Hi all,
I'm currently converting my script in to a novel, which has been quite straightforward except parts of it are based in Victorian times and i'm not sure how best to write them..
The bulk of the story is modern, following the protagonist who finds a diary and discovers a story very similar to her current situation.The diary may or may not influence her decisions which ultimately affect her life (the reader decides). Obviously within a script format both stories are played out the same. The diary story comes in and out when the main character decides to literally pick it up, usually at a poignant moment. I had thought the best way to write the diary story in a novel would be as diary extracts but now I have started I find it very limiting with there being no dialogue. I don't want to limit this secondary story to a diary as it to needs to unfold without knowing too much about the characters feelings. A diary would literally lay them on the table. As the script is finished it would be easier to convert parts of Victorian dialogue in to the novel, as I have with the modern, rather than rewriting it in its entirety.
My question is would there be any problem with my main character picking up the diary and then immediately transitioning in to the new story (with the appropriate time changing header). I can't see any other way of doing it other than running the two timelines, but they do have to be linked, they can't run independently. I am sort of new to the whole book writing world and up to now have just done what feels right, but I really wanted to check on this in case I was committing some sort of horrendous writing crime.
I hope I have made sense and welcome any advice.
Thanks
You could have the modern character pick up the diary and begin to read a section, which you would put in single quotes; something like this:-
As she flipped through the diary a phrase caught her attention: 'He simply cannot understand my point of view...'
Then you could shift into first person POV as the Victorian character, possibly in Italics or a different font, and write the scene as it happens.
Why not 'Show not Tell' by having the person who wrote the diary reveal scenes from the past with dialogue between them and one or more characters. This would be an excellent way to contrast the past with the present, which hopefully will add to the tension and suspense of your novel. Vivid descriptions of the past would also ground your novel in reality by adding depth and atmosphere.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.
Hi Emily,
You could try fading in and out of Second Person point of view. When she picks up the diary the narrative becomes a kind of 'talking to yourself' situation. This way, the protagonist and the time-line stay connected. So for instance, she may be having relationship problems when she picks up the diary and begins to read...'you never did understand Victorian men, they were far too advanced for a woman like you'...you thought you could just