Creating Simple Timelines by Paige Tyler
When it comes to writing my stories, I always tried to put together an outline to work from. For most of my previous stuff, that outline was typically nothing more than a Word document in which I write out individual paragraphs to cover each big sequence in the book, then separate the paragraphs with asterisks. It was a simple method to come up with a beginning, a middle, and an end to the story, then add in a few pertinent details in between as needed.
But when I started writing the first book in my X-OPS Series called HER PERFECT MATE, I started to run into problems keeping plotlines and character interaction straight. My story idea was too complex to simply write out in a single Word document, so I needed a better system.
You see, the X-OPS Series involves a special covert organization called the Department of Covert Operations—DCO for short—buried so deep within the Department of Homeland Security that few people know about it, not even those in our own government. The series is supported with a decade of backstory that gets us to the point where the current books are occurring. The reader doesn’t get hit with all that stuff, of course, but I had to create the events and timelines necessary to get a feel for how the DCO came about.
Plus, while each book has its own hero and heroine (with their own individual adventures that required me to lay out a day-by-day chain of events in some cases), there are also multiple secondary characters being introduced in each book. I needed to be able to keep track all the little events that were occurring with them in each book because those things would support their individual stories later on. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a series of larger plot arcs that span three or four books at a time. I needed to be able to keep a track on them as well.
This all meant that I needed to have some kind of flexible timeline system that would allow me to really get down into the weeds in some parts of a the story (what time does the hero have to finish up in one part of town if he has to be somewhere else before the bars close at midnight, for example) while also letting me track big events that span from one book to the next.
Let me also say at this point, I wasn’t really keen to go out and buy some kind of fancy planning software that would cost me money and force me to take time learning it.
My final solution was simple. I went with something I already knew—Excel Spreadsheet.
It was already on my computer as part of the Microsoft Office Suite, it’s a simple program (i.e., I knew how to use it), and it’s flexible as all get out. Below I’ll use a couple peaks at the second book in the X-OPS Series—HER LONE WOLF (releasing November 4th but already available for pre-order!) to highlight exactly how I used Excel to help me keep the story straight.
In the first snapshot, I show how I made a few simple boxes to form a timeline of major events. The great thing here is that if I suddenly decide to add some kind of detail in between two boxes, all I have to do is add a couple of columns. If I need a bigger box, I can do that, too.
In the snapshot below, I show how you can get more detailed if you need to, including parts of the timeline that are “backstory” vs being part of the “Current Story Line.” I could even break up the timeline, showing which events happen on Friday, for example, and which events happen on Saturday.
This is just a brief look at how I used Excel to create a simple timeline to help keep the story straight. I couldn’t show you too much of course—might give away too many secrets!!!
But I hope my idea helps some other writers out.
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Let’s take a look at Paige’s upcoming books:
HER LONE WOLF (X-OPS 2)
HER LONE WOLF releases Nov 4th from Sourcebooks in ebook and paperback, but is already available for pre-order from Amazon and B&N!
Leaving him was Impossible…
It took everything she had for FBI Special Agent Danica Beckett to walk away from the man she loved. But if she wants to save his life, she has to keep her distance. Now, with a killer on the loose and the stakes higher than ever before, the Department of Covert Ops is forcing these former lovers into an uneasy alliance…whether they like it or not.
Seeing her again is even worse…
The last thing Clayne Buchanan wants is to be shackled to the woman who broke his heart. She gets under his skin in a way no one ever has and makes him want things he has no right to anymore. All he has to do is suffer through this case and he can be free of her for good. But when Clayne finds out why Danica left in the first place, everything he’s tried to bury comes roaring back—and there’s no way this wolf shifter is letting her get away this time.
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You can also check out HER PERFECT MATE (X-OPS 1) here!
Buy HER PERFECT MATE here! Amazon | B&N | ARe | iTunes | Sourcebooks
He’s a High-Octane Special Ops Pro
When Special Forces Captain Landon Donovan is chosen for an assignment with the Department of Covert Operations, he’s stunned to find his new partner is a beautiful woman who looks like she couldn’t hurt a fly, never mind take down a terrorist.
She’s No Kitten
Ivy Halliwell isn’t your average covert op. She’s a feline shifter, and more dangerous than she looks. Her feline DNA means she can literally bring out the claws when things get dicey. She’s worked with a string of hotheaded military guys who’ve underestimated her special skills in the past. But when she’s partnered with special agent Donovan, a man sexy enough to make any girl purr, things begin to heat up. He doesn’t think she’s a freak-and he’s smokin’ hot. Soon they’re facing a threat even greater than anyone imagines…and an animal magnetism impossible to ignore.
A little about Paige:
Paige Tyler is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.
She is represented by Bob Mecoy.
Author Links: Website | Blog | Facebook Profile Page | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Goodreads | Newsletter | Email: paigetyler@paigetylertheauthor.com
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Make sure to check out all of the other stops on this month long tour HERE and enter the grand prize giveaway.
Thanks so much for having me!
*hugs*
Paige