A Tale As Old As Time

A Tale as Olde as Time...

by Deb Stover

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, with both adventure and conflict built right into the story.

Try to incorporate the elements we like to read in our own stories. If time travels that leave the reader with a feeling of uncertainty become wall-bangers for you, then make satisfying resolutions one of your primary goals. Books that incorporate dreams, hypnosis, or the proverbial bump on the head can sometimes leave a reader with a huge question at the end. An author must be very careful in order to make this work. Furthermore, most readers prefer to have the real hero and heroine together at the end, unless the author has foreshadowed this ending in such a way that the reader is able to accept the new hero or heroine without question. The reader shouldn't be left wondering 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.

When time travels were really hot, it seemed that many historicals were being published as time travels for marketing purposes. Some 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. If a story isn't totally entwined with the time travel and vice versa, it's superfluous.
Time travelers should always have a mission. In my first book, the hero had to prevent he heroine's murder. In my second book, the hero wanted to take his great-great-grandfather's killer to justice. In Some Like it Hotter (Dirty Harry Meets Scarlett O'Hara) the hero's mission and its importance to the story make the time travel element indispensable. Mike sells his soul to the devil to go back in time one day to prevent his partner's murder, but the devil's minion sends him back one day plus over a century. In Almost an Angel, the hero falls in love with the heroine as a ghost, then is thrown back to the weeks leading up to the crime for which she was hanged in the first history. In Another Dawn, Luke is a wrongfully convicted and condemned man who just wants freedom, but justice and retribution play a role as well, with redemption not far behind. A Moment in Time is a woman in search of happiness and a man with a promise to fulfill.

There should also be a very specific set of circumstances necessary for the time travel to occur. In other words, avoid the "revolving door" time portal, where characters jet back and forth in time on several occasions throughout the story. If traveling through time is a simple matter for the character, the conflict and suspense is greatly diminished.

One of the pure joys of writing time travel is being able to look at history from a contemporary point of view. For a modern-day history buff, this is a dream come true. The contemporary character's voice must be clearly distinguishable from the historical characters, in both speech and narrative. Each character has his or her own store of knowledge, and that is based on their period of origin, education, religion, and gender.

Details count. Your contemporary hero's reaction to finding coffee grounds in his cup, for example, might make him wish for Mr. Coffee. A contemporary heroine might offer her kingdom for some modern convenience she left in her time--or her feminine hygiene products. And trivia can be a blast--have fun with it. If characters adjust too easily to the time travel conundrum, then why not write a straight historical instead?

The time travel method isn't as important as the story or the romance. However, if the method is too unbelievable, too technical, or too simple, you may lose your reader before the end of chapter one. Be adventurous, but remember that it's the author's job to help the reader suspend disbelief.

These are merely suggestions--not rules. There's no quantum theory cop looking over your shoulder. As a matter of fact, there are only two rules to writing good fiction, and these hold true for time travel as much, or more, than any other sub-genre:

1. Don't bore your reader.
2. Be true to character.

Being true to character while writing time travel can take on a whole new meaning. The challenge of trying to balance the historical and contemporary voices made one writer ask for the Ibuprofen, while another said she needed a stiff drink. Others dance for joy.

Shall we dance...?

Deb Stover's eighth novel and sixth time travel, A Moment in Time, is now available.
www.debstover.com for more information.