NovelTalk - Writing Time Travel

Time Travel

Good time travel can be some of the most compelling fiction ever written. It's the classic fish out of water story with a twist--and a half. The potential for both angst and humor is endless, and adventure and conflict are built right into the story.

When it's done right. . .

Everyone who knows me, also knows I hate rules when it comes to writing.

The same holds true for time travel stories. There are no rules. None. However, there are certain elements that can make a time travel better, more compelling, and more believable for the reader.

I know what I like as a reader, and I try to incorporate those elements in my own stories. I dislike time travels that leave me with a feeling of uncertainty at the end. Did the time travel occur for this character or not? Books that incorporate hypnosis or the proverbial bump on the head can sometimes leave a reader with that question at the end. An author must be very careful in order to make this work. Another pet peeve of mine is the resolution. Give me the real hero and heroine at the end - not a reincarnated substitute, unless the author has foreshadowed this ending in such a way that I'm able to suspend disbelief, and accept the new hero or heroine without question. Sometimes I'm left feeling as if the author pulled the reincarnated hero or heroine out at the end because she couldn't think of any other way to make the story work. That's a cop-out, in my humble opinion.

Back in the late 80s to early 90s, it seemed that many historicals were being published as time travels for marketing purposes. Most of these books fell short of being satisfying reads. Why? Because the time travel element wasn't intrinsic to the plot. In other words, there was no reason for it to happen, and it seemed forced - thrown in strictly for marketing, while time travels were really hot. Unfortunately--IMHO--this practice also contributed to the near-death of this beloved sub-genre.

My time travelers always have a mission to fulfill. There's must be a reason for the time travel to occur. There should also be a very specific set of circumstances necessary for the time travel to occur. In other words, I avoid the "revolving door" time portal, where characters jet back and forth in time on several occasions throughout the story.

In SOME LIKE IT HOTTER--AKA "Dirty Harry Meets Scarlett O'Hara"--the time-traveling hero has a definite mission. His mission, its importance to the story, and to the romance is one of the things that make time travels really work. This isn't only true of time travel. Let's face it, a romantic suspense that ties the suspense element to the romantic element is the very best.

The time travel craze has waned somewhat, though I don't think time travel romance will ever really die. Readers are voracious, and they beg authors to keep writing time travels. However, the cold truth is that publishers aren't reporting sales good enough to keep publishing many time travels. This is one reason it's so crucial for us all to remember before we purchase a book used that's still available new, that we may be limiting the future availability of our favorite sub-genre.

I fully intend to keep writing time travels. As a reader and as an author, I find visiting history from a contemporary point of view the most satisfying of all romance novels.

Time Travels by Deb Stover:

A MOMENT IN TIME (June 2000)
ANOTHER DAWN (January 1999)
ALMOST AN ANGEL (November 1997)
SOME LIKE IT HOTTER (April 1997)
A WILLING SPIRIT (October 1996)
SHADES OF ROSE (June 1995)

Reincarnation Novels by Deb Stover
MULLIGAN STEW (June 2002)
MULLIGAN MAGIC (April 2003)

Time Travel Novellas:

MURDER MOST ROMANTIC,
"Keeper of the Well"

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING
"Citizen Daisy" September 2002

All Novels and Novellas by Deb Stover