Time travel fiction presents one of storytelling's greatest challenges: crafting narratives that leap between past, present, and future without losing readers. This comprehensive guide explores establishing consistent time travel rules, managing multiple timelines, avoiding common paradoxes, and maintaining emotional stakes that transcend temporal complexity for compelling temporal narratives.
The traditional Hero's Journey doesn't quite fit modern speculative fiction. When your hero navigates fractured realities instead of ordinary worlds, faces cosmic mentors who mislead rather than guide, and returns with complex truths rather than simple wisdom, you need a fresh approach. Here's how to adapt Campbell's monomyth for other worlds.
Character transformation lies at the heart of compelling speculative fiction. Whether your protagonist wields magic or pilots starships, their inner journey must resonate just as deeply as their fantastical adventures. The most memorable speculative characters experience recognizable emotional journeys while navigating extraordinary circumstances, with supernatural abilities reflecting internal growth rather than merely increasing power.
World-building is essential in science fiction and fantasy, creating immersive worlds for readers to explore and enjoy. Core elements include creating consistent settings, unique cultures, and understanding the rules of magic or science. Researching real-world cultures and integrating languages can add depth, while exercises can help bring fictional worlds to life.
Recap: Last week we covered building your world from the world-out. Topics included defining where your world is in its evolution on your novel’s timeline and where your world began. Today will continue along this path as you fill your world with characters. Definitions: Archetype: a very typical example of a certain person or thing. …
Continue reading World-Building: Building Characters from Genre
Kenneth W. Myers 