I used Aeon Timeline for a complex story with two POVs and multiple, concurrent locations. ![]() What tools do you use to track your story’s key events? Setting up a timeline in a spreadsheet is an excellent way of tracking events and creating a visual representation of the timeline. Keeping track of your story can get tricky, especially if you need disparate storylines to come together. Note: To find further instructions for how to filter data in Excel, search the Help for “filter a list of data” then follow the instructions under Filter for specific text. To use the filter, click the drop-down button on the column you want to filter and set up the filter criteria. This allows me to check the continuity of the subplot and verify everything is in order. To set the filter, highlight the column headers and click the Filter icon under the Data menu.Īs an example, if I have multiple subplots, I can use the filter to see only events related to a specific subplot. Filters allow you to show only rows that match the select criteria for that column. I know I will want to analyze by each subplot so once I’ve got some data in the grid, I set a filter across the top of the column headings. Insert rows where you need them and make sure you are consistent with the subplot descriptions. Adding Subplot EventsĪfter listing the major plot events, I add in the events related to any subplots that I may have in the story. Remember, this tool is help keep you on track within your novel. You can include every scene in your timeline or you can only include the significant ones. I want to filter by each plot/subplot and see the corresponding story beat for the event, so I include those as columns. What you include in your columns will depend on how you may want to analyze your timeline. (You can use your preferred spreadsheet tool. Once I have the year (and calendar) picked, I set up my spreadsheet. Note: Understanding time zone differences is important if your characters are traveling in the modern day. The website is a handy tool for viewing calendars and time zones. But to understand when weekends and holidays fall, I need to reference a calendar. I want my book to be relevant for future readers, so I don’t reference actual dates in the novel itself. The first thing to figure out is which calendar year fits my storyline. Coming from a project management background, I love using Gantt charts to display timelines and it’s possible to do that in a spreadsheet. Scrivener is my writing tool of choice, and I organize my Outline view to show dates and other relevant information for each scene. I had to keep all of those juggling balls organized and visible for reference during the story. Each character has a lot going on in their individual lives apart from the interaction they have with each other. The story spans five months with most of the action occurring in the first two weeks and the rest spread out over the remaining timeline. ![]() My current work in progress (WIP) novel is the story of two career professionals with busy schedules. Creating a timeline of key events can help you track your plot lines and wrap everything up nicely. When you have multiple characters and a lot of events going on in your story, it’s easy to lose sight of how those threads tie together.
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