Always consider the time element

The time element is an important and yet often overlooked aspect of any story we're writing. A history book may cover centuries from beginning to end. The reader must be able to put it into context and perspective. How much time has elapsed from one chapter to another? From one paragraph to another?
Effective use of the time element can create great suspense without using many words. "Her plane was due in at 4:40 p.m. It was now 6:15." Or "The execution was to take place at midnight. A clock on the wall was silent, and yet it wasn't. It seemed to be shouting, "Tick...Tick...Tick. It was 11:55."
I have recently completed a book about the 1964 Democratic Convention involving several powerful forces all clashing in a space of four days in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The suspense builds from one day to the next.
The author Jim Bishop wrote a series of books on famous days in history such as "The Day Kennedy was Shot" and "The Day Christ Died." The interesting thing about books like these is that the reader already knows the ending. The power of the story is in the telling - and the time element is a powerful tool for the writer.