The Time Traveler’s Guide examines the writing of time travel stories and historical fiction. The book examines the definition of time travel and historical fiction, the creation of time machines, methods and devices, selecting historical eras and settings, creating characters and crafting dialogue, common issues with time travel stories, the importance of research, plausibility, description, and plot, and with writing about time travel into the future, alternate history, and parallel universes.
The Time Traveler’s Guide examines the writing of time travel stories and historical fiction. Books always transport us to other places, especially stories involving time travel or those set in different historical eras.
The book examines the definition of time travel and historical fiction, the creation of time machines, methods and devices, selecting historical eras and settings, and creating characters and crafting dialogue. The book also explores common issues with time travel stories, and the importance of research, plausibility, description, and plot, along with writing about time travel into the future, alternate history, and parallel universes.
The Time Traveler’s Guide is an excellent resource for those writing time travel or historical fiction stories for both children and adults.
Excerpt
Introduction
This book explores the creation of time travel stories and examines the writing of historical fiction. Books are always able to transport us to other places and this is certainly the case with stories involving time travel or those set in a different historical era.
Stories featuring time travel inevitably overlap with other genres. Authors of novels involving journeys into the past have to contend with many of the issues faced by authors of historical fiction. Stories involving time travel into the future or into alternate timelines have many things in common with complex science fiction adventures.
My novels The Alchemist’s Portrait, The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, The Heretic’s Tomb, The Time Camera, Flashback, and Future Imperfect all feature time travel. Although these novels are written for young adults many of the themes explored in the following chapters are also applicable to those authors that are writing for adults.
This book examines the definition of time travel and historical fiction, along with the creation of imaginary yet plausible time travel machines, methods, and devices. Each chapter explores the appeal of certain historical eras for time travel stories, the importance of historical research when choosing a setting, creating characters and crafting dialogue, stories featuring travel to the future, and the genre of alternate history. Common mistakes and issues related to writing about time travel are also covered.
Professional Reviews
Readers' Favorite
“The Time Traveler’s Guide: Writing Time Travel Stories and Historical Fiction serves as a go-to reference when writing both historical fiction books and novels that include elements of time travel. The book begins by asking the question: What is time travel? The concept of time travel is portrayed in both books and movies and, as such, a writer should be aware of the problems associated with time travel. The author should also note that time travel goes hand-in-hand with historical fiction in many cases and, with the exception of traveling into the future, it is crucial to know the facts about certain time periods. Author Simon Rose stresses the importance of accuracy in depicting historical eras, and making sure to incorporate realistic backgrounds and landscapes. In other words, the writer should make sure modern items such as cell phones, zippers, or even foods are not used in the wrong time period. The book also mentions how time travel is used in popular stories, such as Back to the Future and the Harry Potter novels.
I enjoyed reading The Time Traveler’s Guide: Writing Time Travel Stories and Historical Fiction and learning about how to construct stories in genres that might include the topic. In particular, it was useful to learn about the ways time travel might be accomplished, such as magic, machine, and even sleep. My favorite part of the book was the list provided of different time periods, including Egypt, medieval times, the Renaissance, the Victorian era, and the pirate era. Author Simon Rose also provides writing tips in general, such as character description (flaws and fears) and how to pace a story. This is a unique book, overall, and I recommend it to writers and those interested in methods of time travel in general.”
Ashley Howland
“Time travel is a common theme in many books and movies. It’s also one of the most challenging things to write. Simon Rose has written a book full of advice for creating a time travel story. It’s a great idea and coming from an experienced writer who has frequently used time travel it’s an excellent resource. This little gem covers everything from how the character moves across time frames, to advice on researching and a whole lot more. It is certainly worth reading, even if time travel is not your thing. The Time Traveler’s Guide is a great resource for any writer wanting to improve their craft stories for both children and adults. I have read all of Simon’s books and have thoroughly enjoyed them all, this book shows just how much research he must have put into his books and why there were so great to read.”
Amazon
“Simon Rose’s Time Traveler’s Guide takes you on a detailed journey through the world of time travel from the writer’s perspective, providing guidance on what the author needs to consider to create an authentic and believable story that incorporates the complex concept of time travel. Simon provides numerous examples throughout the text that examine various ways to travel in time (past, future, alternate history and parallel universes) and how to ground your story in a way that makes it plausible. As Rose points out, the credibility of your time travel concepts are critical as such stories often overlap with historical fiction. Many readers are well versed in historical events so accuracy is crucial in establishing a solid plot – your research is vital. The setting, character development (dialogue, personalities, names, clothing), medicine, language and popular people of the era contribute to a stories solid foundation. For those writing time travel and/or historical fiction stories this book is an excellent way to get started. Many of your questions will be answered and Rose will provide you with the insight you need to overcome the challenges that come with writing in this genre.”
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