Whoa Writing: Time-Bound Stories
From time to time, I like to reflect on lessons learned from reading through the 350–400 submissions we receive each year. There are patterns that emerge that offer guidance for writers looking to make their writing stand out. This periodic series of posts shares observations based on these experiences.
When I teach writing, I discuss human beings as storytellers. Our memories of the past, our prognostications for the future, and our search for meaning transform our three dimensional world into a four dimensional one. “Post hoc, ergo propter hoc” may be a logical fallacy when used as the sole basis for reasoning, but storytelling is universal. Trying to figure out how events unfold to create an ending from a beginning is something we do every day.
When it comes to writing, writers can harness this desire for narrative by time-bounding their stories. Give the reader expectations and specifics for when a story begins and when it ends. Here are three ways this helps writing stand out.
1. A time bound story can build suspense and stakes through time alone.
Think of your favorite time bound stories. Perhaps the Harry Potter series, with each book set over a school year, beginning and ending with Harry with the Dursleys? As the story unfolds, we know resolution is coming. A book’s physical form cues us to the end, but for the characters, time running out on the story builds suspense within the narrative as well. “There’s only X number of days until they need to solve a puzzle, or achieve a goal, or reconcile a friendship…” The anticipation (and sometimes desperation) of the characters facing the end connects to the reader’s own anticipation of an exciting ending. What more could we ask for in a book!
2. A time bound story enables better plotting.
Some form of limitations in decision-making increases creativity, and a writer with a time bound book must craft the story in advance to align resolution with the end of the book. The start is set. The denouement defined. Now what will the big, juicy middle contain?
Contrast this with books with no necessary endpoint. The reader becomes a castaway watching a beautiful sunset. No matter how wonderful the view, the sense of uncertainty surrounding the experience becomes a nagging worry that keeps them from fully investing.
3. A time bound story guides character growth and development.
Plotting the story is vital, and plotting a character arc is important too. The same benefits apply with character arcs. We expect to see a character change over time. A time bound story gives us opportunities to see change at the beginning and end, perhaps through bookending scenes that see the character making a different choice the second time around.
Without time bounding, a manuscript can lose its way, with the reader asking, “Where are we in the story? Where are we going? And why does it matter?” This is perhaps more likely with a casual reader who wishes to be entertained, rather than a critical reader looking for something deeper. The beautiful thing about a time bound story is that the writer can serve both readers! The casual reader has markers that help them understand the moment in the story and their journey through it as a reader. The critical reader can appreciate the plotting and characterization choices.
With a time bound story, no one gets lost. We storytellers have crafted a perfect four-dimensional world in which knowing when we start and end aids readers in immersing themselves and enjoying the storytelling craft.
Do you have a favorite time bound story? In your writing, are there times you’ve been specific about when the story starts and ends? Or times where you let it unspool without thinking about the time that elapses? Share your thoughts in the comments!