Hello, people of HW!

I am currently trying to figure out how to write three years into a novel, without writing three years into a novel or confusing my reader into wondering if it is two years ago or five years passed or two months later possibly a dream, but still in present day. See how confusing that sounds?

To better explain:

I need to skip three years of my story, since nothing monumental happens then, but I need the time to develop the MCs more (I know...it doesn't make sense, but let's just say it does if you know that story. ), but I also don't want to write on of those narrator paragraphs that go something like:



Now, I have written paragraphs like that in my other books, but in this particular book, I don't wanna.

So...what are the alternatives for laying out the three years?
Would it be too confusing to start the chapter like a normal chapter then have a mention somewhere in there that it has been three years?
Can I just start the chapter with three years later... without losing the professionalism of the book?
How would you go about this?

All right. Discuss away.

Bethany Faith

I suggest just labeling each chapter or section with when its action takes place. To make the gap even more obvious, you can also divide your story into parts and begin a new part there. Or you could just say "Three years later, such-and-such happened." Trying to "fast-forward" rather than simply skip forward---that is, briefly summarizing the important events of the three years as you're skipping them---sounds very awkward and info-dump-ish to me; I'd prefer to have those events treated as backstory and worked subtly and gradually into the subsequent story.

I like the idea of having a flashback. Start the chapter as any other, and close to the beginning have something like this:

"Ady smiled, remembering when she had met Jon over three years ago."

Anyways, that's how I would do it. Just make sure the flashback references an event that is fresh in the readers mind, probably somewhere near the end of the previous chapter.

Whereas I would argue strenuously against flashbacks, particularly in the middle of a story; they can work if done extremely well (I'm currently reading The Chequer Board by Nevil Shute, which uses them all over to great effect), but unless you really know what you're doing their primary effect is to put the main story (what the reader is, one hopes, interested in) on hold until the flashback is over.

As you can see from my example the flashback wouldn't put the main story on hold very long. Only about a sentence or two, just to help bring the reader up to speed on the time period.

I like what Inesdar suggested. I think the way I'd go about it, is I'd have the Part II (or III or whatever ) heading, and then continue the story as if there had been no break. Right back in the MC's skin, but perhaps emphasizing the break by showing how she/he has matured in thought and action through dialogue etc.

Anyway, just another idea...