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Index Combining the Eras V 2.0 A Time Travel Index and Discussion Thread -- New Discussion!

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by TimeTravelIndex, Sep 5, 2006.

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  1. Idrelle_Miocovani

    Idrelle_Miocovani Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Feb 5, 2005
    Sorry I couldn't be any more help to you earlier with your story, Liz. :( [:D]

    So, we still have some time travel geeks out there? :-B If I was feeling creative today, I'd come up with a new discussion topic, but they're eluding me right now. :p
     
  2. Jedi_Liz

    Jedi_Liz Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Apr 24, 2000
    Its okay, Idri. You're busy with college/university related stuff.

    I'm sure I'll find someone else to help me when I'm really ready to write. ;)


    I LOVE the idea of time travel, but so few stories are actually continued once they start -- due to lack of interest, loss of ideas, etc.




     
  3. Idrelle_Miocovani

    Idrelle_Miocovani Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Feb 5, 2005
    It's like that for any kind of story, but I do wonder why there seems to be so many incomplete/on hiatus time travel stories. [face_thinking] What causes those things you mentioned like lack of interest and loss of ideas? Is it due to the time travel aspect, or some other part of the story? [face_thinking]
     
  4. Persephone_Kore

    Persephone_Kore Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 19, 2006
    Hm. If time-travel stories really tend to fall off more often than other long stories... maybe it's a plot element where it's particularly easy to come up with a concept and then realize you aren't quite sure how to follow through? This can be an issue with non-time-travelly "strict" AUs as well -- not the "anything that doesn't match every fragment of EU material ever published" meaning of AU, but the ones where you're specifically changing something and trying to follow out the consequences. Sometimes you get tangled up.
     
  5. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    *time-travel geek raises hand*

    I definitely enjoy a good time-travel story, although I haven't made much time recently to search them out. It's funny that this thread just happened to resurface, because I just started watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles online, and I've always loved the first two Terminator movies, in which time-travel obviously plays a big part. :p

    I think Persephone_Kore hit the nail on the head. I'd bet when authors try to figure out how every little change will affect the timeline, it probably gets overwhelming. I like to write AUs, and I can totally confirm the feeling of being overwhelmed by the story you've created. AUs where one change alters the timeline and pure time-travel fics do seem very similar in that way. It's hard to follow the ripples all the way out to the conclusion.

    With that being said, I've actually been considering starting a time-travel fic. (Once I've got it outlined and planned out to the end, because I so do not want to fall into that same old rut where you can't figure out how to finish the dang story!);)

    Yah, I need to get back into reading time-travel fics. I've missed it.
     
  6. Darthbane2007

    Darthbane2007 Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 31, 2007
    I have a question about time travel:

    How do you all work it out?

    Because my consensus is that, If Luke was to go back in time for example to prevent Anakin from falling to the dark side, then that would change the whole future wouldn't it?
     
  7. Idrelle_Miocovani

    Idrelle_Miocovani Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Feb 5, 2005
    Extreme AUs are fun and I do love the planning chaos time travel fics cause if you don't have a good way out of it. I know of one fic where it certainly seemed like a time travel fic until right at the end where it was revealed the main characters were actually in a parallel world, so their time stream was not changed at all.

    To answer Darthband2007's question, I have that exact problem with my own time travel epic, except Luke's not the one trying to prevent Anakin from falling to the dark side. It would change the entire future -- so I have extensive notes on why things in the new future are the way they are because of the actions that were changed in the past, if that makes any sense. It takes a lot of planning and I've also discovered that it is also very difficult to change certain elements (depending on how your outline is) once you get started. Getting stuck in a rut was probably one of my biggest fears when I first got started, but planning really is the key. Of course, little things do crop up that you might want to change in the writing of the fic.

    For some parts, I actually worked backwards. I started with what I wanted to have in the future and worked backwards to figure out what steps would have to be taken in the past to have that happen. :p
     
  8. Lanta

    Lanta Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 20, 2007

    Interesting discussion... here's my own input.

    I tried to write a time travel fic a couple of months ago (one going back in time I mean: I've already written a short fic where someone goes forward in time) and I enjoyed myself for the first few scenes, but then I hit a complete block and haven't been able to write any more of it. The reason:

    I'd planned the overall scenario, but I didn't have a clue about any plot points not directly related to the time travel. And the story didn't work without something else happening.

    That might just be me, though. I'm not really any good yet at longer fics (and I don't have enough time to practice at them so on the occasion I write now, I tend to stick to short things).

    I have masses of ideas for SW time travel fics though if anybody wants them!
     
  9. Persephone_Kore

    Persephone_Kore Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 19, 2006
    That's actually one of the main things to consider in plotting a time travel fic -- or for that matter some other variety of AU. Is the story you want to tell about how things change, or about how they're different afterwards? Sometimes this can help you come up with an ending before you wander off into plot limbo.

    (On the other hand, sometimes you find out you were mistaken.)
     
  10. Jedi_Liz

    Jedi_Liz Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2000
    I kind of already know what sort of things I'll have changed in the altered future........but what I'm really having a problem with is just my introductory post for the story (which I am trying to plan out way before I post).

    I don't want to mess it up, cause I am writing this in a brand new little notebook.



    Is there anyone who would like to assist me with my story? Its the basic plot of Luke and Leia go back in time; my story is having them go to the time of AOTC.

     
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