Instead of explaining a sequence of events through simply writing an essay, you can use a graphical timeline. Apple's Pages program allows for easy creation and manipulation of shapes and text boxes, making creating a proper timeline a breeze. Inserting photos is simple as well, as Pages allows for drag-and-drop insertion of graphical elements. You may wish to draw a quick sketch of your timeline on paper so you have a sense of the scope of time you want to cover.

  • Instead of explaining a sequence of events through simply writing an essay, you can use a graphical timeline.
  • Apple's Pages program allows for easy creation and manipulation of shapes and text boxes, making creating a proper timeline a breeze.

Open the Pages program and create a new "Page Layout" document in landscape mode.

Click on the "Shape" tool in the main toolbar and select the line tool.

Click and drag to draw a line across the centre of the page. Hold down the "Shift" key as you do so to keep the line straight.

Use the line formatting tool in the left hand corner of the main toolbar to change the line's thickness and style if you wish.

Continue to use the line drawing tool to create each intersection on the line for each event and each date you would like to list. If you want all the intersecting lines to be the same size, you can duplicate them. To do so, click on one and hold down the "Command" key and press "D". Every time you press D, you will get another line, exactly the same as the first.

  • Use the line formatting tool in the left hand corner of the main toolbar to change the line's thickness and style if you wish.
  • Continue to use the line drawing tool to create each intersection on the line for each event and each date you would like to list.

Click on the "Text Box" tool in the main toolbar and create a text box next to each line that intersects your timeline. Enter the event or date in the text box. Adjust the formatting of the text using the text formatting tools, as necessary.

Locate photos to illustrate your events if possible. Drag these files from your computer or the Internet onto the document and resize them, as needed.

Click on "File" and then "Print" to print your timeline.

TIP

If you cannot fit all the text for an event in the text box, reduce the font size further, or add additional carriage returns (press "Return") within the body of your text to change the line breaks.

WARNING

In Pages, you can't have a shape flow from one page to another. If your timeline must flow onto a second page, you will need to create an additional timeline on the second one.