So I'm outlining this story currently and I want to tell it over a time period of five years. Got me wondering whether this was a harder thing to do or easier thing to do. I know there are whole "biographies" for characters lives in stories and Catcher in the Rye takes place over two days. I'm wondering what the advantages and disadvantages are of short vs average vs long timescales and what you would recommend for a beginner writer? The character is beginning secondary school (High School in the UK) he's 11 years old and I want to tell the story right until the end of school when he's 16. The plot in no way revolves around school, but it begins with the day before the first day of school and I'd like the end to reflect the beginning to give a clear contrast of character growth.
You can always use the chapters as a way to describe how long it has been between chapters. Say, Chapter 7, Two months later. Helps keep it linear. If the book ends up being too long you can always see if you can break it up into two novels. It can be done, just depends on how you do it.
I was advised to drop the day and time from my chapter titles. Mine takes place over about a week and I started with chapters like Monday 8 AM - Ron's Problem. The local review group didn't like it, and insisted you can work it into the text.
