Dual Timeline Narratives are stories that take place in two different times with one story occurring in the present, and then another story occurring in either the past or the future. These stories can seem really engaging because the idea is that they keep the reader guessing what is going to happen next. The simple logic is they will keep reading through the book because they want to know what happens next in both timelines, so switching timelines creates more curiosity. However, how successful is that?
I’ve seen a lot of books that will start by talking about something that happens later in the book to hook the reader, and as far as I can tell, it seems to work well. There are those who aren’t fans of it though, but I do like it since it can make a strong impact (the key word there is “can”, but it doesn’t always do that.). If there is anything that I have learned from having my book Paranormal Frontier: Burning West edited, it is that this can be difficult.
Let me tell you how the story for my novel works. I (the trashy writer) decided that there would be two stories going on in this book. The first story would occur in the spring of 1892, and would be broken up into chapters scattered throughout the book. In this case Chapter 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 contain the story happening in the past with a different cast of characters, except for one named Jack who is present in both stories. The rest of the chapters take place in the Fall of 1892 and begin a couple months after the past story ends.
It is obvious right after you finish the first character that something has happened to Jack, but you don’t know what. It is meant to be a mystery you solve as the novel progresses. Plenty of those past timeline chapters also end in a cliffhanger, so jury's out on how difficult that will be to follow, but I think I do a pretty good job of picking up where things left off and reminding people what happened at the end of the previous chapter in the timeline. That being said, there are usually three chapters in-between each that develop the story in the present. The thing about the story in the past though is that it coincides well with the story in the present, and to separate those two timelines into completely different books would mess with the flow, the intrigue, and the mystery within the present timeline. (Of course, I’m a novice writer so who knows how good it is. I guess we’ll see once someone picks up that drivel).
The problem that could occur in a situation like this though is the reader gets confused, and decides to put down the book because there is too much to keep track of and they can’t remember what happened last. (I’ve had that happen to me in regular books that only take place in a singular timeline, so that can be discouraging). I’ll be honest, it was very discouraging when I realized this. I had my own pity party and everything about how it wasn’t going to be a good book, that I’m not that great of a writer, and that I’d never make it as an author. (Like I said, whiny, pity party). For a moment, I even thought about making it into two books. I could separate the two timelines into different books, but then I’d have one book that was six chapters long, and another book where you already know all of the answers and there are no suprises. I actually use the past and present timelines and flashback as misdirects to create a spectacular surprise for readers as they start approaching the climax that creates one of the most emotional scenes in the book in my opinion (the fact that I cried so much during that scene is why I love it so much).
Unfortunately, I just don’t know if it will have the same impact. I know my story inside and out, so it is easy for me to keep track of things, but I’m not sure if it will be the same for my readers. This is why dual-timeline narratives can be tough (They can be successful, but it's better authors than me who have gotten away with it, and by better I mean more successful, bestsellers, people who make a living doing this.). The way I write Paranormal Frontier: Burning West actually reminds me of the TV show Arrow where in each episode there was a flashback, and each flashback each season told a different story that related to the story in the present. That was what I was going for, but it's hard to tell if I succeeded or not.
Things like this have to be considered though. When writing a dual-timeline story you have to make sure the two timelines flow together well at every stage. They pretty much have to develop at the same pace and connect to each other at almost every turn. It’s also a style of story telling that might not be popular with everyone because it creates confusion and a lot to keep track of. When I first started writing, I thought the dual-timeline thing was an awesome idea, but now, I don’t know. If I’m being honest, my current state of mind makes me wonder if I’m even cut out for this. I want to be a successful writer, but it seems like the longer I press on and the more I learn, the further away my chances seem. I guess only time will tell.
MJ Maddox
Visually Impaired Author
The honest truth for once