Planning To Write A Novel? Part Three - TIME

I’ve been doing a 3-part series on the building blocks for writing a novel: People, Place and Time. In my last blog, I took a look at the all-important Place. Where is this novel set? This detail is going to add so much to who your protagonists are, and who they become. Place has an important influence on how people see and experience the world around them.

But let’s take a look at Time. This too is a critical building block because it will not only shape your story, it could potentially require a lot of you. If you have decided to set your novel in the past, or future, you’re going to have to hunker down over some research to make sure you’re getting your facts right. Yes, fiction is, well, fiction, but you still should adhere to a level of accuracy when writing about a particular place in time. So, how do you decide when to set your novel? I’ve got three thoughts.

How Will Time Affect Your Story?

For writers like Phillip K. Dick who wrote “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” the time factor is critical to his story. The inspiration for the film “Blade Runner,” the book is set in the future. This dystopian tale looks at the ethics surrounding the treatment of machines - namely, what does it mean to be human, and should machines be given the same care and civil rights? Setting his novel in the future gave Dick the latitude to create his own world and worldview. His story would have been less potent, with more constraints, if he had set it in the late 60s when he wrote the novel. In this case, Time plays a significant role in making a genius story really work. When considering Time, consider how it will impact the story you want to tell.

How Will Time Affect Your Protagonist?

I know this isn’t perfectly possible, but when I start conjuring up a story I try to think about all three building blocks at once. But if I had to choose, I’d start with my protagonist, and I’d let them help me understand not only where they live, but in what era. It’s obvious if I create a story in New York City versus Miami my protagonist is going to have a different approach to life. But the difference becomes much greater if the story isn’t set in the current time. For instance, Miami in 1900 had approximately 2000 residents. By contrast, New York had 3.4 million. If I wanted to write about a young woman living in Miami in 1900 her life would look vastly different from a girl who called New York City home. 

Will Time Carry the Weight of a Character?

Ok, there are lots of great time travel books out there, portals into other worlds. Stephen King took us on a fun ride in his book “11/22/63,” imagining what the world would have become if JFK hadn’t been assassinated. Or, Jack Finney’s book “Time And Again,” shared fascinating details of what it would be like for someone living in modern times to travel back to New York City of the 19th century. What’s so powerful about the time in which these books are set is how we become voyeurs, along with the protagonist, into a bygone era. We can experience the joy and delight of discovering life in another time, right along with them. Time becomes a character unto itself.

Time, it’s such an important part of the story you’re telling. Be sure to consider all the ways in which it can impact your novel. And don’t forget, if you’re going to set your book in the past or future, you’ll have some research to do!