So you want to write a nonlinear story.

Or at least you’re tempted to give it a go.

That’s awesome.

If you did the Memento-inspired writing exercise from a couple of weeks ago and liked what came out of it, this is your chance to revisit that idea and develop it further.

Or you can start a brand new idea today.

The main thing is, I really value when the narrative structure is tightly connected to the story itself.

Ideally, the structure would serve to express the story in a linear narration too, of course, but when you want to do something less conventional, it’s a good idea to be extra mindful of that.

Exercise

Today’s exercise is quite simple. I invite you to think about your relationship to time and reflect on moments in life that made you extra aware of the passage of time or just made you think about it a lot.

Then, I want you to think about what kinds of situations, characters, or settings quite naturally bring up reflections on the nature of time and linearity.

These could be related to how relative the passage of time can feel or they could present opportunities for organically nonlinear storytelling.

A few examples:

• old archives
• different states of mind
• physics class discussing relativity
• the way your 6-year-old nephew tells you about his day
• the way your grandma talks about her 20s
• cultural differences with regard to scheduling or “being on time”
• going through old newspapers
• and so on and on

Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and just freewrite on this. Go with the flow and follow your curiosity. Which of these situations intrigue you and inspire you?

This is where you will find your story.

If you’re starting a new idea

Then, start writing. You don’t need to force any kind of structure. If you write from curiosity about a situation that naturally invites you to think about time, you will discover the best structure for it with time.

If you’re refining what you already have

Think about what in the story relates to time or how you could incorporate some elements that came up during your brainstorming into your existing story. Then play around with it.

Have fun with it

As always, the most important thing is that you approach this with a sense of playfulness. Not because I said so but because it will help you get more creative and see options you might otherwise miss.

And that’s it! If you do the exercise, let me know how it goes.

Stay creative

Katja