Timelines and World-building

"When I write, I don't dictate the world, I just write what the world tells me is happening."

I say this a LOT. Some people get it, a great amount of others don't. But basically, when I'm stuck in a chapter or feeling 'writer's block' it is generally because I don't know enough about my world in the area I'm needing to write.

This, then, requires a deep dive!

Are you familiar with "theorist communities" on Reddit or YouTube and such? These people take what is presented at face-value in a story, and then delve into all the why's and how's of it. That's pretty much how I work, too. I see the overall story, the larger beats that the world is telling me is happening, the main characters' journeys and growth... But during a writer's block, I have to go far deeper. Even the most NPC of NPCs, I spend time learning their backgrounds and jobs and ambitions...

Basically, I become the theorist for my own stories.

And a BIG part of being a theorist is GETTING THE TIMELINE RIGHT!! When I say you can mess up a story SO fast by missing a tiny beat in a timeline-!!

This is currently what I'm working on now for my Mikal's Child book 1 novel.

Haha if this looks confusing to you, I get it. But I'm making sure to keep my brain in the right time during important events. What I've listed out is only a handful of families in the city where most of the action takes place. But every person is important in their own way. Ripple-effects are major propellors of my novels. Learning what's going on in each person's life lets me know what's about to happen going forward.

I've written out their ages, familial connections, and added tiny indicators to remind me where they currently are at pivotal moments. And this spread here is only the very beginning. Not even half this stuff is going to be mentioned in this book, I'm sure, but it's extremely important for me personally to know.

Every writing style is different, though, and not every story requires this kind of deep-dive tactic. If you have your own style that works for you, I'm happy to hear it!

Hope everyone is doing well!

And may all your days be wondrous~ :)

Chronicler9 - Dani Adams