: Re: How to show time lapse between two chapters? I have a ten year time lapse between an event in my first chapter and the second chapter. The first chapter has an event that takes place during

As Adam Miller says, the most direct way is to begin the chapter by saying "Ten years later", or by giving a date. Lots of books do this.

Some stories try to communicate passage of time indirectly. For example, if chapter one is all about Bill's experiences in elementary school, and then you begin chapter two by saying, "Bill arrived early at his job at the factory that day", the reader should get the idea that bill is now an adult. Or if chapter one is set in a time when people ride horses and chapter two begins, "The cars raced up and down the highway", the reader will get the idea that we are now in an age of automobiles.

But frankly, I think just telling the reader how much time has passed is usually the better solution. It's clear and simple and it takes maybe one sentence. If you try to indicate the passage of time indirectly, you may confuse the reader. Like in my "Bill arrived early at his job" example, depending on the nature of the story, a reader might be forgiven for thinking that the story has turned to the subject of child labor, or that this is some other person also named Bill, etc. I've read many stories where I've gotten confused by the narrative at some point, and I think to myself, presumably the author knew what he had in mind was happening here, but he has failed to communicate that clearly to the reader.

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: Re: How to show time lapse between two chapters? I have a ten year time lapse between an event in my first chapter and the second chapter. The first chapter has an event that takes place during

More posts by @Deb2945533

: Resubmitting a manuscript after publication cessation My novel "A Chase After the Wind" was published by America Star Books and sold a few copies but they never marketed the book unless I paid

: I want to write a book about my brothers life I would like to write a book and publish it on my brothers life. He is a homebound person since age 17 and now is age 58 and suffers from

: Whether or not a book is in print has nothing to do with copyright. For example, it's illegal to copy someone else's book, put your name on it as the author, and sell it. Whether the book

: Can I legally use these song lyrics as book/chapter names? This topic has been discussed--but please advise me on this particular test case. The title of the fiction novel is "Shorter of Breath"

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