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How do you write a scene where one character tells a long story to another? (Question about tense and chapter format)
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I don't want to use the past perfect tense (or whatever it's called), and I don't want pages of quotation marks. I'd like the story to be a chapter of itself. But, how to I make it expressly clear to the reader that the action took place 20 years ago and is told by a narrator who is not the protagonist.

I know I've read dozens of books where this happens, but I can't seem to find a good example to work off. (I know this also sounds like a really stupid question).

Thanks for your help.

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13 years ago