Another way to keep timelines in order is to use a spreadsheet with the dates as column headers and lines for each scene or chapter. That way at a glance you can see what’s going on for different characters, who can be color coded.

This is particularly important with multiple viewpoints to make sure the story action is coordinated between characters. It’s not always easy to keep track of who is doing what and the last thing you need is to have something out of sequence.

The record keeping side of writing a novel is often a real nuisance when you just want to be creative. However, it usually pays off by saving you time in the long run.