What are dual or multiple timeline novels?
Essentially, these are novels which contain two or more separate storylines that alternate, eventually converging in some way by the end. In dual timeline historical novels, past events are woven with contemporary events, and often a mystery is solved, or secrets are uncovered, or a truth is revealed in the process of the story.
Different timelines could revolve around different main characters living in separate times. Or, the same character might feature in both timelines. For example, in my novel Operation Moonlight, there are two timelines: 1944 and 2018. In 1944, Elisabeth Shepherd is recruited as a secret agent with the SOE, and is sent on a perilous mission to Occupied France, where she must kill a fellow agent. In 2018, Elisabeth is now 100 years old, and hiding dark secrets from the war. Elisabeth herself is the main link between these two timelines.
Sometimes, the different plots are separated by physical distance rather than linear time. For instance, two storylines could take place over the same time period, but at different locations, converging by the end of the novel in some way. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is an excellent example of this sort of dual timeline novel.
Good examples of other dual or multi timeline novels include: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner; The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.
Why write a dual or multiple timeline novel?
Whilst it’s not easy to write this sort of multi-strand novel, the rewards are well worth the effort. A multiple timeline novel benefits from an enhanced narrative, with extra depth added to each storyline, resulting in a satisfying overall reading experience. Readers who may enjoy different genres can find more to interest them in a novel comprising different time periods or locations.
As a writer, the task of creating two, shorter length novellas, each with their own distinct characters and plotlines, can help to maintain focus. It also gives you the opportunity to hone your skills in writing from different narrative perspectives.
Dual and multiple timeline novels are highly commercial, and consistently sought by publishers.
So, without further ado, here are some top tips for writing dual or multiple timeline novels:
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Make each timeline as compelling as the next
In essence, you’re asking the reader to follow two (or more) stories at the same time, with perhaps little to connect them, at least at the start of the novel. So you must ensure all storylines grip from the get go.
Make each timeline distinctive
Make sure that each timeline is unique enough, so that the reader is not confused when moving from one narrative strand to another. One possible way to do this is through the use of tenses. For instance, you could use the past tense when writing the past storyline, and switch to present tense for the contemporary storyline. Or, if you want to use the same tense in both timelines, give your characters distinct language patterns, or manners of speech, such as slang for instance, that relate to the time period they live in. By careful use of details, you can create an authentic feel in any timeline.
Connect your timelines through theme
Connections between past and present can work to illuminate a novel’s themes. Such universal themes as love, or redemption, or good versus evil, transcend time periods. People are essentially the same in terms of their emotions, hopes, dreams and so on, no matter what time period they live in.
Don’t let either timeline lag or run away with itself
Be careful not to let either timeline run away from the central core of the story. Equally, be mindful that neither timeline lags behind, as you don’t want the reader to lose interest. The reader must care what happens next in both timelines.
Tease out the tension and suspense
The moments in the story where you cut from one timeline to another must occur at the point of highest tension/suspension, to maintain reader engagement.
Orient your reader with clear transitions
Avoid confusing the reader here – help orient them by making it clear where a transition between timelines is occurring. Something as simple as stating the year at the start of each new chapter can be enough.
Ensure there’s enough conflict in each timeline
Remember, there must be some sort of conflict, or the protagonists must need something, in both timelines. However the story transpires, there must be some significance in the past storyline as well as some sort of relational emotional impact in the other storyline.
Avoid unnecessary padding
Avoid padding out one timeline to match a fuller timeline. Every scene in both timelines must drive the plot forward in some way. Readers will quickly grow bored of redundant scenes.
Consider how the events in one timeline impact the other(s)
Remember that what you choose to reveal in one storyline should shine a light in some way on the other storyline. When storylines affect each other, however tenuously, the overall story becomes stronger. Independently, one storyline should not be considered complete without the other.
Advance and interweave your timelines logically
For two or more timelines to successfully come together, the advancing steps must be rational. The separate narratives that eventually converge must progress logically, for the whole arc of the story to make sense overall.
Louise Morrish is a guest contributor to The History Quill. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight, won the Penguin Random House First Novel Competition and was published by Century in July 2022. A dual-timeline novel set in 1944 and the present, it tells the story of Betty, a 100-year-old woman hiding a dark secret from the war, when she worked as a secret agent for the Special Operations Executive. Find out more about Louise via her website, louisemorrish.com, or Twitter, @LouiseMorrish1.
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