Comments on: The Efficient Writer: Using Timelines to Organize Story Details

By: Writing Tools Every Hard Working Writer Or Author Needs

Writing Tools Every Hard Working Writer Or Author Needs — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 10:22:06 +0000

[…] It should have the facility to keep notes about your characters, events and track your story timeline. […]

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Mon, 28 May 2018 17:50:18 +0000

In reply to Hitesh Sahni. I hope you find it helpful. i think with the right tools we can shave off so much of the learning curve because we learn to write fiction faster and stronger right out the gate. Thanks for leaving a comment! :)

By: Hitesh Sahni

Hitesh Sahni — Mon, 28 May 2018 07:24:31 +0000

Hey Angela, what an awesome idea. In the stories that I’ve worked on, I’ve always had a feeling of a huge gap between the research and the first draft.

This software sums up the issues and provides a fantastic solution that will help me organize my ideas tremendously.

It makes so much more sense to layout the information as such and build visual around it than box everything and then attempt to fill the draft at the whims of the structure.

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:14:21 +0000

In reply to Mark Marderosian.

Yes very similar. I like the ability to switch scenes around also. The first time I did it was with physical note cards, but this is so much handier. 🙂 But I do know what you mean about the tactile component–I feel that way about resource writing craft books. I am able to digest the teachings more by holding the book and marking a spot if need be, but it isn’t the same with an ecopy.

By: Mark Marderosian

Mark Marderosian — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 21:18:04 +0000

Great article. The software is similar to storyboards. From my background as an animator, when doing the timeline, I wrote out blurbs of the scenes on about 50 note cards with slight detail. And then tacked them to wall so the whole story was in front of me at once. This way I could get a sense of the pacing flow too. Most important for me was being able to switch scenes around if needed. Being able to do this physically with actual tactile paper made me think through the decisions with more depth, but that’s me.
Thanks again and glad I discovered your site!

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 15:05:39 +0000

In reply to :Donna. That's perfect Donna! I definitely love the versatility of using them. :)

By: :Donna

:Donna — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 14:13:51 +0000

Timelines is definitely my preference! It helps everything, I think 🙂 Plotting, pacing, character arc, etc. I have software that—when I finally get to writing my novels—has a timeline feature 🙂

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 01:01:03 +0000

In reply to Debbie Erickson. I agree, it is so worth it. I am so glad I have evolved my writing to include more up front planning. :)

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 01:00:30 +0000

In reply to Jarm Del Boccio. I hope you find it as helpful as I have! The possibilities are endless. :)

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:59:59 +0000

In reply to Sharon M Hart.

Hi Sharon! I am like you–I keep everything. But this is why timelines I think is so vital for me–it will help me organize those details I just can’t lose track of. Happy you found the article helpful. 🙂

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:53:18 +0000

In reply to H L Wegley.

Holy cow–that sounds like a huge challenge–good for you!

By: H L Wegley

H L Wegley — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 22:51:17 +0000

I once created a sequence of action scenes where timing of events had to be accurate, often down to the second, for about 2 hours. I couldn’t have done that without a timeline.