All of the Aeon Timeline information for a linked document can be viewed in the Inspector, as per the following screenshot: And most importantly, all of this information (except for the two control fields marked in red) can be edited directly within Scrivener when writing, and synchronised back to the Aeon Timeline file at a later time. Aeon Timeline So in this screenshot you can see that you have the inspector on the right, which is where you can fill out all of the details of the event your adding to your timeline on the left. At the top is the global timeline, underneath I put four timelines for my main characters.
I’ve been working with Aeon Timeline 2 software this past week, learning all the new features that were added with the upgrade from the first version. I need to keep up with timelines when I write, and the visuals available on AT2 make it easy to find the exact dates when events take place in my fictional worlds. Glancing at the screen for a couple seconds beats the hell out of having to skim through multiple chapters to figure out when characters met or major plot points occur. Especially when I’m working on a series.
There’s a bit of a learning curve involved in figuring out all the new perks offered in Aeon Timeline 2. It’s really not difficult at all, but I spent a few hours looking at the user manual, tutorials, and YouTube videos to understand all the features and the ways other writers utilize them. It’s easy once you learn how everything works.
The main thing I need in a timeline is obviously dated events, color coded for subplots and threads and such. The next major thing is linking characters to these events. Aeon lets you associate a character with an event as either a participant or a witness to what takes place, and best of all, it automatically calculates their ages for each event. That alone saves me a ton of time since I’m currently working on a series that spans hundred of years.
This software syncs with Scrivener, which is awesome! All I have to do to create a timeline that goes with my Work-in-Progress is open Aeon, click the sync tab, and choose which Scrivener project I need. Then it’s a simple matter of choosing which events I need to sync between Aeon and Scrivener. The Project Sync Settings let you choose exactly what you allow to sync, so you don’t have to worry about files getting bogged down with stuff you don’t want. One timeline can be synced with multiple Scrivener projects, which makes it ideal for working on series and sequels. Mine is currently set up so that events sync to the timeline already color coded to match labels I assigned in Scrivener, with their start and end dates so they pop in exactly where they go. You can see screenshots from Aeon’s website here.
I’ve been playing around with the setting, trying to figure out the best way to customize a template for my novels. If you have any tips or tricks for working with Aeon Timeline 2, please share them in the comments. 🙂
What are Attachments?
Events can have attachments associated with them. These are files that you can add from your iPad, iCloud or Dropbox account that are copied into your timeline. This will increase the size of your timeline file, however they will always be available in your timeline so you will still be able to access them if you are sharing the timeline between devices, or with the Desktop application.
Under the Attachments heading in the inspector, you can:
- Add new attachments by tapping on the + symbol. This will open a file browser window, which will let you browse files on your iPad, iCloud and Dropbox account. Choose the file you want to attach and tap Done.
- Remove an attachment by tapping Edit, selecting the attachment to remove and tapping Delete attachment.
- Open an attachment by clicking on its title
What are Images?
Images are a special type of attachment which you can associate with an event. Once you add an image, it will then display in the inspector for that event. You can only add one image per event.
When you add an image, it will give you three options
Aeon Timeline With Scrivener
- Camera Roll
- File Browser
- Capture new photo
Aeon Timeline For Mac
Camera Roll
A popup window will appear which will allow you to browse the images taken by your iPad and stored in your Camera Roll. Tap on the image you want to add.
File Browser
A file browser window will appear that will allow you to browse files stored on your iPad, iCloud Drive and Dropbox account. Files must be of the format PNG, JPG, GIF or BMP to be added as an image.
Aeon Timeline Software
Capture new photo
Aeon Timeline With Scrivener
This will launch the camera on your iPad. Once you have taken a photo, it will ask you if you want to Use the Photo, or Retake. Once you are happy with the photo you can add it to the timeline.
Once the image has been added, you can tap on it in the inspector to view the full size image, remove the image, or choose another.
Aeon Timeline Software
Images are similar to attachments in that they are copied into your timeline file. Therefore if you are sharing your timeline file between devices or the Desktop version, your image will always be available.