WRITE-BYTES

CHRONOLOGY and THE WRITER You can either go to my website to read or I’ve included the whole byte for your convenience, just below. ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼
www.lindasgunther.com

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WRITE-BYTES 
May 19, 2023 - #36 - 
Chronology and the Writer

Once upon a time, there was a writer who messed with chronology. Her chapters were out of sequence and did not follow a timeline. She went back and forth between decades in her story. Did she have readers? And even if she had readers, could they follow along when she flip-flopped events out of order, using a nonlinear structure?

Writing coaches warn developing writers not to screw with chronology. In other words, to write the story sequentially from the beginning to the middle, and then to the end. Follow the timeline of how events and situations unfold, as they do in real life. “Jumping back and forth in a story is like opening a can of worms,” I’ve heard a coach say. “It gets out of hand real fast, and readers may be left confused and perhaps even feel annoyed at the author.”

When readers experience a logical sequence of events in a story, they become instantly engaged, can follow along with the action as it happens, and then are positioned to predict and imagine possible outcomes. Readers may be unable to make sense of what appears to be merely the narrator’s “stream of consciousness” vs. skilled plot building and character development that evolves over a specific and sequential period of time.

Are there celebrated authors out there who actually write in a nonlinear manner? The answer is yes, but this method is tricky and complex. Writers who have had success messing with chronology include some of the “greats,” like Joseph Heller (Catch-22), Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five), Stephen King (It), Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights), and William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury). Outstanding writers! But without a doubt, it’s hard to do.

One of the more recent and “incredible” nonlinear works includes Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction which is composed of scenes which are completely out of order in terms of a time sequence. Of course, that was due to the mesmerizing talent of Tarantino as filmmaker. A genius! There are likely a lot more screenwriters than authors that are able to sail to the top using a nonlinear approach. This seems to be especially more prevalent in the world of Indie films vs. in the realm of literature.

When writing a novel, an author might choose a nonlinear path because it allows the exploration of more than one idea at a time. Exciting scenes may be easier to create using a nonlinear approach than when you’re following a sequential timeline. I don’t know if I believe that but I’ve heard this said.

For most authors, the linear road is a safe bet and from the start of the story promises to engage the reader in the protagonist’s journey. And even though writing in a predominantly linear fashion, the author can include flashbacks or a scene that takes place in the future, equivalent to a flashforward. In fact, some writers start a story with a scene that occurs at the very end of the story’s timeline, and then bounces back to the beginning of the story. That technique could work very well. In this case, at the end of the book, readers experience the first chapter all over again but with a forward moving energy. 

I find this topic fascinating. In my writing, I generally use a linear approach. I don’t mess much with chronology. However, I have started a few short stories with the “end” of the story and then travel back to the “beginning” of the tale and finally end up at the end of the story again.

The writer’s playground holds a wonderland of choices. Trying a new approach to a story’s structure can lead to creative brainstorming and to scenes that you would never dream up if you’d strictly taken a linear approach. I’m going to keep that in mind as I create new work.

Highlights in bold italic above capture the core of this blog post!

Stay tuned for next week. Look for this BLOG every FRIDAY which will l be posted at 9 a.m.

Next week’s WRITE-BYTES post will be titled PLANTING CLUES IN THE MYSTERY OR SUSPENSE NOVEL.

By Linda S. Gunther,

Linda S. Gunther has written six romantic suspense novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, Dream Beach, and most recently published, Death Is A Great Disguiser. Ms. Gunther’s short stories and essays have been published in several literary journals.