SWRT 244 | Weaving Time into Narrative

March 10, 2022

person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

This week, Alida and Kathryn go deeper into the subject of writing time, specifically how to handle chronology in narrative. We have three very short examples that illustrate different methods of structuring your narrative to move the story and reader through time.

Francisco holds us in the present, with her as she writes, while drawing us back into her remembrances.
Sukruangrung uses a scene break to create a clear delineation between in-scene writing and exposition.
McCloy keeps us in the story with her younger self, using very limited narrative interjections to add a little bit of hindsight to her piece.

All of the writings are excellent and each method works equally well. I screen share the texts, so you can read along.

VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

Our first excerpt. (2:15)

Discussion of the first excerpt. (6:05)

The second excerpt. (11:05)

Discussion of the second excerpt. (13:45)

Narrative exposition is not telling. (17:38)

Which was more successful? (20:05)

Our final excerpt. (21:30)

Our discussion about the excerpt. (24:25)

So what do we learn about chronology and narrative? (29:50)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things we mentioned:

Telling by Patricia Weaver Francisco
Talk Thai by Ira Sukrungruang

Want more about these topics? Check out:

SWRT 240 Time
SWRT 169 Oral Storytelling with Molly McCloy part 1
SWRT 170 The Art of Oral Storytelling part 2
SWRT 172 Characters in Memoir
SWRT 173 Character Agency in Memoir

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Two of her short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is the author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series. Alida lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com