Writer Wendy Clark (well her husband actually) has created a FREE downloadable Story Timeline that will help you keep track.
I think it was last year December that I originally shared this resource on my blog, but now, Mr Wendy has updated it!
Wendy’s Story Timeline is brilliant, and in Version 2 there is a date of birth calculator, so you now have no excuse to ever get confused on what year your character got married (and suddenly realising she couldn’t possibly have married that year because she would have been 12! Lol).
Edited to add: Wendy says “To download, click on file then download on the left. Don’t click red download box as this doesn’t work.”
How do you usually keep track of your story timeline?
This looks extremely useful. I had multiple timelines to keep up with in my last novel because it was a historical piece that spanned many years. It was quite a task. I will look into this. Thanks 🙂
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Youre very welcome honey 🙂
Oh gawd, yeah, i can imagine it will probably be invaluable when writing historical.
Let me know how you get on with it 🙂
xx
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It looks useful. I can’t download the file though 😦 For the novella series I ended up having to take a huge piece of butcher paper and make a grid to keep up with where everyone was on what day. Tedious, but it was the easiest, fastest solution I could come up with. If I ever have a convoluted story, I’ll probably resort to genealogy trees, lol.
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Hi Melanie. To download, click on file then download on the left. Don’t click red download box as this doesn’t work. We shall add this advice to instructions on my post later. Hope this helps.
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Thanks Wendy! Worked perfectly that time. I don’t deal with Google docs often and didn’t even SEE the file option on the left. Sheesh! Thanks for walking me through it. (I feel silly now! LOL)
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Did you manage to download it Mel?
xx
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Got it!
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Hey Vicki, I checked it out and I couldn’t wait to tell you how grateful I am that you shared this! This is truly brilliant AND free. I have Microsoft Office 2010, so it downloaded fine. I am so excited, can’t wait to try it out. I may be up until morning 🙂 You have managed to get me connected extremely well in the short time I have known you…first the Scrivener course, now this piece of genius You are a dear {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}
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Ha ha ha, glad to be of service *blushes* 😉
xx
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Hi Vikki. Thanks for sharing Wendy’s Story Timeline again. We hope that it will get your readers out of a lot of timeline muddles! Lease note – click file and download button on left NOT red download button x
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You are very welcome honey….i’ll add a note to the old post so that people get directed to the right place 🙂
xx
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I haven’t seem this before Vikki so I’m extremely grateful to you- as I am to Wendy and her talented husband.
xxx Hugs Galore xxx
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Youre very welcome David 🙂
Hope it proves useful xx
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This is great, Vikki. Like Melanie, I usually do a big chart on the wall. Wendy’s spreadsheet will make things so much easier. Thanks.
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Anytime Elizabeth 🙂
xx
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This is a super resource – thanks for sharing. My novel The Twesome Loop had two time periods in it so I had double the work!
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You are very welcome Mandy 🙂
Hope you find it useful for the next novel 😉
xx
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Ha! this is exactly what caught me out in the last instalment of my Trilogy. Counting back in years produced different results from counting back in ages owing to ‘off schedule’ birthdays. Great resource ~ pity I didn’t have it handy at the time. I basically did exactly what’s advertised… just on paper. LOL!
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Awwww, thats a shame Nicky 😦
Hope it comes in handy for the next novel 😉
xx
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Brilliant – finally going to say goodbye to my crude system. Thanks Vicky for sharing. Thanks Wendy for initiating timetable and Mr Wendy for creating great programme.
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Hope it helps Roland 🙂
xx
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Apologies for mis-spelling your name Vikki – bad finger day!!
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Lol. dont worry honey, even people who have known me years get it wrong 😉
xx
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Thank you so much for this, Wendy and Vikki! I’ll definitely use it! 🙂
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Hope it helps Linda 🙂
xx
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Thank you, everyone for your nice comments about my timeline. Really pleased to have been of help. Glad you got it working in the end, Melanie.
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Someone told me on Facebook today Wendy that it had been in one of the writing mags? GO YOU! 🙂
xx
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The original version was ‘Star Letter’ in Writing Magazine. They are mentioning the new version in next issue.
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Reblogged this on Writing Wings and commented:
A valuable resource that I have already downloaded to ease my frustrated brain.
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I’m going to download this again, even though I’m pretty sure already have it! I have some revisions coming up where it will really come in handy. 🙂 Thanks!
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This version has been improved Kirsten 🙂
Have fun!
xx
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I have an older version mac – my word program must be 2004. I cannot download the timeline template – help!
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