Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Writing ABC - T is for Time #MFRWauthor #Writing

T is for time. Most stories take place over days or weeks or months and sometimes for years and generations. Keeping a timeline is important. It isn't fun having an editor or a reader pointing that the hero or heroine is performing two actions miles apart at the same time. Better for the editor to catch the time glitch than a reader.

Keeping a time line schedule can be very useful. Start with the opening scene. When does it begin. Perhaps a Saturday. So you note that on your piece of paper. You also make note of the month. You can even give this a specific date of the month.

As you move the character from scene to scene, make sure you note when the day has changed. Or you could have skipped several days but make sure you note the time lapse in case you want to go back and add a scene. By keeping a record, you can also see if enough time ahs passed between incidents.

So think about your time line as you write the story so your characters aren't performing impossible feats.