Tiny time jump

[Mouse]

Passages of time are the worst things ever. I suck at writing time passing.

Anyway, I've come to a bit of a halt as I'm not quite sure what to do next. I've written a short scene (probably about the same length as that I put up in critiques recently), where my MC reveals to my other two characters that he has a party to go to to celebrate a film he was in finally getting a release.

Now, I have nothing to write after this scene other than them actually at the party. This is only a time jump of a day but it feels a bit weird to just go from one scene straight to the other.

Would this jar with you? Or should I just get on with it?

Alternatively, I could delete the scene where he says they have a party to go to and just have them at the party, but then it might seem as if it's come out of nowhere and I'd have to do some daft dialogue explanation.

[SJAB]

Originally Posted by Mouse

Now, I have nothing to write after this scene other than them actually at the party. This is only a time jump of a day but it feels a bit weird to just go from one scene straight to the other.

Would this jar with you? Or should I just get on with it?

No, it wouldn't jar. Just write it Mouse. You have given the reader a good heads up in the short scene. Don't be frightened of moving forward a number of days or weeks or even years, as long as you give your reader a few pointers it doesn't matter. The pace of the story is what is important, you don't have give a blow by blow over every moment, just the important ones

[Mouse]

Thanks. Ok, I will get on with it. I don't think I'll ever be confident at writing time passing. I've already done one skip of about a week and I kinda worry that the reader won't get a week's passed. I should probably have more confidence in people!

[The Judge]

If the party scene is in a completely separate chapter then I can't see any problem at all, as I think we automatically re-programme our brain, time-wise, at chapter breaks, so any jump is accepted, as long as it's made clear.

If it's a continuation of the same chapter as the I'm-going-to-a-party scene, which I think is what you mean, then it's not quite as easy, but it's still preferable to some alternatives eg writing some kind of filler scene to bulk the first out.

The first scene, though -- what does it do apart from tell us he's going to a party? Is that its only function? If so, I'd be tempted to dump it. I'm a much more convoluted writer than you, so putting in a bit of explanation at the party itself wouldn't worry me, but I think you could equally well give the information in an earlier scene between them -- after all, these things are known weeks/months in advance, so he could have been worrying about what clothes to wear/who he's going to have to sit next to for the last week or more.

[Mouse]

Yeah it's the same chapter, that's my problem I think.

The scene starts with him on the phone to his agent, who sort of drops the party on him. Then he explains to Jenn that he did a small independent film last year (which he bangs on about a bit), and that it never got released due to 'problems' but now it's getting a release and there's a party (and I say where) to celebrate.

Basically I need my guys all together at a hotel for the 'next big thing' story-wise. A party for a film was the only sort of logical thing I could think of. It has to be something that other people would hear of.

[The Judge]

If other people (ie the murderer...) need to hear of it, then it can't just be dumped on him like this -- unless the other people are literally following him, they need to have read about it in the papers or whatever. I don't know what kind of press releases they give for the parties, but they're definitely not arranged at the drop of a hat, even for indy films, so I'd expect PR noises coming out well in advance so the paps can get there ready for the shots of the guests arriving.

I forget, is he a big name, or only in his own mind? If he is, then he'd have been doing PR for the film in the weeks leading up to the release -- those are again scheduled well in advance, since they'll want the magazines to be loaded with pictures, and there are issues with lead times for publication.

Why has the agent dropped it on him like this, with only a day's notice? Can't you bring it into the scene with the voice acting -- make the agent's email also a reminder of the party or something? If he's boasting to Jenn about how marvellous he was in the indy film, that helps to give a back-up to his decision not to do the voice work.

[Mouse]

A big name in his head. He's done about one half-decent film and the rest have all been small things.

That's a good point about the email but I'm not sure how I'd squeeze it in there. A film party might be too complicated. Maybe a minor celeb's birthday party would be better?!

[springs]

Later, at the party... I never blink at that too much. Could someone have hacked him?

[Mouse]

Originally Posted by springs

Later, at the party...

Yeah I think I've used that before. Maybe.

TJ's got me thinking... At the beginning of the story Ambrose is staying in a hotel because he's doing interviews and whatnot for a film's promotion. The interviews are over and then I never mention the film again. What if I make the launch party for that film? Would the time scale be better then? All I need to do in that case is go back and make a reference of what film he's promoting at the start.

[The Judge]

A birthday party's a lot better from the short notice point of view, because the Z-lister could have invited him only when someone else fell out -- (eg another reality-TV personality has been jailed for cocaine possession) which would highlight Ambrose's real star wattage. Or even a party for the release of someone else's film, of course. Though would he be taking Jenn and Mercer to those? And would other people know he was going to be there at this party? Of course they would, she answers herself, because Z-lister has a twitter habit, so it's in all the gossip-blogs immediately.


EDIT: I'm still answering the other post and you come along and ask more... How long ago in the book (ie not pages, but weeks) was the PR for the other film? it might well be the right time scale. Though I've a soft spot for my twittering Z-lister now...

[Mouse]

I like your twittering Z-lister too, I might go for that!

Weeks... I'm not sure. (Did I mention I was rubbish at time passing?) It happened right at the start of the book, before he met Jenn. She's been staying with him for at least a week. And lots of things have happened in between so... A month?

Thanks, TJ, this is all a huge help!

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Mouse

Weeks... I'm not sure. (Did I mention I was rubbish at time passing?)

At the risk of sounding a bit anal, wouldn't it help you if you knew when various events occurred, how long they took to achieve, and thus when they need to be kicked off to reach the stage they have at the relevant time?

This doesn't have to involve producing a Gantt chart, or spending hours filling some enormous programme management tool with data, just a time-marked sketch of how things are moving forward for the various characters.

[Montero]

a) When I saw your title I had an instant Rocky Horror Moment - its just a step to the left.....

b) Me too for time things. I've just been reading I Dare by Lee and Miller and was admiring their confident change of day. They just put the day and place in the chapter heading and launch into the chapter.

[Mouse]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

At the risk of sounding a bit anal, wouldn't it help you if you knew when various events occurred, how long they took to achieve, and thus when they need to be kicked off to reach the stage they have at the relevant time?

I started doing this in the beginning, Ursa. I wrote down dates and what happened when and where because I had several murders happening and needed to know the time scale for certain things. But once I got into it, I abandoned this and just kept it in my head. It was no longer important, now that more time had passed, to have everything spot on. Plus, it was taking me too long to write it down!