In my current WIP the main characters life spans have been "a bit protracted" as one character describes it. Not quite immortal (far too cliché) but certainly kicking around for a very long time.
Problem is, telling this kind of story means placing scenes and characters in different periods of history and time that are not chronological. I have been struggling a bit to determine the best method to accomplish this. For now, since it is just a rough draft, I headline each new time-scene with the date and place it is happening. I don't know if I want to leave it that way, or find a different way to move through the timeline.
I have read many books that use this method and I didn't feel it was terribly distracting. It perhaps takes a bit more mental effort from the reader than simply hopping on and enjoying the ride however, and I still want to make the story an easy, fun read.
Oh, and just to make things more complicated, the scenes are never sequential. The main character suffers memory loss and the time jumps tell his back tale in the dreams, recollections, and histories of other characters.
Any thoughts on ways to do this effectively?
Terrific input all! Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Always helpful and always appreciated.
It sounds like "Holes" might be a very similar work. I will look it up and have a read.
Mark, I love the idea of instilling confusion in the reader. I may take a closer look at that concept and see if I can work it in.
Lorraine, you have a terrific way of reminding those to whom you respond of what is really important. Just write!
The characters in my head have a nasty way of doing things and becoming people that I never intended. On a good day, I sort of sit there and watch as my fingers tip-tap the keyboard while the people on the page grow wildly out of control. On the other days, I sit there, reading and re-reading every line and agonizing over how the heck to work all of this new material into my storyline!
The odd part is, all the things that happen when the characters take over is FAR better than the things I force them to do.
But I digress.
I'm not sure how much it will help, but try reading Holes by Louis Sachar, since it covers 3 different times periods, (Although they place within the same 100 years I think). But it goes from the main story set in present day, but then has two back stories, one about his family, six generations in the pass and how they became unlucky. And the other one about a small US town about how the only teacher turn to the life of crime because the town folk killed her lover who was a black man.
The way this book is written is that it just skips from one time point to the next, so many you can do something like that?
I can't see a problem with flashbacks that are dated according to the events portrayed, Timothy, so long as there isn't a constant zig-zagging backwards and forwards.
One thing is to make sure that the dates are clear on the page: a different font, or a small image to go with each particular time, perhaps, just to tell the reader what's happening.
Some authors use a different font for short flashback scenes, but this could be really off-putting in longer pieces.
I'd say, write the thing the way you've described, and get the story nailed down. Then see how much is told in flashback, and how many different dates are required. When you've got to that point, you'll be able to decide what works on paper - this is almost as much a visual thing as conceptual for the reader.