3 “Telling” Ways to Convey Time Passing in Your Novel

Your Next Draft

Don’t lose your readers. Just tell them what time it is.
The passage of time seems intuitive. It just happens, right? (Like, whether you want it to or not. Time and tide wait for no man, etc.)
Here’s the thing, though. If you don’t tell your readers that time is passing in your novel . . .
. . . they won’t know.
It seems wild, I know. It feels like time passing should be obvious. But I promise you, it’s not.
Luckily, conveying the passage of time to your readers is simple (and it doesn’t take a lot of words to do it!). And in this episode, I’ll tell you exactly how it’s done.
You’ll learn:

• Why you need to both show and tell time passing in your story
• 2 ways your readers understand that time is passing
• 3 techniques to “tell” your readers time is passing
• And more!

This is one of those elements of storytelling that feels tiny, inconsequential, like your readers will catch on without you needing to think too hard about it.
But trust me, it makes a big difference. I’ve read so many manuscripts that are missing any indicators of time passing. And they make me as a reader feel completely lost.
Don’t lose your readers. Just tell them what time it is.
Links mentioned in the episode:

• Ep. 70: Why You Must Show Time Passing in Your Novel

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