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How to do Time Travel in the Story the Right Way
Sunfire
CONTENTS
The Premise
There are a myriad number of themes and ideas to explore when putting together a story set in the fantasy world you’re creating. While it can be hard to narrow it down to just a few, which is one reason why having brainstorming sessions is important, it’s easier for both you and the audience in the long run. This gives you more time to hone in on them and nowhere is this more imperative than when incorporating time travel in the story.
Exploring time travel is a popular trope but it must be handled with the right finesse. The goal here is to integrate it in a way that only enhances it and not weaken the plot at all since there’s so many ways it can go wrong. It requires a great deal of forethought and planning in order to pull it off successfully.
The first thing to do when bringing time travel in the story is to lay the groundwork. This is where you focus on building up the world and referencing events that have already occurred in the past that have contributed to how it stands in the present. Alternatively, you can feature eccentric characters who people consider an outcast warning about the future. You have many opportunities here to make it work.
Many creators like to use it as a plot twist. Though it may come out of nowhere, it appears at just the right moment in the plot. While it takes the audience off guard — which was the intent — it feels like a natural progression of it. This strengthen the audience’s immersion in both the story and the world, making them want to see what’s different in this new iteration of the world and see where the story will go from there.
People also like to see how traveling through time effects those who experience it. They want to see what it’s like and how it changed them, whether that was for the better or the worse. Going to another period of time is a life-changing experience, one that will be remembered for the rest of their life.
This is article number four in the series looking at time travel. For more, check out our blog page where we have a treasure trove of articles!
Lay the Groundwork for Time Travel in the Story
All stories have three phases: the beginning, middle, and the end. There are things to do in each phase that serve the plot well. The same is true when it comes to moving through time. Since it is a key turning point in the plot, it’s essential to start laying the groundwork so that it pays off well.
The moment the protagonist steps through time, whether expected or not, typically occurs at the end of the beginning phase. That means there’s plenty of time for you to structure the story in a way where you are guiding your viewers to a destination that only you know and have successfully prepared beforehand.
To pull of using time travel in the story well, there are several things you can do. One is to do worldbuilding that doesn’t just cover the present but the past as well. You can reference events such as the rise of a new power, a devastating war that brought ruin to many countries, or the development of a technology that revolutionized the world whose effects the world is still feeling in the present. This adds context to the present day state of affairs and gives the main character a chance to think about what he would have done if he had been there when these events transpired, almost as if foreshadowing what is to come.
Another way is to give the protagonist fewer options as the story approaches the point where he winds up traveling through time. Boxing him in means he’ll be forced to choose from one of the remaining choices he has left in order for the story to continue. A great example of this is when he’s being pursued by the villain’s minions and they are depriving him of ways he can escape until he comes upon a strange object where he touches it, only to vanish from the current period of time. This is a great way to heighten the stakes both for him and the audience.
What if you intend to have the hero character move forward in time? This is where you introduce characters that the others consider a fool since he’s spouting off dire warnings about the future. In this vein, you are slowly unraveling their importance to the overall plot while keeping your audience in the dark as to what will eventually happen. At first glance, they will dismiss them as kooks until the opportune time in which they are revealed to be travelers from the future.
Using Time Travel in the Story as a Plot Twist
While there are some stories that have a gradual buildup to the moment when the main character winds up leaving his time period, there are others that thrust it suddenly both on the character and the audience. In this vein, it is used as a plot twist and it can be a very effective one, provided it’s used in the right way.
Time travel in the story serves as a clear demarcation point from one part to another, usually the beginning and the middle. The transition points between parts of the story are stellar opportunities to place plot twists since they upend the story and change people’s preconceived notions of what’s actually going on.
In this scenario, the protagonist performs an action that suddenly causes him to disappear from the timeline, raising nothing but questions for both him and the audience. The prospect of traveling through time never crossed anybody’s mind which is why it is so shocking and that’s what makes it work.
This is illustrated perfectly in “The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time” when Link pulls the Master Sword as a child, only to wake up seven years later. Waking up in a mysterious place, Link meets a man named Rauru who fills him in on the details on what happened that day seven years ago when he drew the Master Sword. Here, Link and the audience get their questions answered as the story moves into the middle part.
After the main character has entered a different period of time, that is when the plot moves into high gear. This is where the stakes get higher and the obstacles and challenges progressively get more difficult. Time travel in the story may mark the end of the beginning, but it also introduces viewers to where the story will really take place.
Exploring the Effects of Time Travel in the Story
Just as in the real world, people experience effects from a variety of things in a fantasy world. They could be allergic to flowers or animals, have bad reactions to food, and so on. The same holds true for those who move through time.
An integral component of exploring time travel in the story is seeing how it affects people, notably those who go through different eras. Plot-wise, it doesn’t make sense if a time traveler suffers no temporal effects. Traveling through time has to take a toll on those who do it, whether it be physical or emotional.
Having time travelers experience issues serves to highlight the dangers going through time poses. While most of these temporal issues are usually temporary, there stands a chance for some to become permanent. It could cause a change in someone’s personality or demeanor that cannot be reversed.
Another way to explore the effects of time travel in the story is to see how the time traveler’s presence affects the world around him. Since he is from another period of time, he must learn to adapt to this mysterious world as he works to unravel why he wound up there. As such, he must go to great lengths to conceal his true identity as he navigates the new world and the people living there.
The actions the protagonist takes during his time there will impact the world, whether he is acting as a spectator, taking great care as to not do anything that could inadvertently alter history, or as someone who is determined to change the course of events. These actions have the power to effect the world in both positive and negative ways and showing them can be compelling storytelling.
Tying it all Together
Doing time travel in the story can take the plot to new heights and add an extra layer of drama and intrigue, but only if it’s done correctly. That’s why it’s imperative that a great deal of forethought and planning go into it beforehand so that it sticks the landing and makes your viewers want to see what comes next.
Some stories go with a gradual approach when it comes to doing time travel. That is, the groundwork for the monumental event is laid down at earlier points in the plot. Key characters and ideas are introduced at specific points that will be expanded upon later on as the plot careens towards the moment where the protagonist steps through time.
Time travel in the story can also be used as a plot twist and it works well. It’s when the main character suddenly gets pulled through time, appearing in another era where he and the audience have nothing but questions on their minds. This approach works because it is jarring and takes everyone by surprise.
Examining the effects of traveling through time on the world and the traveler can be an effective tool in storytelling. The protagonist could suffer temporal effects that require him searching to find a cure or the actions he takes or doesn’t take during his time there winds up changing the course of history or wind up causing what he strove to prevent.
Of all the themes that are explored in fantasy, time travel stands among the most powerful due to its potential to completely change everything people know about the world and the characters. When weaving it into the plot, take great care as to ensure that it only enhances your story, not weaken its underpinnings, causing it to collapse. Your viewers will appreciate the extra time and effort you put into making an excellent story that has time travel as a key plot line.
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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