Timelines as an effective planning method?

[KLCK]

So some people like to make outlines or general summaries of what there stories are going to be about both for reference and for brainstorming. I have been trying to write a long story for a while but I usually get bored of the idea, so instead of trying to fit the entire universe of my story into a grand, large story itself, I compress it into timeline form and instead write short stories taken from little parts of the timeline. I don't think I will ever be able to finish some of my large stories. The furthest I have ever got was on the forth chapter with 34 or 35 pages written for stories I planned on being 16 chapters.

Obviously I need to take smaller bites! What do you guys/gals think of my timeline concept? Describe the epic universe in simple form, then slowly fill in small spots until yo get bored. Then theres something finished at least and you can jump in at any time to write another short story.

 

[oggbashan]

It can be a useful aid but I tend to produce a timeline once I have started a series of stories. It helps to sort out inconsistencies.

In most cases I never intended to start a series. They just happen except for my Flawed Red Silk series written in one month as a NaNoWriMo project.

C S Lewis with his Chronicles of Narnia didn't start with a timeline but had to produce one because Narnian time and English time were proceeding at wildly different rates.

Og

 

[jomar]

I've been reading Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. The series has about 15 or 20 books and spans about 20 years. He wrote them out of chronological order but the books reference earlier happenings that he later wrote about. The author clearly had some details mapped out before he started writing.

As Og said, a useful tool in some circumstances.

 

[KLCK]

Wow, I don't think my A.D.D. would allow me to write several whole books set in one period. I am having a hell of a time getting to 40 pages before I stamp the series "in hiatus" and move on. Does greater patience with a single idea come at a greater age in the authors life or does one single core idea eventually expand itself and pre-occupy the authors mind after a period of years of development? I was thinking that maturity would have something to do with it but then I see the books by Christopher Paolini and see that he was only 15 or 16 when he finished his first book.

So basically what I am trying to say is, would starting with a timeline be good instead of developing one over time? This way I could just write an event and then create a story for it instead of vice-versa.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Kind of depends on the time scale you're trying to cover in the first place. If you're doing a series that covers centuries or generations or even tens of years, then I'd say a timeline is essential. Time itself is a character in the story. It's also essential if you're interweaving multiple stories and have to keep track of who's where when.

However, if you're writing a novel that just covers one character's adventures, that story itself serves as its own timeline.

I've used the serial technique for writing novels here on Lit. In that, each chapter is a story, pretty much able to stand on its own, like the old movie serials. I'd post them to Lit as they're written and get votes and feedback on each one (which keeps me motivated), and after a while I have a novel out of it. They work especially well for sex stories, where each chapter is another sexual encounter.

 

[oggbashan]

It may be that all you need is to be AWARE of the timeline.

Drafting a formal timeline might help in the writing process, particularly if you are intending to use flashbacks, or might want to write prequels and sequels at a later date.

I had some trouble defining the timeline for my Silverbridge Chronicles because I didn't start a timeline until I'd written about six stories. Some of the stories take place out of the main sequence, involving minor characters, but I had to know where in the overall plan those stories fitted. Obviously I couldn't refer to the marriage of X and Y in a story if that marriage hadn't yet taken place.

However, planning, plotting, timelines, character resumes etc. can divert an author from the real task which is telling a story. They are aids. They shouldn't be time-wasting exercises that stop you from writing the story.

Og

 

[KLCK]

The current universe I am playing with has a timeline spanning thousands of years from our time to mellenium into the future. Its sort of a blend of sci-fi and fantasy.

One thing though is that I LOVE timelines. I actually enjoy reading them. So mayve I am jsut doing it for myself.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

The current universe I am playing with has a timeline spanning thousands of years from our time to mellenium into the future. Its sort of a blend of sci-fi and fantasy.

One thing though is that I LOVE timelines. I actually enjoy reading them. So mayve I am jsut doing it for myself.

Yeah, you have to watch out for those kinds of gimmicks taking over, like writing bios for your characters, or family trees, or big tables of likes and dislikes. They can be fun and keep you from actually writing your story.