Hot writing tips from an editor #1

A common quirk in fiction writing is what I call a timeline nudge.

Not doubting that you could offer an accurate guess, a timeline nudge is when a writer uses adverbs like ‘now’, ‘then’, ‘before’, and ‘next’ to clarify the order of events in their narrative.

As an (unartful) example:

‘Next, the hooded figure crosses the room. Then, as though made of smoke, it vanishes.’

In a story told on a linear timeline – start to finish in a typical and singular direction – there is usually no need to say when things happen, just that they happen. The reason being that, in a linear narrative, the order of events is naturally inferred.

Explaining something that otherwise comes naturally to a reader is a surefire way to make them feel untrusted by the writer, or else that the writer is uncertain that they have communicated clearly to the reader without explicit clarification.

And while clear explanation can sometimes be crucial, it often is not.

Telling the reader that something happens ‘before’ something else can even disrupt the perceived timeline and make the narrative confusing.

To continue the above example:

‘Next, the hooded figure crosses the room. Then, as though made of smoke, it vanishes. Before this, the figure was sitting at a table hardly a metre away. Now, it is my turn to leave.’

Explanations like this risk reminding the reader they are reading rather than experiencing, which will break their immersion and dispel the magic of storytelling. This can be different to voice, and different rules apply to a flashback (for example), but more on this another time.

The same example, without timeline nudges:

‘Hardly a metre away from me sits a hooded figure. It rises, crosses the room and, as though made of smoke, vanishes. This is my cue to leave.‘