Thinking prompt #26: PLAYING WITH TIME
Hi Everyone,
I’d like us to think a bit more about how to unleash the possibilities and elasticities of time in our work. Ask yourselves these questions:
Do you largely stick to the same time frame?
Is your story evolving (mostly) chronologically?
Are your flashbacks varied in terms of length—as well as what happens when, where, and with whom?
Do you account for a character’s subjectivity when it comes to time?
Do you ever write flash-forwards? Offer glimpses into the future?
Do you change the rhythm and flow of time in your work?
What about other kinds of time? Time in nature. Unaccountable time. Glacial time. Dream time. Falling in love time. Childhood time. Tragedy time. Concepts of time in different cultures. An infinite moment.
Bringing greater consciousness to your portrayal of time will enrich the patterning and textures of your writing.
Abrazos,
Cristina
Thank you for your questions about varying types of time. Gave me food for thought. I have had to get used to thinking of time in terms of the changes of seasons and the effect on crops. But now that my characters are moving into the city, I will have to reconsider how this shift in time will affect them all. Hadn't considered that yet. Gracias.