Timelines
Timelines are linear depictions of a series of historical events. Timelines are often used in the creation of fictional worlds as they can be immensely helpful in designing the history of a fictional setting. In addition, many worlds (particularly those that incorporate time travel) feature multiple alternate timelines. Timelines are often subdivided into important historical eras and important historical events.
| Synonyms: histories, lore |
| Example Mythonyms: the timeline of West Frust |
Designing Fictional Timelines
Archetypes
Foundations
Overview
The design of fictional timelines often begins by placing the major historical events and eras using approximate timescales. For example, if you know an event occurs 500 years before another, place those on your fledgling timeline and begin building it outwards from there. Your timeline does not need to begin at the dawn of recorded time, or the birth of your star, or the cosmic beginning of all things (unless that’s important to your world), it just needs to cover the time period that is special to you and your world. You can always go back later to fill in the past, or carry your world into its’ future.
It is not necessary to have ALL events on a single timeline. In fact that may become hectic if many important events are occurring in rapid succession. Just make a separate timeline that you can reference for that specific period.
Here are some useful timescales to be aware of when generating a timeline:
| Time in Perspective |
|---|
| Average Human Lifespan: 79 Years |
| Time between the first flight and the moon landing: 66 years |
| Time dinosaurs inhabited earth: 179 million years |
| Length of Ottoman Empire: 600 years |
| Time between the start of the Roman Empire and the building of the pyramids: ~2500 years |
| Time between the start of the Roman Empire and the present: ~2000 years |
