Time travel: the ultimate “what if?” dream. Are you attempting to prevent a catastrophe, correct a blunder, or simply experience dinosaurs firsthand? Tales of leaping through time have an unstoppable allure. But come on—not all tales of time travel are equal. Some leave us breathless, while others simply have us wrapped around paradoxes. So how do the all-time greats differ from the timeline trainwrecks? These 9 key principles will assist you in writing (or enjoying) the type of time travel tale that captures people’s attention—no matter the period.
9. Originality Matters
In a genre that’s been done in every possible direction, the strongest tales still manage to subvert. Perhaps it’s a time traveler stuck in another person’s body, or a world in which tourists take vacations in ancient Rome. As writer Kimberly Van Ginkel observes, time travel makes it possible for “some of the most creative sci-fi works ever made.” Don’t content yourself with another imitation plot—turn the tables and create your convoluted reasoning.
8. Prioritize the People, Not Only the Timeline
A visit to a legendary historical moment is neat. But what truly lands is when that time travel impacts an individual’s narrative. The most powerful stories—from Outlander to The Time Traveler’s Wife—succeed because they put the emotional stakes at the heart. As Van Ginkel says, “the best time travel books are the ones that focus on people.” Make the journey meaningful to someone, rather than to history.
7. Remove the Easy Button
If your character can simply do it all over again by jumping back in time, there’s no conflict. Successful time travel storylines throw roadblocks into the machine—perhaps there’s a limit, a cost, or a rule that rebounds. Whether it’s a malfunctioning device or a paradox that threatens to erase them from existence, hurdles make the actual stakes.
6. Introduce Urgency
It’s ironic, but time travel fiction works best when time’s running out. A countdown, a limited window, or a non-negotiable moment cranks up the tension. Whether it’s something goofy like a school paper (Bill & Ted) or something lethal like an assassination plot, a deadline keeps the action going and people interested.
5. Create an Escape Hatch
Paradoxes are just time travel’s equivalent of quicksand—seedy and difficult to wriggle out of. So on occasion, you have a clever way around it. Perhaps it’s a wink-and-nudge one-liner, a science fiction macguffin, or simply a rule that reads “don’t overthink it.” Avengers: Endgame pulled it off with panache, bending rules but not breaking them while leaving the audience in on the joke. Style and confidence carry the day.
4. Establish the Rules—and Follow Them
Can you alter the past? Do parallel universes exist? Does time “snap back” if you tamper with it? Every time-travel universe has its own rules, and although they can be completely fabricated, they must remain consistent. Fewer things eliminate immersion quicker than a narrative breaking its internal logic halfway through.
3. Explain Just Enough
You’re not required to write a dissertation on theoretical physics, but you must provide us with a working framework. How does time travel occur? What can (or cannot) the characters accomplish with it? From flux capacitor to cryptic bloodline, the process must be understandable enough to comprehend, albeit absurd.
2. Select Your Style of Time Travel
Time machine? Magic portal? Hereditary gene? The time-traveling vehicle or mechanism for travel determines the tone for all that follows. Sci-fi tends to use gadgets and shiny tech, while fantasy may depend on old portals or curses. Whatever you go with, use it to inform the story’s identity—some devices are personalities unto themselves (hello, TARDIS).
1. Don’t Skip the “Wow” Moment
One of the strongest moments in any time travel tale is when the character—and the reader—catches on to what just transpired. That shocking disclosure. That “this can’t be happening” sensation. Kimberly Van Ginkel refers to this as the “Dorothy opens the door to Oz” moment. Savor it. This emotional payoff is the secret that causes people to fall in love with time travel tales in the first place.
At its best, time travel fiction is thrilling, weird, and full of possibility. Stick to these rules—or break them with purpose—and you’ll end up with a story that feels timeless in every sense of the word.