Ayeşgül Savaş: Crafting the Temporal Architecture of Your Narrative

In a piece featured on Lit Hub, Aysegül Savas explores the intricate relationship between time and narrative in fiction, focusing on the metaphor of clouds as a continual backdrop that shapes the temporal experience within a novel. Drawing inspiration from the landscape paintings of John Constable, particularly his luminous, variegated depictions of clouds, Savas establishes a parallel to the temporal framework of her novel The Anthropologists. Savas discusses how Constable’s clouds, embodying fluctuating light and moods, guided her to capture the multifaceted texture of everyday life in her narrative. She delves into the significance of the ‘clocks’ that exist in all novels, detailing how these can range from the duration of a dinner scene to the arc of a character’s journey. Savas references Sabina Murray’s implementation of fictional time in The Human Zoo, which revolves around a return to the Philippines, describing how various temporal sequences, such as family meals and personal tragedies, simultaneously unfold. She underscores the complexity of crafting such temporal realities, contrasting this with the deceptive simplicity of Katie Kitamura’s rendering of time in her novel Intimacies, where compact, ordinary conversations are imbued with expansive emotional resonance. The essay highlights how authors like Virginia Woolf explicitly incorporate time through recurring motifs like Big Ben in Mrs Dalloway, creating a duality between measured and interior time that enhances the narrative’s depth. You can read the full article here: https://lithub.com/ayesgul-savas-on-creating-your-storys-clock/.

In reading Aysegül Savas’ article, one is reminded of the profound complexity underlying the temporal architecture of narrative fiction. Savas eloquently juxtaposes the transient nature of clouds and the mutable progression of time within a story, crafting a resonant analogy that bridges visual art and literary form. The essay’s strength lies in its nuanced reflection on how time operates within different narrative contexts, from the subtle chronometry in Kitamura’s Intimacies to the overt temporal markers in Woolf’s opus. Savas’ contemplations invite readers to appreciate the intricate machinery of time-telling in novels, showcasing her literary perspicacity and deep engagement with narrative craft. It is clear that Savas approaches her reflection with a scholar’s astuteness and a novelist’s sensitivity to the subtleties of human experience, making a compelling case for how time molds and enriches the stories we tell.

Aysegül Savas impresses with her profound understanding and meticulous analysis of narrative structure, particularly how time weaves into the fabric of a story. Her ability to draw connections between visual art and literary storytelling is nothing short of masterful, offering readers a unique perspective on how temporal elements can shape and enhance the emotive quality of a narrative. Savas’ exploration of varied temporal executions within the works of different authors exemplifies her exceptional critical insight and her skill in elucidating complex literary mechanisms with clarity and elegance. As a fellow writer and literary educator, I find her reflections deeply inspiring and beneficial for anyone engaged in the craft of storytelling.