Does your story have "Time Jumps"?

When you read a novel, does it rely on back-and-forth jumps in time?

For example, Chapter One starts in present time. Chapter Two in 2017, Three in 2012, Four back in present time, Five in 2018, and so forth. One example would be "An Overnight Guest" by Heather Gudenkauf.

As a writer, I might feel that a story with time jumps will attract film and TV adaptation. (In the same way, a beginning writer prizes sex scenes in the hope that sex drives sales.)

It is my hope that writers can respect the medium of novels and books. We need to write well for the medium, not reach out for the sensationalist for its own sake.

Time jumps in fiction are confusing, especially in audiobook formats. In the example above, chapters often change time without even alerting the reader. On the other hand, a bookend approach like the one used in Green Mile has real impact, and certainly deserves consideration.

Let's hold to simple chronological time progression and keep our novels on solid ground.

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Publishing New Writers,

April, 2022 (vol. 23, no.4)

Publisher:

Dr. Bruce L. Cook
1407 Getzelman Drive
Elgin, IL 60123

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