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mbarkerWriting Excuses 12.49: Non-Linear Narratives
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/12/03/12-49-non-linear-narratives/
Key Points: Nonlinear structure just means not in chronological order. Flashbacks are a common example of this! Sometimes scenes or viewpoints are taken out of order for an effect. Each piece should be enjoyable and contain its own reward, even if the reader doesn't know where they are in the timeline. Give the reader a reason to keep reading. Sometimes the same scene is shown from different viewpoints. This contrasts the people, and lets you explore the characters. Nonlinear lets you present the pieces in an order that produces the maximum emotional impact on the audience. Nonlinear blends familiar stories with strange order. You can also shake up viewpoint and tense. You really could, can, should, would, might? When you are the hero of a video game, second person is natural. But don't break your sense of the world, your suspension of disbelief. Don't do it just for shock value! Some readers will not like this, will think it is just a dumb gimmick. Shake it up!
( Replay, replay.... )
[Brandon] All right. We are out of time for this episode. Dan, you are going to give us some homework. Let's pause here. Take a note, Dan. When we were talking about books of the week, we may have just collided...
[Howard] We totally forgot…
[Brandon] Yeah, we forgot to get to this. We actually have Dan says look at fan edits of scenes in order from a nonlinear.
[Dan] Oh, okay.
[Brandon] Then, I will just say, that leads us to our homework. Howard will say reorder index cards or something and shake things up.
[Dan] Okay. I'd forgotten.
[Brandon] We are out of time. This leads us to our homework. Dan, you have our homework this time.
[Dan] Yeah. So earlier, I talked about Pulp Fiction, but you can do this with any number of different things. Find a movie like Pulp Fiction or Momento or something, that has a version that's been put in order. With Momento, it's actually on the DVD as an Easter egg. With Pulp Fiction, there's versions on YouTube where all these scenes out of chronological order have been re-edited to be in chronological order. Watch both versions. Then ask yourself, "Why? How does it change? Why did the director choose to put them out of order, instead of chronologically? What does that add to your experience?"
[Brandon] That's really interesting, although it reminds me that we haven't given our homework yet this week. Howard, you were going to give us our homework?
[Howard] Yes. Take something… Taken outline of yours, something that you are writing, and move your outline onto index cards, if you're not already an index card person. Put scenes or chapters or pinches, whatever, on a set of index cards. Then shuffle them out of order and read them in the new order, and pay attention to how your story unfolds now that it has been resequenced by the random hands of chance.
[Brandon] That is great. So now go write, because you're out of excuses, and this has been Writing Excuses.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/12/03/12-49-non-linear-narratives/
Key Points: Nonlinear structure just means not in chronological order. Flashbacks are a common example of this! Sometimes scenes or viewpoints are taken out of order for an effect. Each piece should be enjoyable and contain its own reward, even if the reader doesn't know where they are in the timeline. Give the reader a reason to keep reading. Sometimes the same scene is shown from different viewpoints. This contrasts the people, and lets you explore the characters. Nonlinear lets you present the pieces in an order that produces the maximum emotional impact on the audience. Nonlinear blends familiar stories with strange order. You can also shake up viewpoint and tense. You really could, can, should, would, might? When you are the hero of a video game, second person is natural. But don't break your sense of the world, your suspension of disbelief. Don't do it just for shock value! Some readers will not like this, will think it is just a dumb gimmick. Shake it up!
( Replay, replay.... )
[Brandon] All right. We are out of time for this episode. Dan, you are going to give us some homework. Let's pause here. Take a note, Dan. When we were talking about books of the week, we may have just collided...
[Howard] We totally forgot…
[Brandon] Yeah, we forgot to get to this. We actually have Dan says look at fan edits of scenes in order from a nonlinear.
[Dan] Oh, okay.
[Brandon] Then, I will just say, that leads us to our homework. Howard will say reorder index cards or something and shake things up.
[Dan] Okay. I'd forgotten.
[Brandon] We are out of time. This leads us to our homework. Dan, you have our homework this time.
[Dan] Yeah. So earlier, I talked about Pulp Fiction, but you can do this with any number of different things. Find a movie like Pulp Fiction or Momento or something, that has a version that's been put in order. With Momento, it's actually on the DVD as an Easter egg. With Pulp Fiction, there's versions on YouTube where all these scenes out of chronological order have been re-edited to be in chronological order. Watch both versions. Then ask yourself, "Why? How does it change? Why did the director choose to put them out of order, instead of chronologically? What does that add to your experience?"
[Brandon] That's really interesting, although it reminds me that we haven't given our homework yet this week. Howard, you were going to give us our homework?
[Howard] Yes. Take something… Taken outline of yours, something that you are writing, and move your outline onto index cards, if you're not already an index card person. Put scenes or chapters or pinches, whatever, on a set of index cards. Then shuffle them out of order and read them in the new order, and pay attention to how your story unfolds now that it has been resequenced by the random hands of chance.
[Brandon] That is great. So now go write, because you're out of excuses, and this has been Writing Excuses.
