tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post7901188260804685449..comments2024-03-22T12:11:58.453-06:00Comments on Michael Offutt: Why I kind of detest time travel in my science fictionMichael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-88779983771787827762014-04-15T21:19:22.390-06:002014-04-15T21:19:22.390-06:00Time travel stories are extremely tough to do beca...Time travel stories are extremely tough to do because it's tough to walk that tightrope between clever and crutch. But I still love them when done right, but I usually find little something wrong with ALL of them.<br /><br />But as long as I'm enjoying myself, I try to just go with the story anyway.Jay Noelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04757777693161610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-60814696231224863482014-04-15T11:33:15.364-06:002014-04-15T11:33:15.364-06:00I watched the first season and a bit of the second...I watched the first season and a bit of the second. What you just described has me totally confused. But also excited. Sorry this annoys you but I want to know more.Sheena-kay Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17712661419116636671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-2549973037391082002014-04-15T08:55:17.960-06:002014-04-15T08:55:17.960-06:00I've never seen this show but it sounds like t...I've never seen this show but it sounds like the characters chasing their tails instead of moving the plot forward as a storyline - and that storyline should be one timeline that you can count on.River Fairchildhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15374958276717316437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-24008252219940632292014-04-14T21:47:14.921-06:002014-04-14T21:47:14.921-06:00Hi, Michael,
SO see your point. I loved the first...Hi, Michael,<br /><br />SO see your point. I loved the first back to the future but really though the other two were not necessary. Why mess with a good thing?<br /><br />I think time travel can be terrific if done ONCE... IN Harry Potter Three, Prisoner of Azcaban... my FAVORITE... JK pulled it of BEAUTIFULLY... never saw it coming. SO well done!Michael Di Gesuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047267262428143113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-55887441318849226642014-04-14T19:36:49.282-06:002014-04-14T19:36:49.282-06:00Time travel is like God out of the machine.Time travel is like God out of the machine.SpacerGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05575342869714342370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-53839672158190959022014-04-14T18:30:30.065-06:002014-04-14T18:30:30.065-06:00The problem with time travel stories is maintainin...The problem with time travel stories is maintaining internal logic. So many go wrong that way.<br /><br />I have two Continuums sitting on my DVR. Soon. Soon I'll have time. (By soon, I mean the end of May.)Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-33509755006550375782014-04-14T17:08:38.239-06:002014-04-14T17:08:38.239-06:00I've always loved the idea of time travel beca...I've always loved the idea of time travel because I'm a history buff, but in fiction it has to be handled just right or the story falls apart. The only true science fiction story I've read with time travel was Heinlein's "All You Zombies," a short story he wrote in one day; but I've got to believe that it gestated in his head for a long time before he put it down on paper.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14967821142796562697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-52361221701755100892014-04-14T16:54:57.416-06:002014-04-14T16:54:57.416-06:00An interesting discussion. I spend a lot of time t...An interesting discussion. I spend a lot of time thinking about the past but haven't written anything about time travel yet.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-10308871231290907252014-04-14T16:31:05.337-06:002014-04-14T16:31:05.337-06:00Time travel = Soooo many opportunities for plot ho...Time travel = Soooo many opportunities for plot holes!!!!!! <br /><br />Though my favorite series EVER (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon) pulls it off. But it's definitely more fantastical than sci-fi. :) <br />Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15747144518868320969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-64314304881531442312014-04-14T15:51:56.777-06:002014-04-14T15:51:56.777-06:00This sounds like too much of a good thing gone bad...This sounds like too much of a good thing gone bad. You watch so much of this stuff, you'd do well at coming up with ideas for Sci-Fi scripts. J.L. Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05666634455836834179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-40501739616431142662014-04-14T15:43:51.423-06:002014-04-14T15:43:51.423-06:00I watched the first season and then they lost me a...I watched the first season and then they lost me after that. But I do positively adore me Rachel Nichols, I think she is one of the most underrated actresses out there DEZMONDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14127166104359407763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-46244704194259792272014-04-14T14:45:29.205-06:002014-04-14T14:45:29.205-06:00I skipped most of the post because I do want to ch...I skipped most of the post because I do want to check that show out at some point despite the fact that I think most time travel stories are crap. Like Looper.<br />Generally, it's just used like a magic reset button and the author never bothers to figure out his/her rules.<br />Figure out you rules! It's not that hard.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-38399163605187243852014-04-14T13:46:59.725-06:002014-04-14T13:46:59.725-06:00@Moody: I agree. The terminator 1 and 2 movies wer...@Moody: I agree. The terminator 1 and 2 movies were wonderful. I tend to like T2 more. T1 is unwatchable in its cheesiness these days. Time has ravaged its special effects and made them look so awful.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-69271477388508674662014-04-14T13:40:02.693-06:002014-04-14T13:40:02.693-06:00Time travel stories make my head hurt and usually ...Time travel stories make my head hurt and usually don't stand up to close inspection. The first Terminator movie is about the only one I think works.<br /><br />mood<br /><a href="http://moodywriting.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Moody Writing</a> mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-77109220259536106412014-04-14T13:40:00.307-06:002014-04-14T13:40:00.307-06:00@Robyn: You get the award of the day for using &qu...@Robyn: You get the award of the day for using "bodaciously" in a sentence. It's been years since I heard it.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-77925062835700917722014-04-14T13:35:58.810-06:002014-04-14T13:35:58.810-06:00I agree that the second and third BTTF's were ...I agree that the second and third BTTF's were kinda substandard. <br /><br />But time traveling is bodaciously exciting, don't ya think? I mean the real thing. If I could, I'd be visiting places in time every week. WOW. That would just be so cool. But I wouldn't use it in my writing. If I wrote sci-fi, that is. <br /><br />Continuum started back? <br /><br />You're not doing A to Z I see. Robyn Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356555082768185840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-11044972908361124362014-04-14T11:49:27.864-06:002014-04-14T11:49:27.864-06:00I like BTTF2 because i love the parts where he'...I like BTTF2 because i love the parts where he's, more or less, reliving the first movie in the background. Love it.<br /><br />Do you ever watch Rick and Morty? There's an episode where they eff up the world, i mean, totally end it. And Rick's solution is to jump to a different timeline where they had just accidentally blown themselves up before they had a chace to screw things up, and take the places of the dead them in that reality. The last 5 mins of the episode is just Morty in this haze while he has to bury himself and just live in this alternate reality which is the same, but not really. It's hilarious, but also kind of deep and scary and depressing. I love it.Sarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-5891100115851260412014-04-14T10:19:41.407-06:002014-04-14T10:19:41.407-06:00My problem with time travel is that if you travel ...My problem with time travel is that if you travel back 100 years, the earth is going to be like 80 million miles away from where it was, because, you know it moves around the sun, which moves around the galaxy, which is moving away as the universe expands. So you'd just choke to death in the vacuum of space. Unless you have a TARDIS.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-32239499229399444932014-04-14T10:13:08.188-06:002014-04-14T10:13:08.188-06:00I do enjoy the concept of time travel, but man oh ...I do enjoy the concept of time travel, but man oh man is it hard to do it right. It's the ultra limited rules type of time travel (one way ticket ala The Terminator) that works for me. :)David P. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17259276981865439853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-44753241673042722812014-04-14T09:46:05.089-06:002014-04-14T09:46:05.089-06:00I don't like time travel much...and then I use...I don't like time travel much...and then I use it in two Scarlet Knight books (my favorite one actually visits past, present, and future simultaneously) and one Girl Power book and maybe some other instances I can't remember at the moment. Probably because I'm a lazy writer.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-48750799690803899522014-04-14T09:34:28.714-06:002014-04-14T09:34:28.714-06:00Time travel seems to be a common theme in many boo...Time travel seems to be a common theme in many books. Our fascination comes with being in 'control' so much that we can 'fix' the current time. What fools we humans can be.<br /><br />Time will fix us.D.G. Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213237734772028645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-22549107173608409632014-04-14T09:31:24.715-06:002014-04-14T09:31:24.715-06:00A friend and I talk endlessly about this show. The...A friend and I talk endlessly about this show. There's so much I like about it, but my brain gets bent into a pretzel trying to figure out the time travel stuff. Those collapsing timelines confuse the heck out of me. <br /><br />I assume the writers must keep a book of rules on how time travel works. I know I could never keep it all straight. Once you open that door, it's like Pandora's box. Everything is possible. Luanne G. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15762881276976395955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-61031576588350287182014-04-14T09:29:58.891-06:002014-04-14T09:29:58.891-06:00I never thought the second and third Back to the F...I never thought the second and third Back to the Futures were necessary.<br />Time travel can become like a crutch. Something the writers can use just to move the plot along or get out of corner.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com