Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [timelines]

This tag should be used for questions about timelines in written works, such as problems with aligning different timelines because of different PoV's or time-travelling.

This tag should be used for questions about timelines in written works, such as problems with aligning different timelines because of different PoV's or time-travelling.

When you want to ask a question about how you have to set or keep track of the timeline in a written work you should state your medium, such as a or a or even a , as well as the genre, such as or . In the question you should list what you have tried and researched and why you think it didn't or wouldn't work, as well as criteria for what you want to achieve.

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Referring to different instances of the same character in time travel

I am writing a story that involves time travel, and I have a chapter where a character from the future interacts with his present-day self. This chapter is written from the present-day self's POV. Early feedback on the chapter indicates that I'm not…
Tempo Mental
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How to not confuse readers with simultaneous events?

In an omniscient third person, I have 8 (practically unrelated) events going simultaneously in different parts of a large mansion. I want to present these events as they happen, but I feel jumping around every two sentences is bound to cause…
Weckar E.
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How to continually and organically let my readers know what time it is in my story?

My novel takes place in a big world, with MANY POVs. Although I know when things are happening, I am afraid my reader doesn't know, due to the aforementioned fact. I do not want my reader to be confused, and become unfocused on the story because…
A. Kvåle
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How do I make it so my story happens in an ambiguous time frame?

Nothing extreme, of course. No mentions of futuristic time-traveling gadgets or teleportation or the like. Or, conversely, nothing that smacks of medieval times or anything that immediately causes a reader to connect the dots. I want my story to be…
Jack Rabbit
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How important is it for multiple POVs to run chronologically?

The way I am currently designing a story with three distinct POVs. An issue I am running into, however, is that one of these has much more to do in the first third than the other two while having less to do later. Because of this, I am considering…
Weckar E.
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How can I hide a second narrative within my story? (using time travel)

I've been planning a story that follows two characters. At the end, one character (let's call him Joe) goes back in time and appears at the start of the book. I intend to explore themes of determinism vs free will throughout the story. On the first…
Aric
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Is there a software for story writing with detailed character files and an interactive timeline? (other then aeon timeline and scrivener)

I'm looking for a writing software that's user friendly and doesn't require endless tutorials to figure out. Plotist seems to be a good start, but their timeline is too simple and doesn't even have actual date or time on it... Also there character…
Nora De Weyer
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Is a sequel allowed to start before the end of the first book?

I'm writing 2 stories simultaneously. The first one spans 17 years. The second picks up where the first left off... but only about 25% of the way in. The sequel seems to work best if I introduce the new characters about 5 years before the end of…
user36961
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How should I deal with travel time in fantasy?

I suppose this is more of a question of if its even necessary, but I'll just assume it is. I am currently writing an outline for a fantasy story, and I don't know how to deal with distance. It's unrealistic to assume that all the towns are super…
M.Wallace
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How to write an occupation/career that I don't know?

English is not my first language. I feel the obvious answer is just research, but I'm talking about very specific jobs in a different timeline. My main character is from Colombia 1950s and is an assistant/son of a tailor. It's just part of his life,…
AmateurWriter
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Presenting unrelated or vaguely-related stories in a setting in backwards chronological order by epoch?

I'm thinking of a science-fiction or science-fantasy setting wherein modern humanity colonizes a new homeworld in a classical star system, bombs themselves back to a Neolithic technology level, and progresses back to a second space age with no…
Rúnatál Davino
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Set multiple Trilogies in the same timeline?

I'm in the writing stage of my first book, which is to be the first of three books which are all part of, let's say, Trilogy A. I'm planning on writing two more Trilogies (B and C) which all start and end at the same time as Trilogy A. My Question:…
Adi219
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How do I make a book or series of books that take place in three different centuries make sense and flow appropriately?

I have a vast series of scenes, characters, and stories coming together in my head, which I have yet to transcribe to an actual story on paper. I have notes, and many of them, but I cannot seem to connect the time periods without seeming too cliche…
Caitlyn
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How can I condense the setup of my story?

I've been working on a story that follows the progression of a couple. The two were arranged to marry as young children, and meet again in their teens. I've been using quite a few time skips to shorten the period where they're first getting to know…
Holly Harper
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Reminding the reader that while characters are out of the spotlight - they are still contributing to the story

Today I have a question about writing a long period of elapsed time. I have three main characters who each get their own chapters from their POV. Two of those three characters do not need much attention in my book for some time. I'm talking about…
user11111111111
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