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Instead of a character ending up in the distant past or future, I'm interested in 'mental time travel', where a character's mind is put into their own younger body. Tvtropes link (warning this site can be addictive) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MentalTimeTravel This is a fairly common device in facfiction because it's a great vehicle for a "fix-it" story, where a character gets a re-do of their life and prevents the tragedies, injustices, unpreparedness, or mistakes that happen in the cannon story. I'm having trouble converting this to an original novel though.
I want to start with a climactic failure and the main character unlocking the ability to rewind time. The problem is, how do I make a climactic failure (particularly a non-fatal failure) seem as important and emotional as it should if I only have a chapter to introduce the characters and action involved, instead of a whole canon novel or even series of novels??
Then after the main character goes back in time the first time, the main character will know all the other characters and care strongly about them... but the reader won't. Same kind of problem - how can I get the reader oriented and strongly emotionally involved in the main character's memories and loyalties in only a chapter?
Aside from specific suggestions about how to tackle this story set-up, if anyone knows of a blog or article about establishing strong reader orientation or investment quickly, links would be helpful.
I want to start with a climactic failure and the main character unlocking the ability to rewind time. The problem is, how do I make a climactic failure (particularly a non-fatal failure) seem as important and emotional as it should if I only have a chapter to introduce the characters and action involved, instead of a whole canon novel or even series of novels??
Then after the main character goes back in time the first time, the main character will know all the other characters and care strongly about them... but the reader won't. Same kind of problem - how can I get the reader oriented and strongly emotionally involved in the main character's memories and loyalties in only a chapter?
Aside from specific suggestions about how to tackle this story set-up, if anyone knows of a blog or article about establishing strong reader orientation or investment quickly, links would be helpful.