by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted
Last month, we talked about creating a timeline for your novel. We discussed the questions and items you needed to keep your story on track. Today, we want to continue to help you see the value of developing a solid timeline and how it can help get rid of unnecessary information.
Let me begin by saying that the time span of your novel has nothing to do with the word count. We could write a character’s lifetime in a paragraph. So, remember, your timeline could serve as only one day in the life of your character. That’s fine if all the incidents that happen in the story fit into that day, and you don’t slip up and make something happen the next day. The timeframe of your story is up to you, but the job you have is to make sure everything ties together nicely and no holes form.
The timeline of your story should only have events that are important to the plot. Those rabbit trails we take need to have an important reason for being there. They should be a step forward in the story, not a step backward. Remember, your story should always move forward. If you find yourself stuck in one space of time, tied up in a backstory, the novel comes to a screeching halt, and your reader will grow frustrated. One of the most important questions I learned to ask came from an agent. He said, learn to ask the question, does the reader really care? It’s a harsh question because writers want readers to know every tiny detail. The truth is, when these long backstory sequences enter, the reader doesn’t care. They are caught up in the moment and want to move ahead, not backward.
Having said that, don’t start your story out on the day your character was born. That is, not unless it is really valuable to your story. You’re writing a novel, not a biography, and remember, the question, does the reader really care? So, unless little Tommy was dropped off as an infant on a doorstep and it affects his long-term well-being, it’s probably not going to be something your reader cares about. Just start where Tommy is now.
Timelines will help us remove the pesky backstory. By that token, it becomes a valuable tool in our editing process. The timeline will help you decide how much, if any, backstory is necessary at the beginning of your story. You’ve heard it said that backstory is best dropped in as small tidbits throughout the story. This can truly enhance your work-in-progress because tidbits bring clarity. We don’t need the whole historical account. Part of the fun of reading is being able to use our imagination to fill in the gaps. Don’t take that joy from your reader. Use backstory carefully and strategically.
Backstory can be used as a tool to develop your character. It is things you can use to help you craft why a character is the way they are. Listing these life incidents on a separate sheet of paper is wonderful to help you remember a why or how about a character.
In our first post we briefly noted a question we want a reader to ask at the beginning of every story we write. It’s in the hook we develop. I believe your hook should be in the first paragraph of your story and no further down than the end of the first page. You want your opening paragraph to be so tantalizing that your reader is jolted to ask, “What on earth is going on here?” When a reader has to ask that question, you have piqued the deepest part of their curiosity, and they will read on. They will turn the page and not be able to lay the book down because they must have the answer to that question. Start your timeline, your story, at a moment of crisis, or the reason for your story to begin.
Continue to add angst, action, and problems to your timeline. Perhaps it was a past incident that has come back to haunt our protagonist. Drop it in on the timeline and allow it to move your story forward, being cautious to keep dates and incidents correct in the line. Does it really take hours to move a character three blocks? You must watch for these things and craft them to fit or remove them. How we move our character through time makes reading smooth and seamless. You don’t want your reader to stop mid-stream and flip backward in the story to try and resolve something they thought they missed. Always tie everything together so the read is seamless. The development of those scenes is vital and can make or break your story.
Finally, when you end the story, has your protagonist hit their mark? Did you accomplish what you wanted for this character? Does every incident you wrote tie well into the character, and does it move the story forward? Are the timeframes correct, ages, and incidents all there?
A timeline is more than just dates. It’s the link that holds the rope that threads all through your story. When we reach the end, we should be able to pull that rope, and it gathers into a nice ruffle on a dress. Your timeline will help you edit by showing you repetitive scenes or unnecessary backstory. As you write your story, take time to list the incidents on a separate page. It will be valuable when you begin to write a synopsis for your proposal and will help sharpen and tighten your story.
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