Understanding Story Clocks
How Time Well Defined = Page-Turning Success
Welcome to everyone who subscribed in June and Happy 4th of July.
I’ve so much planned over the next few issues, including an interview with a former CIA spy; how to make sense of health resources with a brain health doctor and cookbook author; and an interview with an anthropologist who studies data centers. I promise it’s fascinating. Additionally, I will be introducing a new subscription referral program to thank everyone who has passed on the link to the newsletter.
Stories are the heart of all communication. This month I have a great free book giveaway deal for you thanks to one of writing peeps, Kathryn Dodson. Check it out. While you’re browsing, be sure to pick up a copy of Kathy’s book, La Paloma.
Time is precious in this issue. I’m discussing the importance of story clocks, and time in writing. And as always you’ll find resources to help you along the way.
Happy Canada Day - July 1
Aside from the fact today is the Fourth of July, and I’ve already included too many colors in this issue, happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers.
I had fun celebrating Canada Day with one of my Canadian friends. This event started me on the idea for this issue. Holidays serve as “clocks” and writing about events can ground your reader in a cultural happening or time of year.
Start Your Story!
When talking about a story or a screenplay, there are multiple concepts of time.
Time in history where/when the story takes place
The length of the story duration- 1- hour, 1-week, 1-year, 1-decade, 1-lifetime, etc.
Time to complete a task or meet a deadline. Find the kidnapped child before they are harmed. Find the killer in the next 24-hours. Defuse a bomb before it detonates. Complete a task before a deadline. Survive until the morning light. This use of time creates urgency and conflict, and results in page-turning frequency.
Story clocks are important as they serve as milestones in both fiction and in non-fiction. Consider a reporter working on a candidate profile or investigative piece before an election.
In fiction, it’s essential to introduce a story clock early in the plot. This usually happens near the inciting incident when the main characters’ world has changed and they have to move forward toward a goal or resolution. Without a clock, the reader has no sense of urgency to follow the characters and no idea when the story might end.
Stories with subplots can have several story clocks. Clocks can expire or reset. Story clocks help define the length of a story or book series and speed of action. Clocks are important!
You can download the story clock chart (below) that illustrates many of the ways time and story clocks can be considered in your writing.
Talking about time
Calendars and Timelines
Calendars are useful when developing characters and settings. I advise looking up specific years and learn about popular culture, news of the day, even weather. Check out this site for specific years.
Calendars also help with plot. For instance a romance that takes place in February could include Valentine’s Day.
Remember that there are cultural calendars such as the Chinese Lunar calendar, the Jewish calendar, Hindu calendar, Muslim calendar.
If you are writing a children’s book or YA piece, check out a school calendar if to learn if your characters would be in school or on vacation.
Timelines are also useful writing tools. I frequently referred to these timelines on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to develop the plot and pacing for my novel. This timeline from the Guardian served as my story scaffold.
Urgency
Clocks add urgency to plots. A character fighting against a medical diagnosis may only have months to live and accomplish a life-long goal. Racing to a train/plane/boat to catch a lover, stop a thief.
In my upcoming debut novel, WHERE THE PELICANS ROOST, my main character, Josie needs to perfect a hot sauce recipe before the competition deadline.
“Hoods”
According to Webster, —hood is a noun, a suffix that refers to state: condition; quality:character. When it comes to story clocks, the various hoods we discuss define important periods of time in characters’ lives.
Consider couplehood a period of time when two people are in a relationship. It could be the catalyst to a story or the final happily ever after.
Motherhood/Fatherhood - when a person’s life changes when they have children either biological or adopted.
Times of a person’s life: babyhood, toddlerhood, childhood, etc.
Plot Points
A character accused of a crime can use time as an alibi. They weren’t at the scene of the crime because they were still at work or out of town during the day of the crime. In the book, Where the Crawdad’s Sing, the main character is accused of a murder and the defense uses the bus time table as a defense for the character. I found an alibi application - not sure if this is creepy or useful. I’d love to hear your comments. Like, why would you need this unless you were up to no good?
Society
Societies recognize various social clocks. In the United States people are eligible to vote at 18 and can legally drink at 21. In a courtroom drama, age (time) issue such as age of consent or a character being tried as a juvenile or an adult could be important.
Milestones
“Clocks” mark milestones and milestone are easy to remember. We mentally time stamp births, anniversaries, graduations, and even deaths. While most of our day-to-day activities blend over the years, milestone or lifecycle events stand out. Characters often flashback to specific events and times in their lives as a way to explain something in a story.
Shared Experiences
A new time phenomenon is time pre-COVID and post-COVID. When writing contemporary stories, fiction or non-fiction it is important to consider what society was experiencing. This same shared experience could be applied to sports team winning a championship. I have a shared social time stamp for the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004. When I was growing up, people often talked about where they were when they heard President Kennedy was killed or when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. A contemporary reference would be where were you when the Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2020?
Feelings
People often feel physically and emotionally different throughout the day. Does the early morning alarm induce dread? Does middle of the night insomnia cause anxiety? Does staying up late watching movies bring back memories of childhood sleepovers? How does a deadline make your feel?
Travel
Travel involves many clocks and urgency. Some to consider are jetlag, time zones, the amount of time it takes to move between two points. Refer back to time as an alibi.
Settings
Once upon a time says it all when it comes to fairy tales. Historic novels are deeply invested in a period of history (time.) The time of day, morning or dusk for example could set the mood and setting for a story. A horror story set at lunch is not as ominous (or maybe it’s more) than one that creeps through the shadows at 2:00 a.m.
Time
How characters talk about time or treat time can be important too. Is your character always late or early? Is a drop scheduled for a specific time? Do they nervously check their watch. Do you use the clock on a car dashboard or alarm blaring to indicate time?
How do you use time and clocks in your writing? I’d love to know!
I’ll end this time discussion here and let you return to your day. I hope this issue has you thinking about the importance of time in stories, our culture, and how inserting story clocks is an essential tool for your writing success. Let me know, too if you have any interesting time research links!
Thanks for reading!