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Was just curious to see if anyone has experience writing a story with a strong time travel element, or just has thoughts on the subject, and specifically as relates to this:-
I'm underway on a new YA WIP but today discovered a whole lot of negative online opinion.. Example: "I hate time travel as a device in fiction. It generates paradoxes and plot holes that are virtually unresolvable..."
Yes. My discovery today is it seems plenty of people have a very hard time liking time travel stories, films, etc, what with all the supposed irregularities and glaring problems that are inherent (apparently) in almost in neary all time travel examples. And today I found plenty of scorn directed towards a large range of popular and succesful literature and films such as, variously, The Time Machine, The Matrix, The Time Traveller's Wife, Back To The Future, Harry Potter series, Dr. Who, 12 Monkeys, et al.
Plus also, when it wasn't a derisory attitude being pointed towards this sub-genre, I found it bafflingly complex in terms of how people say you should approach writing this, specially when citing physics, quantum physics, and even 'Infinitive Universe Theory'... seriously.
I mean, I appreciate you have to take care of the internal logic here re how the time travel component works, but I didn't see this as such a massive problem area. First and foremost I'm attracted to the basic idea of the time travel aspect and how it can really fire the imagination, and how there is often a certain sense of fun and style. And taking some of the above examples as an illustration, I've personally never paid much thought to plot hole/paradox considerations - (... but if so-and-so went back in time they'd be changing history that has already been set in that universe... Or, if you go back in history you become part of the events that formed the past...) - no, I've just fallen under the spell of whatever it was and very largely ignored any fixating on these glitches or whatever.
Anyhow, I'm now bound to ask the question: am I being naive in not appreciating the depth of this issue?
Would love to hear from people with thoughts on this subject. Many thanks in advance to anyone who may wish to share their views.
Best wishes
Rohan
I'm underway on a new YA WIP but today discovered a whole lot of negative online opinion.. Example: "I hate time travel as a device in fiction. It generates paradoxes and plot holes that are virtually unresolvable..."
Yes. My discovery today is it seems plenty of people have a very hard time liking time travel stories, films, etc, what with all the supposed irregularities and glaring problems that are inherent (apparently) in almost in neary all time travel examples. And today I found plenty of scorn directed towards a large range of popular and succesful literature and films such as, variously, The Time Machine, The Matrix, The Time Traveller's Wife, Back To The Future, Harry Potter series, Dr. Who, 12 Monkeys, et al.
Plus also, when it wasn't a derisory attitude being pointed towards this sub-genre, I found it bafflingly complex in terms of how people say you should approach writing this, specially when citing physics, quantum physics, and even 'Infinitive Universe Theory'... seriously.
I mean, I appreciate you have to take care of the internal logic here re how the time travel component works, but I didn't see this as such a massive problem area. First and foremost I'm attracted to the basic idea of the time travel aspect and how it can really fire the imagination, and how there is often a certain sense of fun and style. And taking some of the above examples as an illustration, I've personally never paid much thought to plot hole/paradox considerations - (... but if so-and-so went back in time they'd be changing history that has already been set in that universe... Or, if you go back in history you become part of the events that formed the past...) - no, I've just fallen under the spell of whatever it was and very largely ignored any fixating on these glitches or whatever.
Anyhow, I'm now bound to ask the question: am I being naive in not appreciating the depth of this issue?
Would love to hear from people with thoughts on this subject. Many thanks in advance to anyone who may wish to share their views.
Best wishes
Rohan