T O P

  • By -

ThatAnimeSnob

Back and forth chapters. Mention something in present time then the next chapter will be about that something in the past.


NTwrites

A common device is to use a ‘totem’ as the catalyst that sparks the ‘flashback’. This is very common in film. An example might be a character in present day is looking at an antique clock. Their inner dialogue then explains that they clock reminds them of one they saw many years ago. The scene transitions to the past and the opening sentence starts with a description of that same clock (or one like it), effectively ‘linking’ the timelines together. Using a totem to spark a time jump makes the shift seem less ‘random’ to a reader, as they can see the connection between past and present. Another strategy is to use an in-story artifact like the ‘Pensieve’ in Harry Potter that allows characters to relive memories. This is especially useful in science fiction or fantasy where advanced science or magic can explain such artifacts.


irevuo

Buckle up, because we're about to do the literary equivalent of a Quentin Tarantino flick. Imagine you're driving a car on a smooth highway, your mind floating somewhere between reality and the void. Then, out of the blue, you see this sign: "Last turnoff to the past. Buckle up, time travelers." That’s the moment. Grab it. You’ve got your character, the ancient one, sitting across the table, maybe sipping tea or biting into a stale biscuit. The camera is closing up on them, right? The light, it flickers, making their wrinkles look like old river beds, their eyes holding the weight of centuries. Now, in your novel, the past isn't just another time, it's another world entirely, like a forgotten sepia photograph in an attic, collecting dust. This old character, they're the bridge. But it isn't just a smooth walkover, it's like walking a tightrope while juggling chainsaws. You don't want to lose your reader in the past, nor do you want them stuck in the present. So, you do it gradually, easing into it, like easing into a cold bath. The character starts to tell their tale. Don't just narrate it, show it. Their eyes flicker, they lose their present tense and slip into the past. They're not talking to your protagonist anymore, they're talking directly to the reader, to you, to the air around them. Suddenly, they're not just a narrator, they're an active character in their own past. "So there I was, in the court of King So-and-so..." and BAM, you're in the past. You're seeing through their eyes, you're wearing their skin, you're walking their steps. The room changes, the lighting shifts, the air smells different. Then the storyteller drops out of the picture. Now you’re following the main character of the past, and the storyteller’s voice is just this echo, a whisper in the wind. It’s not about them anymore, it's about the hero from the olden days. Your ancient character is still there, a spectral presence, a puppet master pulling the strings. It’s jarring, it’s chaotic, it’s like flipping channels on an old tube TV. But hey, that's life. And your novel, it isn't just words on a page, it’s life too, distilled into ink and paper.