Timeline Feature

898 votes

I would love to be able to add one or multiple timelines, so that I can track not only certain events in my story, but also track the timeline of the underlying history that supports my story, going all the way back through human history. Having them visible separate or together would be awesome, too, as well as being able to link to documents, photos, and my manuscript.

Under consideration Plotting Suggested by: Anjuli Johnson (19 Jan, '18) • Upvoted: 2 days ago • Comments: 32

Comments: 32

06 Apr, '18
Maya
I would love if there was a way to connect my Aeon Timeline to my project.
05 May, '18
Miri
Similar to this: https://dabble.featureupvote.com/suggestions/4367/scene-listplot-lines-as-timeline
A simple version could probably be implemented with the plotlines/grids, IMO.
1
06 Sep, '18
Jennifer
OMG please! I write paranormal fantasy, and my characters in my one series are literally over TWO THOUSAND years old! Trying to keep track of everything that's happened and been mentioned gets quite tedious...
02 Oct, '18
Tori J.
I currently use the plot tool to do this, as my projects are all in the same world and link up in certain ways. A timeline tool that you can apply to various projects would be fantastic.
1
15 Nov, '18
Corinne Clark
I manually print out blank calendar pages (from 1854 no less!) to try and create a timeline for the events in my novel. If there was some way to create a timeline, then be able to place, and drag and drop the events, it would help me enormously to see over what period of time the story spans and how close certain events are to others.
29 Nov, '18
Chet Sandberg
Please, please, please add a timeline feature. Best would be a simplified one within Dabble. I've seen Aeon Timeline and although it looks feature-rich, it also looks far too complex to easily learn to use.
1
09 Jun, '19
Sara
OMG YAAASSS!! This would really help with the fantasy series I have planned.
12 Aug, '19
Johannes Rexx
My take on timelines is that it has to help me keep my novel correct. There are some time loops in one of my drafts, the main character actually returns multiple times just after the point of her previous departure and I'm not sure It's all plotted logically. Plus the novel has three possible outcomes. I have no good notion of how to keep them correct and reasonable.
03 Oct, '19
Christa Charter
OMG yes. I write mysteries and timeline (for time of death and alibis, etc) is critical
25 Nov, '19
Alice
Yes please! I tend to outline by day, week, month, and sometimes year. Having a module for a timeline would be extremely helpful. Especially in stories with characters who are pregnant it would mean not having to calculate what week or trimester they are in EVERY time I mention something pregnancy.
20 May, '20
Courtney W
I'm with Christa, there's lots going on behind the scenes that won't be on page, and a timeline option would be a HUGE help
23 Jun, '20
Tony
Seemed this request was also related to my idea if the plotline added the ability to reorder up/down, left/right, I could use it as a poor man's timeline
1
30 Oct, '20
Jenny F Merged
I use the above two apps and it would be great to have that functionality within Dabble or at least a linking and synching feature
03 Nov, '20
JohnBredesen Admin
"Plotting section like Plottr would be great, along with a timeline section like Aeon Timeline" (suggested by Jenny F on 2020-10-30), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
1
04 Nov, '20
Rodney
Being able to link Aeon Timeline would be incredible. Writing paranormal urban fantasy with a 300-year-old vampire, it's hard to keep track of what happened when. I currently have it all in Aeon, and if I could just link it, that would be amazing. Short of that, a way to link the timeline to scenes would be an impressive start.
26 Nov, '20
April
This would have saved me days of time. I am still updating my Word Documents (re-doing the chronology each time) and have no way to link them!
26 Dec, '20
Chuck
This would be amazing. I am writing fantasy with some time traveling in it. If possible, I'd love two different views of the timeline: One that is chronological, and one that follows the plot. If it wouldn't be too complicated (I love Dabble's elegant simplicity!), a third view that follows specific characters might be nice as well.
21 Feb, '21
Andrew
I like this idea. I think this would be very useful for my science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction story ideas that I have.
14 Sep, '21
CINDY JONES
This is so needed! Please ADD : ) I have to create a separate spreadsheet on my computer. This would be great to have in World Building.
29 Sep, '21
Mark Wilson
One more vote for a timeline feature! Or, if this is possible, a tutorial on how to use a currently-existing feature to create & manage timelines.
08 Oct, '21
CJ
Syncing with Aeon Timeline would be quite sweet indeed!
20 Oct, '21
Bryce Wilby
This would be a really useful feature. I write mysteries and speculative fiction that involves time travel, so this would really help keep track of who is when and where and what clues have been planted when and where ...
1
25 Oct, '21
Tyson
This would be amazing
01 Nov, '21
Elinor
I'd love this feature! Adding plot points or chapters to a timeline would be amazing, just to keep track of who is where and when.
09 Jan, '22
Joseph
Since everybody is talking about Aeon timeline, I went to check it out. I would hope linking to a timeline app would be provided, or this online software would provide one. It is very hard to keep track of a story which is the least bit complicated.
07 Mar, '22
April
I've been looking at several timeline "apps" on the web, and they all seem to be focused on "story" events. I am much more interested in Character "life events": birth, graduations, character A meets Character B if that's important, marriages, old age, and deaths. I want to be able see (as I can in my spreadsheet) and easily manipulate (as I can't easily in my spreadsheet) the "overlap" of the life story of 7 generations, with about 40 important characters who contribute to the plot.

I care much more about keeping all this straight and believable (relative contemporaries marry; characters live long enough to have interactions with specific other characters; characters have never met, etc.) than I do about sequence of events within the story.
03 Aug, '22
A. West
I agree with this! The whole structure of your story has to have history!
26 Jan, '23
Jason John Tyler
A great initiative timeline that is correctly integrated is imperative to assist the writer in preventing overlapping.
17 May, '23
Lydia
I could really use a feature like this because the plot grid doesn't lay things out in a neat chronological way that also includes my backstory elements that aren't part of the written story.
1
08 Aug, '23
Marieve
Can 759 writers be wrong about what's important and desired? It doesn't even need to be fancy to start. Give us a scale (days, months, seasons, years) and an event window that can be labeled then dragged and dropped where we wish. Later, we could have drop-down lists for some event fields (Character name, for example These could be set up in a list and added to as more are needed.) Births, deaths, meetings, marriages, other (to fill in), with a running bottom line for day, month, year. Just that much would be delightful and deeply appreciated (and probably first to market among cloud-based writing aids)

An easy to see, easy-to-edit timeline is vital to time travelers, historians, memoirists, romance writers, thriller and mystery makers, biographers, and epic fantasizers!

PLEASE work this feature into the schedule for next year!
1
09 Dec, '23
WriterOnEdge
Please amazing Dabble Team. The time line feature is desperately desired. We've waited long enough

Dabble is perfect for me as both a long time Novel and fanfiction writer. This timeline feature is the only thing I am waiting for - I will not subscribe or purchase it unless I see this feature in the app and functional. It literally doesnt have to be complicated - like Marieve has so beautifully worded.

Right now, I am making do with Google Docs, Paper and memory timelines as i have done for the last 15 years. That is including a story i have been planning and constructing from scratch for little over a decade that is as big as Lord of the RIngs, The Hobbit, Harry Potter and Star Wars. And the lack of better writing, structure and planning tools are the only reason it has not even stepped a toe into proper, active planning. Added the fact I am ADHD, perfectionist and a mature student in a new country, money is very much not available in every sense of the word.

Please add time lines
1
18 Mar
Jason J Tyler
I couldn't wait. I love Dabble too much. There's nothing out there better, easier or less overwhelming when it comes to writing the way I write. I believe they will create a fantastic timeline feature soon that will blow our minds just like their Plotting Tool blows our minds, but to deny myself Dabble until then this I could not do any longer so I bit the bullet and signed up. I have not been happier since...