Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33088
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Ask yourself how you want the reader to feel about the routine. If it's monotonous, try being repetitive. List a bunch of boring tasks.

> So once Bob returned from work, he hit the gym. He ate chicken and rice with some veg, then laundry and bed. Work, gym, chicken and rice, laundry, bed. Work, gym, laundry, bed.
> 
> Days bled into weeks. Weeks into months. Finally, just as summer was ending...

My biggest recommendation is: do not linger here. You can use a few paragraphs, sure, but do not have "Chapter 3: The Boring Month of Chores".

I do not care so much that they cleaned their reds before their whites, what I do care about is how the character is handling the tasks. Did they ruin a shirt because they stopped paying attention? Do they find comfort in the day-to-day after a hectic part of the story? Are they bored out of their mind?

Capture the whole of the time together, picking out whatever small highlights there are, because that is how it would feel. When you get into a routine, it all merges together into one long event.

In summary:

- Focus on how the character feels during the time
- Give a sense of repetition and routine in your writing, don't just tell me about it.
- Do not linger on inaction, focus on highlights.
- Treat the entire period as one moment.

Original score: 5