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Had to pick between a 3 act structure and a nonlinear timeline for my short story
I was writing this piece about a guy fixing up his late father's truck. I figured a straight timeline would be easier to follow since I only had 2,500 words to work with. But every time I sat down to write it I kept jumping back to memories of the dad in the garage. So I went with the nonlinear version where the present day work on the truck triggers flashbacks. Turned out way better because the mystery of what happened between them kept me writing. Anyone else ever chose a trickier structure and regretted or loved it?
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faith_torres835mo ago
...and that's exactly why I ended up writing a whole 10 page backstory for a character who was only supposed to be in two scenes. Sometimes the tricky structure just unlocks something in your brain, you know? Like when I tried to write a story using only dialogue for a contest, it was a hot mess but I learned more about subtext than I ever did in any workshop. The flashback approach sounds perfect for that truck story because the truck itself is basically a time machine, right? I bet you found out stuff about the dad through the work that a straight timeline never would have let you dig up.
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henry_martin565mo ago
10 pages for a two scene character? That sounds completely insane but also I totally get it. I accidentally wrote a 3 page backstory for a bartender who was just supposed to pour drinks and say "rough night?" and now he has a dead wife and a gambling problem. Your dialogue only story thing sounds like torture honestly. I tried a story where I banned the letter E once and my brain nearly melted. But you're right about the truck being a time machine, I found out the dad used to smuggle watermelons across state lines in the 70s which makes zero sense but explains his whole vibe.
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