Hi,
In my story Jesper, my main character got sad, but i did no tell my readers why yet, how would i let my readers know that we are going back in time without just telling them. three hour earlier, or something like that.
Great question! There are a number of ways to do this, but clarity is king. As much as you want to find a clever way to make the time jump, the most important thing is to not confuse your reader.
It partially depends on how long the story in the past will be. If it’s very long or a substantial part of the whole story, then what you’re describing is a “frame” story. This is a story like Megamind, where we start in the present, but then we jump back in history and build back to the present moment. There are a number of good ways to accomplish the jump back in time in a frame.
Sometimes something triggers the character and we fall into the character’s memories. Sometimes the character begins to tell a story, but then the narrative transfers to the character’s perspective. Sometimes a magical event transports the reader into the frame.
If Jesper’s recollection is very short, then just having him tell another character what happened is a great solution to keep the reader “present” in the timeline of the story.
But sometimes, you just say “three hours earlier.” Again, clarity is king. So if that’s what it takes to help the reader understand what’s going on, just go with it. 🙂
Hi again,
Would I just make Jesper telling some one what happened?