Time Travel Tropes: A Guide for Writers
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Fantasy and science fiction books that use time travel have been around for a long time, which has led to the development of some popular time travel tropes. Time travel books have hooked the public imagination for good reason—they’re a great way to explore the past, present, and future, and the possible ramifications of events that humans are grappling with in the present.
But as any time-travel writer knows, it can be tricky to get the details right. From paradoxes to parallel universes, there are many time travel tropes and techniques that you should consider before tackling this kind of project. Let's take a look at some of the most popular time travel tropes.
Time Travel Tropes: The Grandfather Paradox
The grandfather paradox is one of the most popular time travel tropes. The idea is that if someone travels back in time and changes an event in the past, then they might not have been born in the first place—meaning they wouldn’t be alive in the future and able to travel back in time in the first place. This type of paradox can lead to interesting plot points and storylines—it also gives writers a chance to explore how small decisions can drastically alter the past or future.
When you’re writing using this particular trope, make sure to set up the rules of your world so that you don’t write your main character out of existence.
Time Travel Tropes: Alternate Timeline/Parallel Universe
An alternate timeline or parallel universe is another of the favorite time travel tropes. This trope allows writers to create alternative versions of reality where different outcomes occur based on what has happened in the past or could happen in the future.
For example, a character might go back in time and prevent a war from occurring, thereby creating an alternate timeline where peace prevails instead. But things in the alternate timeline can go unexpectedly wrong as well. With these particular time travel tropes, writers can explore themes such as morality, responsibility, and destiny.
Time Travel Tropes: Time Loops/Groundhog Day Scenario
The “Groundhog Day” scenario frequently comes into play when someone is working with a time travel novel. This trope involves a character being stuck in a continuous loop where they must repeat certain events over and over again until they figure out how to break free from the loop, or learn something new each time so that they can eventually make progress with their lives (which they never would’ve made if they hadn’t gotten caught in the time loop in the first place). This trope allows writers to explore themes like perseverance and determination while also providing readers with an entertaining story full of suspenseful plot twists along the way.
Writing great fiction requires understanding your chosen category and its expectations, including time travel tropes and how to effectively tell your story within them. Knowing common time travel tropes can help you craft more creative stories that remain faithful to fantasy and sci-fi genre expectations while still giving your audience something fresh and exciting to read.
Whether you're looking for inspiration or just want some tips on how to write better stories using time travel tropes, use these ideas to stand out in a crowded speculative market.
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