Definition
A timeline in fiction is the chronological backbone of your story. It tracks when things happen, both within the plot (Monday morning, three days later, the battle at dawn) and within the world's history (the founding of the kingdom, the great war two centuries ago). Timelines can be simple (a list of scenes in order) or elaborate (centuries of history with branching political events). Either way, they exist to prevent the most embarrassing continuity error in fiction: time that doesn't add up.
Why It Matters
Time is invisible until it breaks. A character who says 'I haven't seen you in years' when the timeline shows it's been six months, or a pregnancy that lasts four months, or a journey that takes two days in one chapter and two weeks in the next. These errors shatter reader trust. A working timeline catches them before your readers do.
Types of Timeline in Fiction
Famous Examples
Martin maintains parallel timelines for dozens of characters across multiple continents. Fans have built elaborate timelines to track exactly when each chapter occurs relative to others.
Tolkien's timeline of Middle-earth spans thousands of years across multiple ages, providing the historical foundation for everything in The Lord of the Rings.
Six interlocking stories spanning from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future, where the timeline itself is a structural device.
Common Mistakes
Keep even a rough timeline from day one. Note the day, time of day, and elapsed time at the start of each chapter. It's much easier to maintain than to reconstruct.
If a journey takes three days on the map, it should take three days in the story (or you need to account for why it didn't). Check travel times against your timeline.
If your story starts in autumn and spans four months, it should be winter by the end. Track seasons, weather, and daylight hours on your timeline.
Try It Yourself
Create a timeline for the first act of your story. List every scene in chronological order with the day, approximate time, and location. Check for gaps: are there days with nothing happening? Does travel between locations make sense? Adjust until the time logic is airtight.
Lay out your story's events on a visual timeline so you can spot gaps, overlaps, and pacing issues at a glance.
See your story's time, all at once
Novelium's timeline tool lets you arrange events chronologically, track parallel storylines, and catch time-based continuity errors before they reach your readers.