I have a question.I have a story that I wish to write using multiple (3rd limited) POV's. The problem is the POV's join up at the end of the story, yet each of the stories (at least two of them) are in different time frames.
e.g.
Jack becomes a vampire 2000 years ago and his story is about that event and coming to terms with it. At the end of his story her sleeps for 200 years.
Jill is a modern girl, investigating ancient graves when the zombie apocalypse happens (doesn't it always!). Her story is her battle to find a way to survive the apocalypse with some cognitive faculties. She finds jack's grave. they fall in love, blah, blah.
Now with the above it would seem reasonable that you could flick from one story to the other as the reader is gonna spot stuff that shows the different time periods, yes? However I recently read a book (sci-fi) where it isn't obvious as it's all futuristic. Guy A goes to sleep in space craft for 20 years and the in next paragraph about him he wakes...meanwhile the paragraphs that intersect these are about someone else (GUY B) is having a conversation with someone and then the following paragraph is going home on the bus.
Do you get what I mean?
I found it mildly confusing at first, but now I find it okay. Its like reading two stories that are not relationally connected yet.
It was not something I considered doing. I always felt that time had to flow equally through each story. Hence, I thought you had to start with the earlier story or employ flashbacks.
Thoughts?
[This message has been edited by skadder (edited August 18, 2009).]