Mobile Menu

  • Home
  • About Martha
  • Books
    • Creativity
    • Writing
    • Fiction
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter

  • Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Martha Alderson

Plot Consultant

  • Home
  • About Martha
  • Books
    • Creativity
    • Writing
    • Fiction
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Contact

Jumping in Time in Writing a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay

April 18, 2013 By Martha Alderson

I’ve written extensively about the problems with using flashbacks when writing a novel, memoir, screenplay. Just as jumping backwards in time, jumping forward takes the reader out of the here and now of the cause and effect between scenes and can interfere with their ability to drop deeply into your story.

Watch how often you make substantial time jumps in your story. Jumping in time too often can be disconcerting to the reader. Pace yourself. The tighter your scenes are tied by cause and immediate effect, the closer you keep your reader to your story.

Where’s the best place in your story to make a time jump? At the beginning of the Middle.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Previous Post: « Main Character is Both Protagonist and Antagonist
Next Post: Writing One Prompt at a Time Straight into the Middle of a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter


Shop for Books for Writers and Creatives

plot whisperer resources

Boundless Creativity Workbook

Faced with unprecedented challenges, now is a great time to escape 
into creativity and reconnect with your inner self

Follow Me!

Follow Me on FacebookFollow Me on YouTubeFollow Me on PinterestFollow Me on InstagramFollow Me on LinkedIn

Archives

Recent Posts

  • The Plot Whisperer Returns!
  • How to Create an Elegant Transition
  • Plot Planner as a Story Vision Board
  • 15 Tips to Create a Compelling Plot for Your Story

Footer

About Martha

Martha lives at the beach along the central coast of California and draws inspiration from the surrounding nature. When not at the beach, she writes women’s fiction and is exploring what it means to leave a lasting legacy. [Read More] about About Martha

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter


Follow Me!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on LinkedIn

The secret to having what you want in life is to view all challenges and obstacles through the Universal Story.

Copyright © 2026 Martha Alderson | · Log in | Website by-Askmepc