Simon Rose's Blog, page 16
March 11, 2025
What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Time Traveler’s Guide
Chapter One: What is time travel?
Time travel is defined as taking place when there is movement between specific points in time. This is achieved in the same way that objects and living things move through space. In fiction, this kind of travel is made possible by the use of a time machine, device, or method. While nothing is carved in stone, I tend to think that time travel involving machinery or some kind of technology should be defined as science fiction while time travel that makes use of magic or similar methods is probably best classified as fantasy. However, these genres frequently overlap, particularly with time travel stories.
Over the years, novels, movies, and TV shows featuring time travel have included methods involving highly sophisticated machinery, scientific laboratories, various items of jewelry, wearable technology, vehicles, ancient artifacts, books, portals and doorways, dreaming, food and drink, and so many more. Time travel stories have featured journeys to the past, the future, and to alternative timelines created when previous events were changed so that they occurred differently, thus affecting what happened next in various different ways. Time travel has long been a theme in books, short stories, TV shows, and movies and shows no signs of declining in popularity anytime soon, although of course only time will tell.
A common theme in time travel tales involves someone being sent into the past by accident. When they arrive at an earlier point in history, the device or machine is somehow broken, fails to operate properly, runs out of power, is misplaced, or is stolen by the story’s villain. The reader is thus left in suspense, wondering if the heroes will be able to return safely to their own time. Of course, the reader most likely believes that the heroes will eventually escape from danger. However, the plot still has to imply that the lead characters might be marooned in the past permanently or that their lives are in jeopardy. In my time travel novels, the main characters always face serious challenges from the moment that they appear to be trapped in a dangerous historical era.
Some time travel stories simply feature an adventure in a different period in order for the characters to experience what life was like. Perhaps the character discovers an old piece of jewelry that sends them back in time when they wear it or adjust it some way. The characters then witness historical events or meet famous people. Many time travel stories concern the consequences of traveling either backward or forward through time. The idea of changing the past, either intentionally or by accident, is a common theme in science fiction and fantasy. When events that have already taken place are altered in some way, what the time traveler knew as the present day has changed when they return home. This might lead to a further adventure to restore things to what’s perceived as normal, depending on the nature of the alterations to the timeline. As you’re probably thinking already, time travel can sometimes be very complicated but the creators of these kinds of stories are aware of the potential issues at the outset and work hard to make their story entertaining, plausible, and realistic. Some stories in the genre concentrate on the paradoxes involved in time travel, such as the well-known grandfather paradox. This is when the time traveler is responsible for the death of his or her own grandfather, meaning that the traveler was never born. If this is the case then how could they have gone back in time to cause their grandfather’s death in the first place? Time travel has lots of issues like this, some of which I examine in Chapter Nine.
Time travel stories involving journeys into the past overlap with the genre of historical fiction. This kind of fiction involves stories that are set in the past. There are no firm rules, but the setting is usually at least fifty years earlier than when the story is written. The setting is a particular period in history and often includes real historical personalities. The story’s main characters are usually fictional, although the social and other conditions of the time are presented accurately. Historical fiction stories usually take place during a significant period in history. In some stories the characters are part of the events taking place but in others the events merely serve as the background to the story. In The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, the story takes place in 1483 and features the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses and the mystery of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, known as the Princes in the Tower. The princes appear in the story, as does their uncle, King Richard III, along with some other historical characters. In The Heretic’s Tomb, the story takes place during the period of the Black Death in England in the mid fourteenth century. The novel features imaginary characters but also refers to the effects of the Black Death on society, medieval medicine, and living conditions, and to some of the personalities and events of the era. In The Alchemist’s Portrait, Matthew’s time travel adventures take him to Amsterdam in 1666, the French Revolution in 1792, the American Civil War in 1865, and the Russian Revolution in 1917, all of which needed to be portrayed accurately. The Doomsday Mask has scenes that take place in Berlin in May 1945 and the characters needed to fit into that world. In Flashback, Max finds himself in the mid 1990s, not too long ago perhaps, but he still needed to inhabit an environment that’s correctly portrayed. Next, we’ll look at some of the many time travel stories that have appeared in printed form and on screen over the years.
The Time Traveler’s Guide is available as an ebook and as a paperback on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords and many other locations.
The post What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Time Traveler’s Guide appeared first on Simon Rose.
March 8, 2025
Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary
My online course Writing Fiction for Children and Youth will be running online in May and June at the University of Calgary.
Writing for children and youth is a rich and vibrant global market. The focus is on writing fiction for readers aged 8 to 12 years. Students examine the writing process from initial concept to finished work including turning ideas into stories, story structure, developing characters, creating outlines, and the importance of editing and revision.
Registration is available here at the University of Calgary.
The post Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary appeared first on Simon Rose.
March 7, 2025
Settings and Historical Eras
I’m honoured to now be a Contributing Editor at Write By The Sea, where you’ll find all sorts of helpful resources for writers with new materials added to the library regularly.
The latest post is all about settings and historical eras when writing historical fiction, which is also an excerpt from my book The Time Traveler’s Guide. You can learn more about the post here https://www.writebythesea.com/setting...
The post Settings and Historical Eras appeared first on Simon Rose.
March 6, 2025
Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker
Check out the latest release from my fellow Calgary author, Mike Plested, Super Sonya vs. the Woodpecker.When Sonya learns that a woodpecker is putting holes in her playhouse at Nana and Papa’s house, she dons her super persona and does everything in her power to protect the yard while Papa goes to the store to get repair supplies. Sonya is a curious and imaginative young girl who transforms into her superhero alter ego, Super Sonya, when faced with challenges. She embodies bravery and problem-solving skills, making her a great role model for young readers.
The book is available on all Amazons and in English as Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker, Canadian French as Super Sonya contre le Pic, and Spanish as Súper Sonya vs el Pájaro. Carpintero.The post Super Sonya vs the Woodpecker appeared first on Simon Rose.
Writing Historical Fiction – Alexandra Writers’ Centre
6 Weeks | Wednesdays | Begins May 7, 2025 | 1pm-3pm MT
Historical fiction combines the events of the past with characters and stories from the writer’s imagination. This course examines the art of writing historical fiction and the need to fully immerse yourself in a particular time period to make your storytelling more believable. Learn how to write effective, authentic and appealing historical fiction and how to turn your ideas into compelling stories. Understand what defines historical fiction and different historical time periods, create believable settings and plausible characters and learn how research plays a crucial role in the creation of your novel.
The course involves assignments, discussions, and writing exercises, and also deals with aspects of the writing process.
This class takes place in person at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre in Calgary. Register at https://www.alexandrawriters.org/stor...
The post Writing Historical Fiction – Alexandra Writers’ Centre appeared first on Simon Rose.
March 4, 2025
An Untimely Death
An Untimely Death is an exciting science fiction and fantasy adventure for young adults.When Peter’s great-grandfather, Ted, passes away, Peter is looking through his belongings in the attic. Peter knows about Ted’s experiences with the Canadian Army in World War II and absentmindedly flips a coin. To his astonishment, Peter finds himself in the heat of battle in 1944, where he embarks on a highly dangerous mission to ensure that history is placed back on track.Learn more at https://simon-rose.com/books/an-untimely-death/The post An Untimely Death appeared first on Simon Rose.
March 1, 2025
The Stone of the Seer – Where Magic and Historical Fiction Collide
The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series of adventure novels for young adults, primarily set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War.
“Magic and Historical Fiction Collide – This book combines historical fiction with a world of magic. It is set in the period of the English Civil War and incorporates magic, mystery and witch hunting. This book engages the reader with action and interesting characters. It is the first in a series and will leave the reader looking for book 2.”
“Royal Blood: Book two in the Stone of the Seer is even more exciting than the first story. This historical fantasy book has adventure, action and suspense. Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate and Tom are now in London during King Charles trial in 1649. They are still being hunted down by Daniel Tombes, the witch hunter. Their adventures continue with glimpses of the future to guide them. The reader will be left wanting more as each part of the action unfolds. I look forward to the third book, and more magical action.”
“The best finish – The final instalment in the trilogy is the best. New characters, or are they old characters? Time will tell. This story has all the elements of the previous historical fiction novels, but a new timeline. It is still loaded with mystery and intrigue. Action, adventure and mystery all rolled into one. Make sure you read these books in order and finish here with the ultimate revenge.”
The post The Stone of the Seer – Where Magic and Historical Fiction Collide appeared first on Simon Rose.
February 28, 2025
Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary
My online course Writing Fiction for Children and Youth will be running online in May and June at the University of Calgary.
Writing for children and youth is a rich and vibrant global market. The focus is on writing fiction for readers aged 8 to 12 years. Students examine the writing process from initial concept to finished work including turning ideas into stories, story structure, developing characters, creating outlines, and the importance of editing and revision.
Registration is available here at the University of Calgary.
The post Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary appeared first on Simon Rose.
February 27, 2025
How to Write Great Stories for Children and Young Adults
The Writing for Children and Young Adults course focuses on writing for children aged 8 to 14 years. However some of the material also covers older and younger age groups.
Learn how to write effective, authentic, and appealing fiction for children and young adults and how to turn your ideas into compelling stories.
The course explores the writing process from initial concept to finished work including story structure, developing plausible characters and dialogue, the creation of outlines and the importance of research, editing and revision.
Further details, course content, and registration information can be found here.
The post How to Write Great Stories for Children and Young Adults appeared first on Simon Rose.
February 23, 2025
Learn how to write effective and compelling historical fiction
Historical fiction combines the events of the past with characters and stories from the writer’s imagination.
The post Learn how to write effective and compelling historical fiction appeared first on Simon Rose.
