Time is one of the most powerful storytelling tools at a writer’s disposal. It dictates pacing, creates tension, and influences how readers experience your story. It plays a crucial role in advancing the plot, supplying key information, and developing your characters.

But managing time effectively—whether it’s skipping over uneventful days, slowing down an action-packed moment, or jumping decades into the future—can be tricky. If done poorly, time shifts can confuse readers or make your narrative feel disjointed.

So how do you control time in your fiction without losing your readers? In this post, we’ll explore different techniques for handling the passage of time, the pacing of scenes, and other elements that ensure your story unfolds smoothly.

The Art of Pacing: When to Speed Up and When to Slow Down

Pacing is the rhythm of your story. It determines how quickly or slowly events unfold, keeping readers engaged and invested. But how do you make decisions about pacing for your story so it develops in a manageable, memorable way?Here are some tips and tricks about when and how to manipulate the speed of time in your story.

Slowing Down Time

Sometimes, you want to zoom in on a specific moment—especially in emotional or high-stakes scenes. To achieve this:

Use sensory details. Describe sights, sounds, textures, and even internal emotions to stretch time.
Break down actions. Instead of “She opened the letter and gasped,” you might write:

"Her fingers trembled as she slid the envelope open. The paper inside rustled. A single line of ink sent her heart racing." (Yeah. I know this is bad, but you get the idea.)

Include internal monologue. Let the character process the moment in real-time to emphasize its importance. Don't overdo this, though. Internal monologue that goes on too long can run the risk of derailing the story and leaving your reader questioning why the information is necessary to the overall story.

Speeding Up Time

Sometimes, you don’t want to dwell on every detail. In a past post, I dealt with the issue of when to portray events in scene as opposed to speeding up time by summarizing details that aren't essential to the story. That post covers this topic in greater detail, but here's a quick rundown of how to make time move faster so you can get to the next important event.

Summarize routine events. Instead of narrating every uneventful moment, use a quick summary:

"Over the next three weeks, Liam settled into a routine—work, gym, sleep—each day bleeding into the next."

Use transitions and time markers. Words like later that evening, a month passed, by the following spring signal time shifts efficiently.
Cut to the action. Jump to the next significant event rather than explaining what happened in between.

Balancing slow and fast pacing keeps readers engaged, preventing dull stretches or overwhelming action sequences.

How to Show the Passage of Time

In fiction, time can pass subtly within a scene or dramatically between chapters. Here are some techniques to show time progression naturally:

Using Scene Breaks and Chapter Transitions

One of the easiest ways to move forward in time is by breaking up your narrative. A skipped line or chapter break signals to the reader that time has passed. For example:

End of Scene: <<Character closes their eyes at night>>

New Scene: They wake up in the morning, the sunlight pouring through the window.

Dialogue and Character Reflections

Characters mentioning time passage in conversation or their thoughts can subtly indicate movement through time:

“I haven’t seen you in weeks!”
She glanced at the calendar—three months had passed since she’d last been here.

This keeps readers aware of how much time has gone by without long-winded explanations.

Changes in Setting and Atmosphere

Descriptions of changing seasons, shifting weather, or altered surroundings can signal time passing without explicitly stating it. For example:

Autumn leaves crunched beneath her boots—the same path she had walked when the cherry blossoms bloomed months ago.
The house, once pristine, was now coated in dust, as though time itself had settled in its corners.

Such details help readers sense the passage of time without heavy exposition, character monologues, or other devices that run the risk of stopping the action.

Time Jumps and Flashbacks: Handling Large Gaps

Sometimes, your story requires a significant leap forward—days, months, or even years. However, it’s critical to give readers the information they need to know this time warp has taken place. Otherwise, you’ll leave them lost and generally asking, What year is it??

Here’s how to execute time jumps effectively:

Directly Stating the Time Change

A straightforward approach is to state how much time has passed:

Two years later, Ella returned to the city she once called home.
By the time winter arrived, their friendship had turned into something deeper.

This is especially useful for clear-cut transitions between major events.

Weaving in Changes Naturally

Instead of outright stating a time jump, show changes in characters or their world that hint at the passage of time:

A child protagonist suddenly speaking in full sentences, indicating years have passed.
A once-bustling town now abandoned, suggesting time’s toll.

By revealing time through transformation, you keep the reader engaged in discovery rather than just giving them a timestamp.

Flashbacks: Revisiting the Past Without Confusing the Reader

Flashbacks can provide crucial backstory, but if done poorly, they can disorient the reader. Here’s how to integrate them smoothly:

Use clear transitions. Signal a flashback with phrases like She remembered when . . . or Back in 1995 . . .
Distinguish the past from the present. Consider using italics or a different verb tense (e.g., past perfect: “She had once loved the sound of rain”) to make shifts obvious.
Keep them relevant. This is important. Flashbacks should serve the story, revealing essential character motivations or plot points. While it’s great to have an extensive backstory for your character and know the core memories that shape their present day realities, not all of the information is necessary for readers to understand the story.

However, the great thing about backstory is that even if these flashbacks don’t fit the larger narrative, the echoes of them will be there. As a reader, I can always sense when there is more to a character than what’s on the page, and I know I’m not alone on this.

Readers will be able to feel the weight of the character’s history even if the scenes from their past don’t make it into your story.

Yet, when done well, flashbacks can enrich the story without disrupting the flow, creating parallels between the past and present and giving readers clues about character motivation.

Doing the Time Warp: Nonlinear Storytelling

Some stories abandon chronological order altogether, weaving the past and present together for dramatic effect or even to enhance the world of the story. (Think Pulp Fiction, Slaughterhouse Five, or The Time Traveler’s Wife.)

If you’re considering nonlinear storytelling, keep these guidelines in mind:

Make shifts clear. Each jump should be easy for readers to follow—using timestamps, chapter headers, or clear shifts in tone.
Use a framing device. A character narrating their past from the present helps ground nonlinear narratives.
Ensure each shift serves a purpose. If time jumps are confusing without adding depth, reconsider whether they’re necessary.

When executed well, nonlinear storytelling can add intrigue and layers to your narrative.

Final Thoughts: Managing Time in Fiction Like a Pro

Managing time in fiction requires a balance of pacing, transitions, and clarity. Whether you’re slowing down an intense moment, skipping over uneventful weeks, or weaving past and present together, your ultimate goal is to keep readers engaged and immersed.

If you want to explore this topic in more detail, I recommend Joan Silber’s outstanding book The Art of Time in Fiction. It’s a quick read that outlines these techniques in greater detail, providing both examples of how to execute them well and warnings about the pitfalls of including them in your narrative.

Also . . . if you’re looking for more guidance on structuring your novel, developing characters, and keeping your writing organized, check out The Ultimate Writing Project Workbook!

This comprehensive resource will help you map out your story, structure your scenes, and ensure your pacing is just right—so you can bring your vision to life with confidence.

Grab a free copy here!