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Q&A How can I convey dates (with ordering) for events happening under different dating systems, e.g. a Sci-Fi story spread over the galaxy?

I can think of a few ways: 1) Cheat. This was how Tolkien did it, so you'd be in good company. He just listed somewhere in the appendices that "Year 5798 by Gondor's calendar = 144 Shire Reckoning...

posted 12y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:15Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/7396
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T02:45:42Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/7396
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T02:45:42Z (about 5 years ago)
I can think of a few ways:

1) **Cheat.** This was how Tolkien did it, so you'd be in good company. He just listed somewhere in the appendices that "Year 5798 by Gondor's calendar = 144 Shire Reckoning" and let the readers do the math.

2) **Make the characters work out a solution.** If you have characters on Terra and characters on Pluto who meet, _they're_ going to have to work out some way of syncing their calendars.

3) **Meta.** At the beginning of a chapter, just announce as part of the header what the date is:

> July 20, 2056 Terran Time   
> 12 Fizzbinth of Shar, Plutonian Time

If you equate them at the beginning of the chapter, it will be clear that the two dates are the same, and then you can advance them separately (or together) as needed.

4) **Reset the calendars.** Call it 1 A.I., Year one after invasion.

At some point, unless all your characters are using a calendar which your reader understands, you _are_ going to have to do some amount of explaining.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2013-03-03T22:05:54Z (almost 12 years ago)
Original score: 14