A book that I thought was done came back from my publisher’s copy editor. There were the usual corrections; commas, contractions, word repetitions, inept grammar, and the occasional internal confusion. There was also something very much more serious: I had messed up the plot’s time sequence.
Ordinarily that might not matter so much, but in this book, time is vital. In one sense, the book is a thriller, insofar as my protagonist, as they say, is racing against time to save his own life. So when it was pointed out that I had quite confused my timing of events, that was, to put it mildly, a catastrophe.
You might think the copy editor would say, “Here is the glitch.” It did not happen. All that was said was, “This can’t happen this way.” What’s more, the book has a complex plot.
Therefore, what was required was a careful work-through of the manuscript, with a calendar in hand, checking the plot, event by event, hour by hour, and day by day. In time, so to speak, I found it: I had dropped two weeks. How? I have no idea. But, once found, adjustments were relatively easy.
That said, the sequence of time in a plot is really vital, and it can make a subtle if not huge difference. It is all too easy to forget such and such an action will take time to happen, or not to happen. Moreover—readers will notice. Adept use of time is a crucial fiction writer’s task.
So—next time I write a book like this one, I will post a remark made by Albert Einstein over my desk: “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”
In short, when you think seriously about your next plot, remember—It’s about time.
3 thoughts on “Time sequencing”
As a reviewer this is one element that I struggle to point out when it doesn’t work. When it does, you barely notice and just say fast-paced and believable. But when it is off and things are not working, it’s very hard to put that succinctly and still give all the other elements a fair shake in a 250 word review. It’s true that readers will be jolted, but some won’t mind very much if the rest is engaging, but others will stop dead and put the book down. This just reminds me that book reviews are too short and we rarely have the time to really give a book it’s full due.
Moreover, most short reviews are taken up plot description. Rarely do they mention ideas or themes that are strong (or not strong) in a book.
We need more options for longer reviews. I know that is unlikely to happen, and I think it is part of the blog revolution. Reviewers who do consistently write blog reviews can take the time needed. My nitpicky old school mind though objects to the fact that these are pick and choose reviews. I’ve just reviewed a book I thoughts was exceptionally well put together and entertaining. I had 230 words to use and while I hope I conveyed a sense of what it was, what I appreciated about the book and who the reader might be– there was no space to go into any depth. This is likely to be ignored by most bloggers– no big name attached. How do we give each book it’s fair shake at the audience it could have with only 250 words? Or 230 as the case may be.