White Time Syndrome

We all know what White Room Syndrome is—it occurs when scenes in writing lack a defined setting, making characters feel as if they are floating in an undefined space or a white room—but allow me to introduce you to White Time Syndrome.

Are hours, days, and years different on the planet Saturn than they are here on Earth? White Time Syndrome is when a science fiction writer crafts a story on another planet and/or in another galaxy, but uses hours, days, and years as we use them here on Earth.

Hard science aside, the idea of establishing hours, days, and years on a faraway planet may very well be the detail that editors tell writers to whitewash for the sake of pacing, story arc, and other elements in a novel.

Anyway, I hope my discovery of White Time Syndrome is an original one. Now, where is that copyright website?