forum Non-Linear Plotlines

Started April 07, 2020 by @ITryReallyHard

tune

I'm writing a story with a non-linear plot line (jumps between past and present events). What are everyone's opinions on this concept and can anyone give advice or some tips on how to best write it?

I'm assuming you mean that the story is about equally split between past and present events (not just a main plot with some flashbacks). I have rarely seen this done well, but it can work. Some advice I have:

• Make sure you remember what the characters know and when. Maybe the reader doesn't know something that happens in the past storyline yet, but the characters in the present storyline do, so the way they act should take that information into account.
• Sort things into storylines rather than just having a jumble of random events. Try to distinguish the two (or more, which will be harder) storylines as best you can, and make each sub-story as linear as possible (as in, the first chapter of storyline A should happen chronologically before the second chapter of that same storyline, even though a chapter in between them belongs to storyline B which happens long before both aforementioned chapters). Also, don't put a date at the top of a section and expect the reader to immediately be able to fit it into the timeline of the book.
• Only do this if it's necessary. The storylines should be more or less equally important and definitely should be relevant to each other.
• Maybe remind your readers which previous chapters the current one relates to every once in a while (ex. "[character] was still reeling from [event]"). Don't overdo this, but it can be helpful.

I'm assuming you mean that the story is about equally split between past and present events (not just a main plot with some flashbacks). I have rarely seen this done well, but it can work. Some advice I have:

• Make sure you remember what the characters know and when. Maybe the reader doesn't know something that happens in the past storyline yet, but the characters in the present storyline do, so the way they act should take that information into account.
• Sort things into storylines rather than just having a jumble of random events. Try to distinguish the two (or more, which will be harder) storylines as best you can, and make each sub-story as linear as possible (as in, the first chapter of storyline A should happen chronologically before the second chapter of that same storyline, even though a chapter in between them belongs to storyline B which happens long before both aforementioned chapters). Also, don't put a date at the top of a section and expect the reader to immediately be able to fit it into the timeline of the book.
• Only do this if it's necessary. The storylines should be more or less equally important and definitely should be relevant to each other.
• Maybe remind your readers which previous chapters the current one relates to every once in a while (ex. "[character] was still reeling from [event]"). Don't overdo this, but it can be helpful.

Thank you, these make sense. I feel the need to do it as non-linear so thank you.

No problem!