How to Use Aeon Timeline

How to Use Aeon Timeline

To begin, get familiar with Aeon Timeline’s vocabulary.

Entity—people, locations, story arcs, projects, etc. associated with events

Event—an occurrence on the timeline

Relationship—a connection between an Entity and an Event

Group—a set of entities based on their relationship

Aeon Timeline allows a user to jump in right away in creating a project. No pre-planning necessary, as the program can change and adapt elements as the project changes.

The following directions are for writing a fiction novel, novella, or short story.

Starting a project

• Select a Template.
• Click Choose or Customize. Each template had unique entities and options.
• The blank screen will appear with dates across the top and bottom. Scroll to your time period.

Adding Entities

Characters

I recommend adding Characters (Entities) before Events. In the long run, it saves time. Characters are easy to drop into events.

• Click on the Add Entity icon (a head with a plus sign and down arrow).
• Add Character.
• In the new window, add a name and birthdate for the character. (And death date if you have one.)
• Follow the above steps to add each character. 

Story Arcs

• Click on the Add Entity and choose Add Arc.
• Add in story arcs to track events. (His internal conflict, her external conflict, etc.)

Setting

• Click on Add Entity and choose Add Place.
• Type the name of setting locations for events. These can be added as details for events. 

Events

Adding Events.

• Double-click on the date of the Event.
• In the pop-up window, title the Event.
• Choose a color for the Event to link it to other Events.
• Select a time frame for the Event.
• Click on the small green plus sign to add Participants in the Event (characters).
• Click on the small green plus sign to add Observers to the Event.
• Follow the same steps to add locations and Arc information.

Editing Events

• Click on the Event. On the right-hand side of the screen, details of the Event will appear.

o   Range: Add a duration time for the Event. (Days, hours, seconds)

o   Values: Add a summary to the Event.

o   Roles: Manage character (Entity) roles in the Event.

o   Links: Add external links to research, images, etc.

Other ways to Edit/View Events

• Click on Event and drag to a new start time.
• Press Alt on the keyboard and click and drag the Event to change the end duration.
• Click on the Zoom at the top of the page. Drag the slide to move on the timeline.
• Use the bottom slider to move up and down the timeline.

Timeline Settings

• Click the Settings icon on the left side of the page.

o   Range—Choose the type of date and length of zoom.

o   Properties—Adjust tension, completion and summary fields. Click the green plus to add more fields.

o   Entity Types—Adjust fields/icons for characters, arcs, and locations. Add more with the green plus.

o   Colors—Add labels to colors. Double-click on color for more choices.

All changes can be saved as a custom template by clicking the button at the bottom of the screen.

These instructions will get a project started. Aeon Timeline is a powerful and sophisticated program. The more you use it, the more you will learn. Watch the tutorial videos on their website (link). They are easy to follow and infinitely helpful.