by Erica Vetsch, Erica Vetsch on Facebook
This year has seen literally thousands of meetings and gatherings being held virtually, or online. Show of hands if you’ve attended a Zoom meeting in the last nine months. Out of this new method of communicating, a few phrases have popped up.
“Let’s put a pin in that.”
“You’re on mute.”
“Can everyone hear me?”
“Let’s wrap this up, because I have another virtual meeting in five minutes.”
“We’ll circle back to that idea.”
While hearing phrases like this ad infinitum might drive you crazy in a meeting, there is one in there that made me think about an effective writing technique.
Circling back.
Skillful writers use this technique to both build suspense and to keep the reader turning pages. It involves weaving together storylines, ending a scene or chapter on a cliffhanger, then switching to the other storyline. The reader is eager to dive into storyline two, but they continue to think about storyline one in the back of their mind. When you circle back to the original storyline…after leaving the second one on a cliffhanger or making the reader wonder about the safety of the character or asking questions about what will happen next…the reader will quickly remember where you left off and jump back on board.
I’ve noticed this technique in a video series I’ve been watching on YouTube. It’s called Bondi Vet, and it’s an Aussie tv series whose episodes are posted to YouTube. Bondi Vet is a ‘reality tv’ series about animals and vets and owners, animal rescue organizations, and wildlife parks. There are many recurring ‘characters’ and there is a rhythm and format to the shows that includes the ‘circling back’ technique.
They begin with one animal arriving at the vet or animal hospital, start the diagnosis process, and then switch to another animal’s story. The show then adds at least a third and sometimes a fourth storyline. Each storyline gets about ten minutes of show time, but as each segment ends, you’re left with questions. Will the animal survive? What will the diagnosis be? What treatment will they come up with?
In Bondi Vet, the stories are all independent of one another, often taking place at different hospitals or wildlife parks, but the technique of leaving a story hanging and circling back to it after skipping to another story is effective at keeping people watching.
This technique, when the storylines are related to one another is even more effective.
As you weave the two (or more) storylines together, there is a sense of inevitability that comes over the reader. The storylines will collide at the end of the story into a grand climax, and reward the reader with a satisfying ending.
By using the circling back structure, you can create a layered, complex plot that intersects at critical times to further the story. You can see this in romances when the author switches point of view characters between the hero and heroine. In suspense, the author has plenty of opportunities to switch storylines, often between the hero and the villain, to circle back. One master of this method was the author Tom Clancy, whose massive military/spy/political thrillers featured several major and a few minor storylines, all traveling from different directions into one massive climactic ending.
Part of the fun of a story that uses the circling back technique, is that it keeps you wondering how the storylines are related, and how they are going to clash at the end.
By making the reader wait, you can build anticipation and satisfaction. It keeps the reader turning those pages and hoping to get their questions answered, while constantly posing new ones.
Have you encountered the circle back technique in your reading? Have you tried it as a writer?
He’s doing what he can to save the Prince Regent’s life . . . but can he save his new marriage as well?
Evan Eldridge never meant to be a war hero–he just wanted to fight Napoleon for the future of his country. And he certainly didn’t think that saving the life of a peer would mean being made the Earl of Whitelock. But when the life you save is dear to the Prince Regent, things can change in a hurry.
Now Evan has a new title, a manor house in shambles, and a stranger for a bride, all thrust upon him by a grateful ruler. What he doesn’t have are all his memories. Traumatized as a result of his wounds and bravery on the battlefield, Evan knows there’s something he can’t quite remember. It’s important, dangerous–and if he doesn’t recall it in time, will jeopardize not only his marriage but someone’s very life.
Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she married her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!