How to Write a Non-Linear Story

Linear storytelling, while fun and straightforward, is, sadly, nothing special. That is not to say that it is a bad choice to tell your story. However, chronological narratives don’t—can’t—hold a candle to the complexity of non-linear narratives.

This difficulty of non-linear stories makes its roots in the ability to weave a coherent story throughout. By its end, hopefully, the story wraps up just as nicely as a linear story would. There are various ways to construct a non-linear narrative. Read these elements listed below and incorporate them into your next non-linear story.

Dream Sequences

Probably the most common of all non-linear tropes is the dream. In stage plays (The Nutcracker), literature (A Christmas Carol), and film (Inception, Shutter Island), dreams are used in various ways. The two most important ways are to convey plot information by foreshadowing in a dream and to progress character depth. Now, while these two methods work, how can dreams serve a non-linear story? Writers can use dreams as flashbacks and flashforwards.

Flashbacks

These are the most common and overused techniques in all of literature. A character dreaming and experience a flashback is a great way to divulge information to the character and the reader. However, flashbacks tend to drag on, thereby taking precedence. And in most cases, for flashbacks as a dream sequence that breaks up a story in a linear way must take many precautions if written in a literary, realistic story.
Surely, a character in a serious novel won’t have but one or two dream sequences in its entirety. For a character to experience multiple flashbacks in dreams and maintain its believability, the genre should better revolve around the fantastical. And even then, use dreams sparingly.

Flashforwards

Not nearly as common as it’s big brother, flashbacks, flashforward techniques can break up a linear story, as well. Flashforwards usually appear as sudden moments if a character is awake, propelling them into a daydream-like trance. If a flashforward happens while in a dream sequence, it can give the reader insight into what the future may likely hold for a character. However, flashforwards are a double-edged sword.
When a writer uses a flashforward to make a non-linear narrative, the information provided may tell the reader information he or she shouldn’t have known. Let’s say, for example, a flashforward reveals that a character dies (or doesn’t die), it ruins the arc of that character and could hurt the plot of the story. But if a flashforward just drones on about a possible future of a character or plot and never happens, then the reader just wasted his or her time reading that flashforward.

…More on Flashbacks in Non-Linear Stories

Flashbacks don’t always come in dream sequences. Most times flashbacks will suddenly appear, taking you from the present to somewhere in the past. And if done correctly, they will be quick and provide enough information that progresses the story in an entertaining way. Here are ways you will likely see a flashback (other than a dream):

The Bookend:
- This is a very common method that introduces a character at the very beginning. He or she starts to tell the story. From this point forward, the story jumps backward to tell the story. It often may come back to the present moment (like Titanic) and go back to the flashback. I find this to be the most simple method of flashback used as a tool for a non-linear story.
The Incident:
- An incident typically takes place in a linear story that has the MC suffering from a past event. The story then flashes back, piece by piece throughout the narrative, only telling tiny bits. This provides a slow burn for the audience as they only get to know small amounts of information at a time until the end. By the finale of the story, the flashbacks will be done and you will understand why the MC has been suffering and how it has affected his present actions. M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 alien/faith masterpiece, Signs, did this superbly.
Preview:
- The story will begin with an event from the middle, always important to the consequences of the characters, and then flip back to present time. From this point on, it will usually take place in chronological order. There will be a time when the characters reach the scene from the beginning again, reminding the reader of how it all ties in now.

Parallel Narratives in Non-Linear

Stories with parallel narratives are quite interesting. By its nature, it is a different take on the multi-protagonist story. The characters might not know each other, but they will likely run into each other during the story. If they don’t come in contact with each other, then what is the purpose? It will come off more like a short story collection that shares the same theme, than within the same story.

There are several benefits of using parallel narratives. The author can delve into a particular storyline of characters and build its world and its depth so much that it feels like its own set story before switching to another story. By having a parallel narrative exist, you can apply them within the past, present or future of the story.

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction did this perfectly. Pulp used parallel narratives, then went even further to break them up again by separating the beginning coffee shop scene and also the dream flashback of Butch, the boxer. In general, they are consecutive stories that exist within only a few hours of each other. But the non-linear design structures it in such a way that each chapter tells a specific story of its own.

In Media Res (Latin: In the Middle)

I suspect every wannabe-creative writer has heard of this term in their struggle to write fiction. Therefore, I won’t waste too much time on it. Using In Media Res basically means not starting at the beginning (point A), but starting your story in the middle (point B). However, to do this you must choose the correct point B to make it successful. If you begin your story with a lame and boring point B, then you should start over with something more interesting for your non-linear story that will work the best. So, how do you know?

Map it All

Outline. The outline doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be broken down scene by scene, dialogue tag by tag. But it should be structured with enough detail through its 3 acts that it will give you a better understanding of where and when to choose that point B.

Build the Struggle

Starting your story in the middle of, let’s say, a war or some type of physical conflict isn’t necessarily wrong. It isn’t really right, either. When editors say to start in the middle, they mean to begin with the hardest part of the main character’s struggle. His or her inner dilemma could be sitting on a couch or in the midst of WW3.

The physicality of it doesn’t mean anything without the inner turmoil to span the entire story.

Actual Page Structure

Crafting non-linear stories is difficult enough. However, if a writer doesn’t inform the reader somehow of time jumps then not only will the reader be lost and throw the book across the room, your reputation as a writer will decrease. To ensure this doesn’t happen, making simple changes to your story whenever the narrative reaches a time jump forward or backward is necessary and simple. Like this:

Page breaks

In fiction, a page break will let the reader know a setting, a scene, or a different character is now in charge. Typically, page breaks are done by centering 3 small asterisks. It simple and easy, and more importantly, it quickly informs the reader that something in the story has changed.

White Space

Similar to page breaks, white space has the same effect. And some writers have said that white space is the better option. Whereas a row of asterisks could offset the readers trained-eye for long and make them lose their flow, white space even quicker signifies to the reader that something has changed. But without distracting the eye.

Titles

Some writers use numbers before each chapter to delegate a non-linear story (4,1,3,7,6,5,2). Simple numbers like this quickly tell the reader of the jumbled order.
Months and years are other forms that writers use before each chapter. They really hit the reader with time because it says it straight out.
Headlines/Titles are another great way to signify a change in time. By having specific keywords within the title of each new chapter, it could represent a change in time.

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Cues

Sometimes it takes a word or an object to trigger the reader that a shift is coming. This may be the most simple of all techniques. This is especially helpful if the writer wants to jump time within a chapter or paragraph.

Color

The use of color to represent emotion is hardly anything new. However, if a writer can use color to signify a change in time, it could be an easier, and less redundant way, to do the trick. Perhaps, each time a character nears an object of a certain color the scene will change to a flashback, etc.

Fashion

Wearing certain clothing is not a particularly popular way to use non-linear time jumps, but it might help. The invisible cape in the Harry Potter series or the wardrobe closet in The Chronicle of Narnia series. Rather than making your characters unseen or taken to a fantastical land, it could empower a shift in a linear narrative that brings them or another character to another time.

Objects

The most common of all things to successfully use in a non-linear story are objects. Objects can make a character reflect on the future or past. Objects can work well at the end of a chapter. They can work even better if used within a chapter to force a short time jump.

Write a Linear Story First…???

I have heard this method far too much in my own quest to craft a non-linear story. And while it might work for others, I found no positive outcomes doing this—only more confusion, which led to re-writing.

If a writer just separates flashbacks and dreams at the beginning and end and middle in random order, then the reader will know they have no meaning. To ensure your non-linear story makes a great impression on the reader, a writer must outline it first. This reflects back to the previous In Media Res section above. Take the time to craft each chapter and scene that involve fragmented time jumps.

Write the map/outline several times, if needed. Don’t begin the story until you are 100% sure the non-linear story makes sense to you and to the reader. Have beta readers check out the structure specifically for its non-linear ability. Beta readers do bad more often than not. I have experienced some of the worst suggestions ever given to me by “qualified” beta readers.

Unless they have experience in non-linear storytelling, take their advice with a grain of salt.

And lastly, have the last chapter tie in nicely to a character or scene or event from the earlier chapters. Doing so will force the reader to review the entire book again, which is a good thing. The more they become lost in your story, the better chances you have retained them as future readers (and consumers of your work).

Non-linear stories work best when this structure is present for an emotional reason. The characters are placed in chosen times by the writer for a specific reason.

If you are looking for further help in writing a non-linear story or any help with writing, see my SERVICES page for more options. Have I given you a better understanding of how to write a non-linear story? Comment below and let me know if I have missed anything.