While a lot of attention is given to certain aspects of storytelling – dialogue, characterization, plot, and theme – novelists rarely stop to consider their handling of time. Which is a huge lost opportunity, since the reader’s sense of pace and scope are major factors in how they perceive a narrative.

In this class we’ll talk about flashbacks and backstory (including how to tell the difference between the two), how to compress a scene or story arc for maximum impact, and the way a “ticking clock” can automatically turn a pleasantly meandering story into a true page-turner. Most importantly we’ll discuss how chronological order is often the lamest approach to structuring a novel and how scrambling the time sequence can help you create the sort of plot twists and big reveals that will make your novel truly riveting.

Kim Wright turned to fiction ten+ years ago after a career in journalism. Since then she has published four novels: LOVE IN MID AIR (Grand Central), THE UNEXPECTED WALTZ, THE CANTERBURY SISTERS, and LOVE IN MID AIR (all Gallery). LOVE IN MID AIR was the 2018 winner of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. Kim teaches at Charlotte Lit and offers developmental editing through her Story Doctor service (kimwright.org).