines are so important. I love the reminder of who knew what when.
ReplyDeleteI needed that reminder for a book I was working on a few years ago. WKWW!
DeleteAck. Timelines drive me crazy. I outline in Scrivener and keep track of the days each scene happens. No matter how meticulous I think I'm being, inevitably something falls apart at some point. In my current WIP, I decided one scene happened too soon, so I had to do a lot of cut-and-pasting and patching of the timeline.
ReplyDeleteMy ultimate timeline challenge was with HELPLESS, in which the action took place in under 24 hours. I kept index cards with the time each scene happened. Down to the minute.
Whew! Under 24 hours! That is a challenge! Thanks for the mention of Scrivener. I have to give it a try.
DeleteI also use Scrivener for early drafts and use it to keep track of the date. I also maintain a spreadsheet that contains information for each scene. On it, I color code the days so I can see how many scenes each day gets. And, when I cut and paste a scene, I immediately know if I've accidentally switched days.
ReplyDeleteSo organized! And it looks like another vote for Scrivener. I must check it out.
DeleteOooh, color coding. I love color coding and haven't done that in timeline in Excel. But I can. Fun!
DeleteI tend to write the rough draft along the timeline, with occasional flashbacks. And since I tend to keep POV to a single character, I have fewer worries about time getting away from me.
ReplyDeleteI make a chapter outline listing each scene, clues, red herrings, twists, and a day by day calendar for the book (usually 2 weeks plus denouement) which tells me where the MC and bad guy are on each day and at what time. If timing is tight I might draw a simple map with walking and driving times noted.
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Margaret.
DeleteI'm a Scrivener user as well and love the corkboard feature for timelines.
ReplyDeleteSix feet! Impressive. I hope he has high ceilings and good eyesight.
ReplyDeleteI keep my timeline on Scrivener cards, but I also transfer it to an Excel spreadsheet. You’ve given me two more columns to corral! The joys of pantsing 😊
I make a timeline in an Excel spreadsheet. I also put a track change comment at the beginning of each chapter saying what day or days it is. If several chapters cover the span of a day, I include time of day. But I love the idea of the six foot scroll of time!
ReplyDeleteI'm a panther and too lazy to do it per chapter, so I use a number line in my head in the beginning ... with a few words jotted on paper. At the end of the first draft, I go through and formally note aspects on the time line to make sure it flows correctly (daytime, year, etc.)
ReplyDeleteIn my last book, I had the date at the beginning of each chapter. Even after reading it several times, I didn’t catch that. I had totally missed a day. That took a bit of rewriting to get it right. So making a timeline and checking it three, four, or five times, makes sense.
ReplyDeleteGrace Topping
I'm a plotter, but I keep track of timelines from the first outline to the last revision. They are pesky buggers, but imperative to get right!
ReplyDelete