by Jae Baeli

Created on: November 27, 2008

Fiction Logistics: Plot Chronology

Cognizant writers who have been through the process of composing a full length novel, gain visceral understanding of certain elements of the writing craft. One of those elements has to do with the Logistics of timing.

This is especially challenging and crucial in novel-length works. Throughout your book, you will have to move your characters from Point A to Point B, and their journey must make sense; they can't be in two places at once, can't be wearing different clothes with no opportunity to change; can't be thinking about something someone said, when they haven't heard it yet, and generally have to follow the chronology you've set up.

For instance, I might need to know how long it would take a person to reach a certain destination, because it is integral to the plot; that character might need to arrive at a certain time, but the time factor has to be rooted in reality. There is a logical time-frame for certain things, and a good writer will endeavor to maintain accuracy in this regard. A sense of timing and a sense of logic is crucial to maintain your writing credibility.

I had an even more complicated version of this in plotting the expansion of on eof my novellas, into a full-length novel. My character, Rachel, a Literature Professor, drove a van, but thrilled to the moments when she was allowed to drive her neighbor's Jaguar. He was an Italian antiquities dealer, and was often out of the country. In return for watching his house and watering his plants and such, he allowed Rachel to drive the car of her dreams. I'll try not to give this portion of the plot away, but there came a time when she had to send her van in to the dealership to get the starter replaced (which also was part of another sub-plot) and she had the Jag for a while, but then got a Miata as a loaner while her van was being repaired. Then there was a timing issue with returning the Jaguar in time for her neighbor's return, returning the Miata to get her van, and then there was another vehicle and another person involved, which I needed to be somewhere ahead of her and then leave, so that the rest would make sense...and it got complicated because I needed these characters to be doing and going and I had to account for how long they had the cars and where they were going and when they'd be back, and why certain events would unfold in a particular way. For a while, I thought I'd never get the kinks worked out. I had to make a mind-mapping chart to figure it

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