Timelines

[TexasRunner]

Good evening all. I would be interested in knowing how you all are tracking Timelines in your manuscripts using Storyist. I've tried entering bookmarks for the timelines but they got a bit messed up when I rearranged some chapters. Any suggestions for a more efficient (flexible) way?

 

Thanks,

Alice

[marguerite]

Hi, TexasRunner,

I created a new collection called Timeline and edited the preferences (Control-click or right click on the word Timeline after you create the collection and choose "Edit Timeline Preferences") and set the Contains type to Plot Point.

 

Then I add a new plot point for each time element (months, in my case), put everything in outline mode, and type a general description of what is happening under the name of the month.

 

I have a simple timeline without much overlapping, so that works well for me. Another Storyist user sets up multiple calendars in iCal. You can find a description by searching the forums for iCal (I think--I am not at my computer right now and can't easily check).

Best,

Marguerite

[Steve E]

Good evening all. I would be interested in knowing how you all are tracking Timelines in your manuscripts using Storyist. I've tried entering bookmarks for the timelines but they got a bit messed up when I rearranged some chapters. Any suggestions for a more efficient (flexible) way?

 

Thanks,

Alice

Hi Alice!

When you move Chapters or Sections the bookmarks in them should move as well.

 

My own timeline needs are pretty basic. So until we get an integrated Timeline feature (soon, I hope) I'll continue to use a simple Timeline Note where I simply list dates and times along with chapters and sections and special events. (E.g., July 4, 3000: 3AM: Chapter 3 Section 2: Space Aliens Attack.) In some special cases I also add such comments to Sections in Outline Mode. Such comments automatically show up on the Index cards and the Section sheets.

 

I like to view Time & Event as lists. But the method can be cumbersome when dealing with both objective (plot) timelines and subjective (individual character) timelines. (I still use both even when the story has a first-person narrative.) But the method allows me to use non-fixed time intervals: sometimes years, sometimes seconds.

 

If you're curious about our Timeline discussions, here are some links for you: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3.

 

If you have any new thoughts on the subject, please don't hesitate to tell us about them.

- Thoth

[marguerite]

N. B. You can find the iCal example at Thoth's Link 3, and a more detailed description of my solution at his Link 2.

Best,

M

[TexasRunner]

N. B. You can find the iCal example at Thoth's Link 3, and a more detailed description of my solution at his Link 2.

Best,

M

Many thanks for the ideas. I tried both the iCal (using Google Calendars) and Marguerite's Timeline Collection. The Timeline Collection should work well for my purposes. The action takes place over the period of a couple of weeks. Before I bought Storyist I was using SuperNoteCard which allows you to create categories which can be designated Timeline. When you click on Timeline you get a list of the events in chronological order. That works better in conjunction with Storyist than Google Calendars (and possibly iCal), I think.

 

I would also like to point out that you "Techies" are very lucky to have Marguerite on the Forum to interpret for you. I go into MEGO sometimes because I don't know the lingo yet.

 

Thanks again.

[Steve E]

I would also like to point out that you "Techies" are very lucky to have Marguerite on the Forum to interpret for you. I go into MEGO sometimes because I don't know the lingo yet.

 

Very true. It's easy to slide over into jargon without realizing it.

And, for what it's worth for the rest of you:

MEGO: "My Eyes Glaze Over". Texting shorthand.

NB: "Nota Bene", a Latin expression meaning, literally, "note well" but used to mean "observe carefully" or "take special notice".

 

- Thoth

[marguerite]

And, for what it's worth for the rest of you:

MEGO: "My Eyes Glaze Over". Texting shorthand.

NB: "Nota Bene", a Latin expression meaning, literally, "note well" but used to mean "observe carefully" or "take special notice".

Thoth

Thanks, Thoth. I was wondering what MEGO meant.

 

And thanks, Alice, for the kind words.

Happy to help,

M

[Joolissa]

Another method that might be worth noting for more visually inclined people, such as myself, is to draw your timeline in an image program and then add it to your image collection in Storyist. It may be more useful for an overarching timeline of the main/big events, because of the effort that's needed to edit that type of image, but it could be combined with other methods, such as M's collection, to add more specific events.

 

You could even draw separate sections of your timeline or more than one timeline and then collage together the chapters/sections/characters/etc. that go along with that section of the timeline.

- Jools