Report guide
Timeline Continuity
A date, time jump, memory, season, age, or sequence marker may need checking against the surrounding chronology.
What This Means
Timeline flags help you inspect whether the reader can follow when events happen. They are not automatic errors, especially in nonlinear, memory-heavy, or dual-timeline stories.
Worth Reviewing When
- Dates, seasons, ages, or deadlines conflict with each other.
- A memory or flashback return is hard to locate.
- Several time jumps appear close together and the reader may lose the present-time thread.
Often Fine When
- The project intentionally uses nonlinear structure.
- The scene is clearly framed as memory, dream, backstory, or reflection.
- The timeline is meant to be unstable and the manuscript signals that instability.
How To Review It
- 1Mark the present-time scene before and after the cited passage.
- 2Check whether the transition into and out of memory or time shift is clear.
- 3Confirm dates, seasons, ages, and elapsed time against a simple story timeline.