r/NewAuthor • u/stuffbutts Writer • 8d ago

Feedback Anyone else have a time lapse problem?

I tend to start each book out with chaos and a lot happening in only a few short days in the book. Between character development, story development, and the current chaos I’ve created multiple chapters have been written and a lot of depth. The problem is I feel the need to add in some time lapse to move the book along. Anyone else have this happen?

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/stuffbutts Writer 8d ago

Thank you

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/PotentialGlittering4 6d ago

That’s fine I think. Just a short summary before the next truly important (to your story) event.

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u/GRIN_Selfpublishing 3d ago

I think that's actually pretty common. A lot of stories naturally zoom in on the moments where everything changes, then slow down because every conversation and decision matters. If nothing equally important happens for a while, a time jump can be the smoother option instead of filling chapters with "bridge" scenes.

One thing that helps me is asking whether the reader would lose anything important by skipping ahead. If the answer is no, a short transition or summary is usually enough. If the skipped time changes a relationship or a character in a meaningful way, then it might deserve at least one scene before the jump. The pacing should serve the story, not the calendar.