story starters for time travel

10 Ideas for a Time Travel Story

Here are 10 quick ideas for a time travel story, including everything from colonies in the distant past and future, to time traveling Jews, Jesus, and jealous husbands.

If one of these ideas inspires you to create a time travel story of your own, let us know and we’ll share it with out community!

1. Future War

A future dictator invades the past. He sends giant war machines into 19th Century London, Paris and Washington, and he demands that all world leaders surrender to him. It’s up to a team of time traveling heroes to stop him.

2. As Time Goes By

A scientist discovers that he can slow down time in a localized area. He can use this to visit the future (and stop off anywhere along the way), but he can never go back. At first, he uses the device to prolong his own life, spending a day inside the time-bubble as a month passes outside. Later, curiosity compels him to travel into the distant future in search of new wonders and a fresh start.

Our protagonist finds a future world full of wonders, and he begins to build a new life for himself. But when things start to go wrong, he finds himself traveling forward yet again. Eventually, the urge to travel forward becomes irresistible as he searches for perfection. Is he really searching for something, or just running from his own past?

As our traveler comes to the end of his life he realizes that, while he has seen more than most people, he hasn’t really lived at all. He’s spent his whole life running.

3. Doing Time

Using a time machine, a penal colony is established in Earths distant future – a future in which humanity is extinct and the sun is approaching the end of its natural life-cycle. When the end finally comes, do the guards evacuate the prisoners or leave them to their fate?

4. The Man You Used To Be

After his wife leaves him, a scientist travels back in time to be with her again. He’s determined to get it right the second time around, and thinks he knows what to do to keep her happy. But when he travels into the past he comes across an obstacle he hadn’t counted on – the past version of himself.

SEE ALSO: Travelling in time but NOT space

Desperate to be with his wife again, he plots to do the unthinkable – he plans to murder his past self and take his place.

There are two obvious ways in which this story could end, each equally as ironic. 1) He kills his former self and is happily reunited with his wife, but after spending one perfect day together the time paradox begins to kick in and he vanishes into oblivion. 2) He kills his former self, but his wife recognizes that he is not the man he used to be. Because of what he’s been through and what he’s done, he’s changed, and his wife can see it in his eyes. She leaves him again.

5. Future Tense

Fearing the extinction of humanity is on the horizon, a large group of humans travel into Earths distant future to avoid the catastrophe. They arrive in a time in which the Earth has recovered from the disaster, and in which all traces of human civilization have disappeared. Many animal species have evolved beyond recognition. In this new wilderness, they attempt to build a home.

Knowing that the end of human civilization is near, people are desperate to travel to the future colony. With a limited number of places available, people fight for the last remaining passes. Eventually, the future colony finds itself with too many mouths to feed.

6. Past Participants

With the destruction of Earth imminent, humanity begins colonizing the distant past. The colonization effort slowly begins to interfere with the timeline. Each group of colonists that arrives from the future has experienced a different version of history, with increasingly interesting results.

One group of time travel colonists is from a fascist timeline in which the Nazis won the Second World War, and they try to take over the colony. Another group reports having found the remains of the colony during a future archaeological dig, indicating that the colonization effort will eventually fail.

7. Populating Zion

A team of scientists rescue Jews from Nazi extermination camps by transporting them forward in time just before the moment of their deaths. Nazis are confounded when they open the doors to gas chambers and find that their victims have mysteriously vanished. In the future, thousands of rescued Jews struggle to understand what has happened to them, and they begin to hail the lead scientist as their Messiah.

8. Time Me Up, Time Me Down

After inventing a time machine, a scientist travels into his own future where he meets his beautiful future wife. Back in his own time, he meets his future wife for the first time (for her at least), but she isn’t interested in him. He tries his hardest to impress her but fails. How can this be when they are meant to be together?

Determined to win her heart, he travels back to their first meeting over and over again, trying something different each time. He even visits her past in an attempt to learn more about her, but nothing works. Becoming increasingly obsessed, he eventually resorts to kidnapping her. He takes her forward in time to show her their future life, but his actions have drastically changed the timeline.

9. Final Interview

A time travel agency sends a man to interview famous historic figures just hours before they die. The interviews are not only important to historians, they have also become a form of popular entertainment. After interviewing countless historic figures over a long and distinguished career, our protagonist has become something of a celebrity himself. One day, a younger man arrives at his home insisting that he be allowed to interview the protagonist. The protagonist realizes that the younger man is his future replacement, and that he himself is soon to die.

(Thanks to  Jorgen Lundman for this idea, the full version of which can be read here )

10. Jesus vs The Time Police

The technology needed for time travel exists, but it has been outlawed by most of the world’s governments. A special police unit or federal agency uses specialist equipment to track down illegal time travelers and prevent them from damaging the timeline.

Some of the time travelers are attempting to alter their own past for personal gain, others are rich tourists seeking a thrilling but illegal encounter with the past. One day, however, they track down a time traveler who has managed to evade them for several years. He has been living in the past for all this time, and he claims to have become an important historical figure. Doing a little research, they determine his claims to be true. The time traveler has had a profound effect on the timeline, and undoing his actions might have profoundly negative consequences. He has written himself into history – a history that the time-police have always accepted to be true.

The illegal time traveler might be a famous general, monarch, or president. He might even be a religious figure, such as Jesus (as such, he may not have had an entirely positive effect on history, but a profound one nonetheless). If the illegal time-traveler is Jesus, might his ascension to heaven actually be his forced return to his own time, staged by the time-police?The time-police are faced with a dilemma – set the timeline straight and undo his actions without knowing what the result might be, or allow him to continue living in the past.

This article was written by Mark Ball . With thanks to Jorgen Lundman.

Use our Random Story Idea Generator for inspiration for more stories.

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Discover 100 Captivating Time Travel Writing Prompts

May 16, 2024 by Richard Leave a Comment

Discover 100 Captivating Time Travel Writing Prompts: T ime travel has always been a captivating concept that has enthralled people across generations. From ancient myths to modern science fiction, the idea of traversing through time has been explored in countless ways. Whether you’re seeking to change the past, witness historic moments, or glimpse into the future, time travel remains a rich source of inspiration for writers and storytellers looking for engaging time travel story ideas.

The allure of time travel lies in its endless possibilities. It allows characters to break free from their own reality and explore unknown territories. Through time travel fiction prompts, protagonists can visit different eras, encounter historical figures, and gain new perspectives. Time travel opens up a world of adventure, self-discovery, and the chance to impact the grand scheme of things.

However, time travel also presents unique challenges and consequences. Altering the past can create ripple effects, paradoxes, and unintended outcomes in the present and future. Characters must navigate the moral dilemmas of interfering with historical events and the potential repercussions of their actions. Time travel stories often explore the intricacies of cause and effect, free will, and the nature of time itself.

This curated list of 100 time travel writing prompts offers a diverse array of ideas to inspire writers and ignite their creativity. From thrilling adventures and romantic encounters to thought-provoking explorations of history and the human condition, these time travel fiction prompts span various genres and themes. Whether you’re passionate about science fiction, historical fiction, romance, or mystery, you’ll find time travel writing inspiration to spark your imagination.

Embark on a journey through time and let these prompts guide you in crafting your own unique time travel stories. Explore the possibilities, challenge your characters, and let your imagination soar as you navigate the twists and turns of the temporal landscape. Prepare to travel through the ages and unlock the boundless potential of time travel storytelling. Discover the perfect time travel story ideas to captivate your readers and leave them craving more.

Here are 100 time travel writing prompts:

• A character discovers a mysterious pocket watch that transports them to a different era each time they wind it.
• A scientist invents a time machine but gets stranded in the distant future.
• A person from the present day wakes up in the body of a historical figure.
• A character travels back in time to prevent a tragic event but inadvertently alters the course of history.
• A group of friends discovers a portal to the past in their backyard and decides to explore different time periods.
• A character falls in love with someone from another time but struggles to maintain the relationship.
• A person from the future travels back to the present day to warn humanity about an impending disaster.
• A character accidentally travels to the time of the dinosaurs and must find a way to survive.
• A time traveler attempts to solve a historical mystery but becomes a suspect themselves.
• A character discovers they are a descendant of a famous historical figure and travels back in time to meet them.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and is shocked by modern technology and society.
• A character uses time travel to explore different versions of their own life based on different choices they could have made.
• A time traveler accidentally changes the past and must find a way to restore the original timeline.
• A character discovers a time machine in an antique shop and uses it to explore different eras.
• A person from the future falls in love with someone from the past but knows they can’t stay together.
• A character uses time travel to attend historical events and witness them firsthand.
• A time traveler accidentally brings a dangerous artifact from the past to the present day.
• A character travels to the future and discovers a dystopian society.
• A person from the present day becomes stranded in the past and must adapt to a different way of life.
• A time traveler attempts to prevent a famous assassination but discovers that history has a way of correcting itself.
• A character discovers a way to communicate with people from different time periods through dreams.
• A person from the future travels back in time to prevent a global pandemic.
• A character uses time travel to explore different cultures throughout history.
• A time traveler accidentally creates an alternate timeline and must find a way to merge the two realities.
• A character discovers a time machine that only allows them to travel back in time for a limited amount of time.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and becomes a celebrity due to their unique perspective.
• A character uses time travel to attend their own funeral and learn how they will be remembered.
• A time traveler accidentally prevents their own birth and starts to fade from existence.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through music and explores different eras through famous songs.
• A person from the present day travels to the future and competes in a high-tech sport.
• A character uses time travel to solve a family mystery that has been passed down for generations.
• A time traveler falls in love with a famous historical figure but knows they are doomed to a tragic fate.
• A character accidentally travels to a parallel universe where time runs backward.
• A person from the future travels back in time to prevent a major natural disaster.
• A character uses time travel to attend a concert by their favorite musician who died before they were born.
• A time traveler becomes stranded in a time loop and must find a way to break the cycle.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through dreams but struggles to control their destinations.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and becomes a successful entrepreneur with their unique inventions.
• A character uses time travel to explore different religions throughout history.
• A time traveler accidentally changes the outcome of a major battle and alters the course of history.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel forward in time.
• A person from the present day travels to the future and discovers a utopian society.
• A character uses time travel to solve a series of historical crimes.
• A time traveler becomes trapped in a time period where they are mistaken for a deity.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through paintings and explores different art movements.
• A person from the future travels back in time to prevent a major terrorist attack.
• A character uses time travel to meet their ancestors and learn about their family history.
• A time traveler accidentally brings a deadly virus from the future to the present day.
• A character discovers a time machine that runs on human emotions.
• A person from the present day travels to the past and becomes a silent film star.
• A character uses time travel to explore different mythologies and meets legendary creatures.
• A time traveler becomes stranded in the Ice Age and must find a way to survive.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through scent and explores different historical perfumes.
• A person from the future travels back in time to attend a famous music festival.
• A character uses time travel to solve a decades-old missing persons case.
• A time traveler accidentally prevents a major scientific discovery and must find a way to set things right.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great historical significance.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and becomes a social media influencer.
• A character uses time travel to explore different literary movements and meets famous authors.
• A time traveler becomes trapped in a time period where they are mistaken for a spy.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through taste and explores different historical cuisines.
• A person from the present day travels to the future and competes in a reality TV show.
• A character uses time travel to prevent a major environmental disaster.
• A time traveler accidentally changes the outcome of a major election and alters the course of history.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great personal significance.
• A person from the future travels back in time to attend a famous sporting event.
• A character uses time travel to explore different fashion trends throughout history.
• A time traveler becomes stranded in a time period where they are mistaken for a prophet.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through touch and explores different historical textiles.
• A person from the present day travels to the past and becomes a successful pirate.
• A character uses time travel to solve a major archaeological mystery.
• A time traveler accidentally brings a dangerous technology from the future to the present day.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great romantic significance.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and becomes a successful politician.
• A character uses time travel to explore different dance styles throughout history.
• A time traveler becomes trapped in a time period where they are mistaken for a witch.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through sound and explores different historical musical instruments.
• A person from the present day travels to the future and discovers a society where humans have merged with technology.
• A character uses time travel to prevent a major act of terrorism.
• A time traveler accidentally changes the outcome of a major scientific experiment and alters the course of history.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great tragedy.
• A person from the future travels back in time to attend a famous theater performance.
• A character uses time travel to explore different architectural styles throughout history.
• A time traveler becomes stranded in a time period where they are mistaken for a revolutionary.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through emotion and explores different historical moments of great joy or sorrow.
• A person from the present day travels to the past and becomes a successful explorer.
• A character uses time travel to solve a major medical mystery.
• A time traveler accidentally brings a dangerous ideology from the past to the present day.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great artistic significance.
• A person from the past travels to the present day and becomes a successful inventor.
• A character uses time travel to explore different philosophical movements throughout history.
• A time traveler becomes trapped in a time period where they are mistaken for a god.
• A character discovers a way to time travel through memory and explores different moments from their own life.
• A person from the present day travels to the future and discovers a society where humans have colonized other planets.
• A character uses time travel to prevent a major natural disaster.
• A time traveler accidentally changes the outcome of a major court case and alters the course of history.
• A character discovers a time machine that can only travel to moments of great scientific significance.
• A person from the future travels back in time to attend a famous peace conference.
• A character uses time travel to explore different spiritual practices throughout history.
• A time traveler becomes stranded in a time period where they are mistaken for a messiah.

In conclusion, these 100 time travel writing prompts offer a treasure trove of inspiration for writers seeking to explore the captivating world of time travel fiction. From thrilling adventures and romantic escapades to thought-provoking explorations of history and the human experience, these prompts cover a wide range of genres and themes. Whether you’re a seasoned author or a budding writer, these ideas provide the perfect launching pad for your creative journey.

As you embark on your time travel writing adventure, remember to let your imagination run wild. The beauty of time travel fiction lies in its ability to transport readers to different eras, challenge their perceptions, and evoke powerful emotions. Use these prompts as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to put your own unique spin on them. Infuse your stories with your distinct voice, create memorable characters, and craft plots that keep readers engaged from beginning to end.

The power of time travel storytelling lies not only in its ability to entertain but also in its capacity to shed light on the human condition. As you write your time travel tales, consider the lessons and insights that your characters can learn from their temporal adventures. Explore the consequences of altering the past, the importance of cherishing the present, and the potential for personal growth and transformation. Through your stories, you have the opportunity to inspire readers and provoke meaningful reflections on life, love, and the passage of time.

As you dive into the realm of time travel fiction, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the creative process. Writing is a journey of self-discovery and expression, and these prompts are here to guide you along the way. Embrace the challenges, revel in the triumphs, and let your passion for storytelling shine through in every word you write. Whether you’re writing for yourself or sharing your stories with the world, remember that your unique perspective and imagination have the power to captivate and inspire others.

So, grab your pen or open up your laptop, and let these 100 time travel writing prompts be your gateway to a world of endless possibilities. Embark on a journey through time, create unforgettable characters, and weave tales that will leave a lasting impact on your readers. The realm of time travel fiction awaits, and with these prompts as your compass, you’re ready to navigate its thrilling twists and turns. Happy writing, and may your time travel stories transport readers to extraordinary places and times.

If you enjoyed these writing prompts, we have many more on our site .

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About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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30 Time Travel Writing Prompts

Ever feel stuck in the present moment?

Wishing you could grab a pizza with Cleopatra, mastermind a plan with Machiavelli, or explore a future city filled with gadgets we can’t even imagine ?

Hold onto your hats because we’re about to blow the doors off time travel stories!

Forget boring timelines, paradoxes are your new BFFs. These prompts will have you rewriting reality, jumping through history , and making the rules of time as bendy as a pretzel.

Let’s check them out.

Time Travel Writing Prompts and Story Ideas

• Winds of the Lost Era: A gust of wind has the unique ability to transport anyone it touches to a different time for just one hour. When a young woman gets caught in this wind, she finds herself in the midst of a pivotal historical event. She has exactly sixty minutes to observe, interact , or possibly change history. What event does she witness? And what choices does she make?
• The Last Sunset Before Eternity: The world’s leading scientists discover that there’s only one sunset left before the earth stops rotating, plunging half the world into perpetual day and the other half into eternal night . They’ve also created a one-time-use machine that can send one person back in time to prevent this. Who is chosen? And what historical point do they go back to to make things right?
• Messages Across Time: A young woman discovers she can send messages to her younger self through dreams . Each message can only be a short sentence, but it’s enough to give her past self clues or warnings about the future. However, every change she makes creates ripples in her present, and sometimes, the outcomes are not what she expects. What message does she send first? And what unforeseen consequences emerge?
• The Day the Clocks Stopped: Time everywhere freezes, except for one city. Its inhabitants live through days, months , and years while the rest of the world remains static. As they advance technologically and culturally at a rapid rate, they prepare for the day time might resume for everyone. How do they plan to reintroduce their city to the world, which is now centuries behind?
• Chrono-Tourists: A company starts offering ‘Time Travel Tourism’. You can’t change major events, but you can witness them. A young couple decides to go on their honeymoon to witness a peaceful, beautiful moment from the past. But when they arrive, they realize it’s the eve of a significant, unrecorded disaster . How do they reconcile their experience with the joy they were expecting?
• The Museum of Moments: In the future, there are no traditional museums. Instead, there’s a museum where people can experience any moment from the past in full sensory detail. A teenager decides to relive the ‘most peaceful day on Earth’, only to realize that peace is often a matter of perspective. What does he truly witness on this so-called peaceful day?
• Time’s Locket: A locket passed down through generations in a family doesn’t just contain pictures ; it allows the wearer to briefly live in the moments the pictures were taken. A young girl decides to experience a day in her great- grandmother ’s life , hoping to understand her better. However, she discovers a family secret that has been hidden for decades, changing her understanding of her lineage.
• Letters in the Sands of Time: In a small coastal town, messages mysteriously appear at sunrise on the beach , always addressed to someone present there. These are letters from their future selves. A man, skeptical at first, starts reading a letter addressed to him and discovers details of a choice he’ll soon have to make. What decision looms in his future, and how does this knowledge affect him?
• The Two Lifetimes of Ms. Daniels: On her 30th birthday , Ms. Daniels wakes up to find herself back in her 10- year -old body but with all her memories intact. She lives her life again, making different choices based on her memories, until she reaches 30 again. And then, she’s back in her original timeline. How do her dual experiences shape her perspective? Which life felt more real to her?
• Echoes of the Time Vortex: A cavern hidden in the mountains is said to echo not sounds from the present, but conversations from the past and whispers of the future. When a grieving mother enters the cave, she hears the voice of her departed child from a future that never happened. What message does she receive, and how does it change her healing process?
• The Train at Midnight: There’s a legend of a train that passes through a town at midnight. Those who board it are taken to any point in time they desire, but they can only observe and feel emotions —they can’t interact. A woman boards to revisit a day she considers her life’s biggest mistake. What day does she return to , and what closure does she seek?
• Chronicles of the Hourglass City: In a city shaped like an hourglass, the top half lives in the past and the bottom half in the future. A bridge connects the two, and citizens are allowed a single journey across it. A young woman from the future decides to cross into the past. What or who is she seeking, and what challenges await her in this duality?
• Diary from Tomorrow: A man finds a diary on his doorstep, and to his astonishment, it’s filled with detailed entries from the next year of his life. Each day he reads about tomorrow, and each time he’s faced with the moral dilemma of acting on or ignoring the knowledge. What major revelation does the diary hold, and does he dare to change its course?
• The Timestream Weaver: In an old attic, a loom is found that doesn’t weave fabric but moments in time. When operated, it can merge moments from different times into one. A curious teenager weaves together a day from her childhood and one from her elder years. What harmonies or conflicts emerge from this singular day?
• Guardians of the Temporal Oasis: Deep in the desert lies an oasis where every drop of water lets you relive a moment from your past. But, you can’t choose the moment—it chooses you. A traveler, seeking refuge, drinks from the oasis and is thrust into a forgotten memory. What long-buried moment resurfaces, and how does it change his path forward?
• The Timeless Town Square: A secluded town has a central square where time doesn’t flow linearly. Every day at dawn, the square chooses a random day from the past or future to reflect. Townspeople can enter to relive memories or see snippets of what’s to come. One day, the entire town gathers as the square displays a date significant to all. What date is shown , and how does it bind the community ?
• Candles of Yesteryears: A boutique sells candles, each corresponding to a year in history. When lit, the room transforms, enveloping the person in the ambiance of that year. An elderly woman buys a candle corresponding to a year she wants to forget. As it burns, what secret memory unfolds, and what catharsis does it bring?
• Threads of Time: In a mystical land, there are multiple threaded structures that showcase the entire timeline of the universe . When touched, a person can feel the emotions of any moment stitched into it. A young prince touches a seemingly insignificant thread and is overwhelmed by its intensity. What hidden moment did he discover, and how does it reshape his understanding of history?
• The Mirror of Moments Past: A mirror in an antique store doesn’t show the present but a past version of whoever stands before it. A woman sees herself as a child, interacting with someone she doesn’t remember from her childhood. Who is this mysterious figure , and why have her memories of them been erased?
• Temporal Tunes of the Old Gramophone: An old gramophone has the power to play not just songs but also ambient sounds from specific moments in time. A listener can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of that moment. A man hears the background noise of a place and time he never visited but finds strangely familiar. Where does this sound take him , and what lost connection does he rediscover?
• The Garden of Future Blooms: In a secret garden, flowers bloom showing visions of potential futures. One rare flower is said to bloom only once every century, showing a vision crucial for humanity. As it blossoms, many gather to witness its vision. What future does the flower reveal , and how do those who see it react?
• Clockwork of Cosmic Consequences: A clockmaker designs a timepiece that can turn back time, but for every minute turned back, it fast-forwards another person’s timeline by a year. The creator, desperate to rectify a personal mistake, uses it, but at what cost? Whose life gets fast-forwarded , and how does this unintended consequence play out?
• Whispers of the Time-Touched Tree : A tree in a forest is said to be touched by time. Those who sleep under it dream of a moment from their past, but from the perspective of someone else who was there. A soldier, burdened by guilt, sleeps under the tree, hoping to understand a decision he made in battle. Whose eyes does he see through , and how does this new perspective aid his quest for forgiveness?
• Shadows of the Sundial: In an abandoned village, there’s a sundial said to cast shadows not of the current time but of times gone by. When a researcher places her hand where the shadow falls, she’s momentarily transported to the moment the shadow represents. She inadvertently touches a shadow that takes her to a day the village wishes to forget. What dark secret is unveiled, and how does she reconcile with the truth?
• Temporal Café: A café opens downtown where each table is set in a different era. Patrons can’t interact with the past or future directly but can witness and hear conversations. A detective sits at a table set in the future, trying to solve a case that’s stumped him. What revelation about the case does he overhear, and how does it change the course of his investigation?
• The Time-Torn Map: An explorer discovers a map that doesn’t just lead to places but to times. Marking a location and date transports the holder to the specified moment. The explorer chooses a date and place where a famous artifact went missing. What happens when he arrives , and how does this journey reshape historical narratives?
• Waves of the Temporal Beach: There’s a beach where each wave that crashes ashore comes from a different era. Collecting items brought by the waves can provide glimpses into various moments in time. A historian finds an item linked to her family’s past. What story does the item tell , and how does it redefine her family’s legacy ?
• Melodies from the Time-Touched Violin: A violin is found that, when played, doesn’t produce sound but images from the past or future. A musician plays a tune, and a series of events unfold before her, hinting at a future personal dilemma. What decision does she foresee , and how does she prepare for it?
• Stairs of the Epoch Tower: An ancient tower’s stairs are said to ascend through time. With each floor representing a different era, climbers can observe, but not interfere. A writer ascends, seeking inspiration , but finds himself on a floor mirroring a future event of his own life. What event does he witness , and how does it inspire his next work ?
• The Time Capsule’s Promise: A school ’s time capsule is unearthed not by students from the present but by visitors from the future. They leave behind a message for the current generation about an impending global challenge. What warning do they give , and how does the world rally in response?

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Past, Present, Paradox: Writing About Time Travel

Crafting a believable time travel story requires careful consideration of the logic at play. let's crack the temporal code on traveling through time in fiction.

Table of Contents

Time travel in fiction can open your story to infinite possibilities. Ever wondered what it would be like if somebody taught the Romans how to make a nuclear bomb? Do you need to retcon an event in your story? Time travel!

It may seem simple for your time-traveling characters to hop in Tony’s Terrific Temporal Transport and whiz through time, but there are many hurdles to overcome when writing about time travel.

Chief among these is dealing with time travel paradoxes, so let’s look at those, discuss how you can write convincing time travel stories, and explore how some popular stories handle it.

The Problem With Time Travel

Consider an ordinary day in your life. It follows a sequence of events where one thing leads to another. This is called causality , the concept that everything that happens results from events that happened before it. The problem with time travel in fiction, especially travel to the past, is that it often breaks the rules of causality.

This can lead to time travel paradoxes and unforeseen results , including:

• Continuity paradoxes: The act of time travel renders itself impossible.
• Closed causal loop paradoxes: Traveling to the past creates a condition where an idea, object, or person has no identifiable origin and exists in a closed loop in time that repeats infinitely.
• The butterfly effect: Even the smallest action can have massive consequences.

With all that in mind, let’s embark on a journey through time and explore these further!

Grandfather Paradox

This thought experiment posits the idea of somebody traveling back in time and killing their grandfather before their parents were born. Because the grandfather never has children, the time traveler—his grandchild—cannot exist.

However, if the time traveler never existed, they couldn’t kill their grandfather, so he would go on to have children and grandchildren. One of those grandchildren is the time traveler, though, who might go back in time and kill their grandfather. If that seems confusing, it’s okay—it’s supposed to be.

The bottom line is that if somebody travels to the past and changes something that prevents them from ever traveling to the past, they have broken the timeline's continuity.

Polchinski’s Paradox

American theoretical physicist Joseph Polchinski removed human intervention from the time travel equation.

Imagine a billiard ball travels into a wormhole, tunnels through time in a closed loop, and emerges from the same wormhole just in time to knock its past self away.

Doing so prevents it from ever entering the wormhole and traveling through time, to begin with. However, if it does not travel back in time, it cannot emerge to knock itself out of the way, giving it a clear path to travel back in time.

Bootstrap Paradox

The Bootstrap Paradox is the first closed causal loop paradox we will explore. This presents a situation where an object, idea, or person traveling to the past creates the conditions for their existence, leading to it having no identifiable origin in the timeline.

Imagine sending the schematics for your time machine to your past self, from which you create a time machine. Where did the knowledge of how to create the time machine begin?

Predestination Paradox

The most nihilistic of paradoxes explores the idea that nothing we do matters, no matter what. Events are predetermined to still occur regardless of when and where you travel in time.

Suppose you time travel to the past to talk Alexander the Great out of invading Persia, but he hadn’t even considered this until you mentioned it. By traveling to the past to prevent Alexander’s conquest, you caused it.

Butterfly Effec t

Less of a paradox and more an exploration of unintended consequences, the butterfly effect explores the idea that any action can have sweeping repercussions, no matter how small.

In the 1960s, meteorologist Edward Lorenz discovered that adding tiny changes to computer-based meteorological models resulted in unpredictable changes far from the origin point. In traveling back in time, we don’t know what effect even minor changes might have on the timeline.

How to Write Convincing Time Travel Stories

Time travel can be pretty complex at the best of times, but that doesn't mean writing about it has to be a challenge. Here are a few practical tips to craft narratives that crack the temporal code.

Ask Yourself, "Why Time Travel?"

If your story has time travel, to begin with, it likely plays a pretty significant role in the narrative. Define the purpose that time travel has in your story by asking yourself questions like:

• How and why is time travel possible in your setting?
• What does it mean for your story and your characters?
• What are your characters meant to use time travel for?
• Is the actual practice of time travel different from its intent?

If you can't be clear about time travel's purpose in your story, how can you convincingly write about it? To get crafty with time, you first need to master its relevant mechanics.

Keep a Record of Everything

You're asking your reader to potentially make several mental leaps when time travel is involved in a story, so it's imperative to have all of your details sorted. Do the work of planning out dates and events ahead of time by creating a time map for yourself—like a mindmap, but for a timeline.

You'll be able to keep a birds-eye view of the narrative at all times, be more strategic about moving the order of events around, and ensure that you never miss a detail. You may even want to have multiple versions—a strictly linear timeline and a more loosely structured time map where you draw connections between events and in the order they appear in the narrative.

In Campfire, you can do both with the Timeline Module —create as many Timelines as you want by using the Page feature in the element. You can also connect your Timeline(s) to a custom calendar from the Calendar Module for extra fun with time wonkiness in your world.

If a new idea pops up while writing, don't stress! You'll have your handy time map already laid out so you can easily see if a new scene or chapter makes sense, as well as where it will best fit into the narrative.

Never Forget Causality

I mentioned this concept earlier in the article, but it should be reiterated: The most important rule of time travel is that every action results in a consequence. Remember cause and effect : an action is taken (your character time travels to the past), and causes an effect, the consequence (the timeline is forever changed).

"Consequence" doesn't have to be a negative thing, either, even though the word has that connotation. The resulting consequence of a given action could be a positive effect, too.

Regardless, seek to maintain causality so you don't confuse your readers (or yourself, for that matter). Establishing clear rules for how time travel works in your setting and sticking to them will help you keep your time logic consistent and avoid running into narrative dead ends or plot holes.

Tips & Tricks For the Time-Traveling Author

Now that we’ve examined several obstacles you can encounter when writing about time travel, let’s see how you can either avoid them or exploit them. That’s right! Even time travel paradoxes present opportunities for superb storytelling.

Focus on the Future

Fortunately, all the named paradoxes here involve the past, so the easy way to avoid them is to not go there! Thanks to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, you don’t even have to invent a clever way to travel instead to the future.

An aspect of Einstein's theory is time dilation , in which the faster an object moves through space, the slower it moves through time. With this, you need only zip around at near the speed of light for a few weeks or months, and when you come back to Earth, years or centuries will have gone by.

Create a Multiverse

A popular trope in science fiction today, and a theory gaining popularity among theoretical quantum physicists, is the multiverse concept. According to multiverse theory, whenever an event occurs, every possible outcome of the event happens simultaneously, splitting the universe into parallels that each contain differing outcomes.

Since all these realities exist, perhaps changing the past is simply a way for time travelers to travel between realities, shifting their perspective to a timeline where things occurred differently than in their original reality.

Get Creative With Consequences

Instead of avoiding paradoxes, maybe you want them to occur. Leading to some fascinating stories, this can be approached in a variety of ways. Perhaps you want to examine the unintended consequences of the butterfly effect, create a time-traveling police force that enforces the laws of time travel, or simply break time itself and revel in the chaos that ensues.

Just be sure to remember the action-consequence rule and keep your timeline handy for easy reference—especially if you're toying around with multiple timelines!

Best Time Travel Stories

What follows are what I think are some of the best time travel stories. As you will see, the first two fall victim to time travel paradoxes, while the other two do a great job of exploring various elements we’ve discussed.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The corporation Cyberdyne Systems has remnants of the Terminator from the first movie, which they use to create an artificial intelligence system called Skynet. Skynet then actually creates the terminators and sends one back in time. Thus, it gives humanity the technology to create itself in a classic example of a bootstrap paradox.

Back to the Future

In this film, Marty McFly travels to the past and inadvertently interrupts the event where his parents first meet. This causes a chain of events where Marty’s parents never get married and have children, threatening to erase Marty and his siblings from the timeline.

Some argue that the McFly offspring ceasing to exist is a great exploration of the consequences of time travel. However, they would never have been at risk had Marty not been in the past to impede their parents’ romance. And if he ceases to exist, he’ll never go back and get in the way, thus creating a grandfather paradox.

War of the Twins

In this second volume of the Dragonlance Legends trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the mage Raistlin Majere travels into the past, kills a wizard named Fistandantilus in a battle for power, and assumes his identity. Throughout the book, Raistlin unwittingly follows the historical fate of Fistandantilus, in a wonderful exploration of the predestination paradox.

It’s hard to talk about time travel in fiction these days without mentioning Loki. The show explores two suggestions from my list above: the multiverse and policing the timeline. In this series, varying outcomes of events lead to branching timelines, creating a multiverse of possibilities. However, an agency called the Time Variance Authority exists to prevent this from happening, and they set out to eliminate any branches separate from what they consider the Sacred Timeline.

Bon Voyage!

I hope this exploration of time travel leaves you prepared to tackle these obstacles and opportunities that naturally present themselves when playing around with time.

Just knowing about the complexities of time travel and the paradoxes it can bring about is the best way to avoid trouble and create innovative storytelling moments. So, dust off your DeLorean, polish your paradox-proof plot, and get ready to write your adventure through the ages!

Learn more about making a timeline with Campfire in the dedicated Timeline Module tutorial . And be sure to check out the other plotting and planning articles and videos here on Learn, for advice on how to plan your very own time travel adventures!

Not Your Usual Time Travel Story Ideas (2024)

Looking for unusual time travel story ideas and writing prompts? You’ve come to the right place!

Read on for ideas like a world where time flows differently in different regions, a person with an ability to travel in their dreams, and more!

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• S tory ideas

Picture prompts

The time travel trope.

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Related posts: Tragic Love Story Ideas (2023) The Most Enticing Forbidden Love Story Ideas (Updated in 2023) 40+ Sad Backstory Ideas for Your Character (2023) 17+ Enticing Soulmate Story Ideas (2023)

Time Travel Story Ideas & Writing Prompts

Time travel has long been a captivating concept in storytelling, transporting us to narratives of endless possibilities. Now, let’s explore some unique and unconventional story ideas!

Please note that the genders in these prompts and story ideas are just placeholders and do not mean to enforce any hurtful stereotypes nor offend anyone.

Story ideas

From unexpected time travelers to unconventional methods of traversing through time, embark on a thrilling, time-bending adventure with these exciting ideas.

• Lost Time A group of explorers stumbles upon an alien-made, time-traveling elevator that can transport them to different moments within their own lifetime, at the cost of reduced longevity.
• Reversed A scientist makes a mistake in their time travel machine, which sends them spiraling into an alternate reality where time operates in reverse.
• Past and Future Memories In a post apocalyptic world, a person finds that they can jump into the past as well as potential future memories of others. Then, they navigate through different people’s experiences in the hope of finding a way to undo the effect of the apocalypse.
• Time is Money In a world where time flows differently in different regions, a society formed where time travelers exist and time itself can be a commodity. (Originally appeared in my post The Most Mesmerizing Fantasy World Ideas (2023) )
• Chronicler of Lost History A person wakes up every day in a different time period, with no control over when or where they’ll end up next. As they try to find out why, they realize that their purpose is to witness and document crucial moments in history that have been erased from collective memory.
• Time-Traveling Detective In a time when time travel is possible, a time-traveling detective agency specializes in solving crimes and incidents that occur across different points in time.
• Network of Selves There’s a new invention that allows people to split their consciousness into multiple timelines, creating a network of parallel selves.
• Tour Across Time Time travel is a regulated industry, and a tour guide accidentally takes a group of tourists to a time period that never existed, causing a ripple effect that alters the course of history.
• Time-Traveling Companion There’s a peculiar type of animals that have the innate ability to traverse time. Once they form a unique bond with a human, the bond will allow that human to time travel along with said animal.

• The Time Capsule After unearthing a long-forgotten time capsule, a tight-knit group of friends is transported back to their younger selves. (A similar concept appeared in my post Beyond the Mundane: Captivating Slice of Life Story Ideas (2023) )
• The Time Thief A physicist accidentally creates a device that allows them to move between parallel universes. They exploit this power to commit crimes across dimensions, staying one step ahead of authorities.
• The Reversed Time Traveler A time traveler’s machine malfunctions, causing them to experience life in reverse. Frustrated by their reversed existence, they seek to disrupt the flow of time itself.
• Cheering Through Time An alien with the ability to explore different time periods gets stranded on earth and befriends a cheerleader. But as the two jump between time periods, they unwittingly start a chain of event that might spell catastrophe for both of their home planets.
• Happy Days Specific emotional triggers can create a quantum leap, launching individuals through time to a moment in the past or future when a similar emotional event occurred.

Here are some time travel picture prompts, because a picture speaks a thousand words! What kind of time travel prompt or story jumps out at you when looking at the picture prompts below?

The concept of time travel has fascinated storytellers for generations, offering endless possibilities and narrative intrigue, allowing writers to explore the complexities of cause and effect, challenge the boundaries of linear time, and delve into the profound impact of altering the past or glimpsing into the future.

In time travel stories, protagonists often find themselves in paradoxes and moral dilemmas as they attempt to correct past mistakes, change the course of history, or prevent catastrophic events where the smallest alteration can have far-reaching repercussions.

Time travel narratives also provide a fertile ground for exploring themes of identity, self-discovery, and the relentless march of time, prompting characters and readers alike to ponder the nature of free will and the fragility of existence.

If you need more story ideas and prompts, please browse our Story Ideas & Writing Prompts category!

Have any question or feedback? Feel free to contact me here . Until next time!

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Sci-Fi Story Ideas and Writing Prompts

Hannah Yang

Are you excited to write a science fiction story but unsure what to write about? Using a writing prompt is a great way to get started.

We’ve created writing prompts in eight popular science fiction subgenres: aliens, biopunk, dystopia, high-tech, robots, science fantasy, space opera, and time travel.

You can start with the categories that you’re most excited about, or read through all of them to see if anything unexpected tickles your imagination.

This article has 80+ science fiction story ideas that you can use for your next novel, screenplay, or short story. Happy writing!

Alien Story Ideas

Biopunk story ideas, dystopia story ideas, high-tech story ideas, robot story ideas, science fantasy story ideas, space opera story ideas, time travel story ideas, tips for using sci-fi story ideas.

The alien subgenre is a classic in science fiction literature. Different writers have envisioned countless scenarios for what might happen if we discovered other life in the universe.

• You run a hotel on Earth where various alien species come to stay on vacation
• A child finds out her pet has been an alien all along
• Alien students come to study on Earth for a foreign exchange program
• An alien race comes to planet Earth to help solve global warming
• Humans invade a peaceful alien planet to steal their secrets
• Aliens speak a language you have to learn how to decipher
• Aliens can mind control the human race, except for a certain demographic of people
• Aliens have taken over the Earth, and a family must try to survive against all odds
• A human falls in love with an alien and they have a child together
• Alien parasites can infiltrate the human body and make people commit crimes
• Aliens take over Earth’s prison systems so they can use human criminals as slaves
• Scientists dig up alien technology that has been buried in glacial ice for centuries, revealing secrets nobody expected

Biopunk is a subgenre that grapples with the implications of biotechnology. What happens when humans learn how to engineer and augment their own bodies?

• People steal organs to sell them on the black market
• You can raise a genetically identical version of yourself to give you spare organs
• A scientist recreates her dead family out of grief
• A technology company hides your memories behind a paywall, so you have to pay to access them
• A young woman and her twin sister agree to be genetically modified in two different ways
• You meet someone who looks exactly like you, and find out you’re actually a clone they created
• Every family is only allowed to have one child, and terrible things happen if you break that rule
• Parents are forced to genetically optimize their babies, and those who refuse are forced to work menial labor
• Thieves steal genetic skill sets, such as math skills and gymnastics skills, from the rich
• Evil scientists create a terrible pandemic and unleash it onto enemy countries

If you like critiquing the state of our society or political system, dystopian world building is a great way to do it. This subgenre lets you interrogate the dark side of government control and the erasure of individual autonomy.

• The government, which controls all media, lies about an important historical event to try to erase history
• Nobody is allowed to go beyond the wall that surrounds the city, and nobody remembers why
• The government mandates a hive mind so they can see everyone’s thoughts
• Everyone has a ranking to show their status as a citizen, forcing them into class tiers
• You work for a rebel organization trying to take down the global dictatorship
• The government sets up high-tech surveillance programs that watch everyone 24/7, but only you know how to get around the cameras
• The government decides who you marry and have children with, but you fell in love with someone else
• Nobody is allowed to eat the old foods, but you inherited a recipe book from your grandmother
• The government outlaws a new invention that some people desperately need
• Citizens are forced to participate in brutal competitions
• The government creates a strange new technology for punishing dissidents
• A mechanized police force prevents crime, but also commits atrocities

Many science fiction stories imagine new types of futuristic technology that might change the way we interact with the world, from virtual realities to extreme social media. If you like inventing new things, this sub-genre could be an exciting one to try.

• Someone creates an app that lets people buy, sell, and trade emotions
• Social media gets pushed to the extreme
• A dating app becomes sentient and starts forcing its users to date the people it chooses
• Humans figure out how to upload their minds into computers, effectively achieving immortality
• Everyone begins spending most of their lives in a virtual reality
• Humans are allowed to choose their own VR afterlives
• People can selectively remove some of their memories
• Babies get created and raised in artificial wombs, raising ethical questions
• Laws try to ban an invention that lets you change people’s memories
• A technology can heal any affliction…with a cost
• An inventor tries to patent his invention, only to find that big corporations who want to use his invention are out to kill him
• Someone invents a technology that lets you swap bodies with someone else

Robots and artificial intelligence are another classic science fiction subgenre. What happens when people create machines that are smarter than we are?

• A woman creates a robot boyfriend, but feels guilty when it starts having an existential crisis
• A young boy and his best friend discover that their babysitter is a robot
• A loophole in the programming of an AI robot causes it to go rogue
• All jobs are taken over by AIs, and humans must find meaning in other pursuits
• Human military officers have designed a robot to serve as a super weapon, but the robot doesn’t want to kill anyone
• The planet has been split into territories ruled by humans and territories ruled by machines
• A lawyer fights for civil rights for androids
• Years after the robots overthrew human civilization, a small group of humans survive
• Robots learn to fall in love, either with humans or with each other
• A robot seeks revenge against the people who killed the family it protected
• The androids don’t know they’re androids, because they’re told they’re humans
• The narrator is a sentient house that takes care of a family
• A child gets raised by robots and learns robotic mannerisms

Science fantasy lives at the intersection of science fiction and fantasy. Who says stories based in science can’t have a little magic too?

• A war breaks out between scientists with incredible technologies and the witches and wizards who have been hiding on Earth for centuries
• Spaceships are controlled by people who have magic powers that allow faster-than-light space travel
• Scientists figure out how to create mythical animals in laboratories, such as dragons, unicorns, and pixies
• After a spaceship landed on a distant planet, the natives of that planet have formed a new religion which worships space travelers as gods
• An inventor creates the technology to bring children’s dreams to life, including their nightmares
• A scientist creates a fortune teller that can create magical prophecies
• Using modern technologies, scientists discover the lost city of Atlantis and the ancient magic it holds
• Time travelers go back to ancient Greece and meet mythical beasts such as the hydra
• An experimental government program combines humans with other animals, creating creatures like mermaids and angels

Space opera stories are adventures set in outer space, full of action, drama, and romance. There are a lot of different directions you can take these stories.

• Five people wake up on a deserted space station with no memory of how they got there
• Earth competes in an interplanetary art contest against multiple alien races
• Someone stows away on a spacecraft to run away from home and gets discovered by the crew members after they’ve landed on a distant planet
• A war breaks out on a generation ship, causing the last survivors to reach their destination without any of the skills or resources they were supposed to have
• Intergalactic bounty hunters look for fugitives on faraway planets
• A space pirate lands in your backyard and tries to recruit you
• A galactic empire tries to colonize your peaceful planet, so you team up with other species to fight back
• Single people try looking for romance at an interplanetary club
• Navigators use special powers to plot courses through the stars
• Write a retelling of your favorite fairy tale…in space!

Time travel is an exciting element of science fiction! If you’re a history buff, you might send your characters back to big events in the past. If you like logic puzzles, you might want to figure out a tricky series of actions in time.

• Humans learn how to communicate with their past and present selves
• Time travel journalists go back in time to document historical events with modern technology
• You travel a hundred years into the past and accidentally kill your own ancestors
• A secret society of time travelers patrols different time periods to protect the way history unfolded
• A high school student creates a time machine for a science fair
• In a small town, someone is born with the special ability to visit the same town in the past, present, and future
• A woman befriends her childhood self to try to change her own past
• Someone uses time travel to commit untraceable crimes
• A time traveler meets an immortal vampire and becomes best friends with them
• Knowing that the human population is about to be wiped out, the last survivors on Earth travel back in time as refugees

Remember that a prompt is just a starting point. You still need to decide how you’re going to put your own unique twist on the story.

Most of these science fiction ideas have been used many times before, but that doesn’t mean your story can’t be original and unique.

For example, E.T. and Lilo and Stitch are two movies that could conceivably have originated from the same prompt—“a kid discovers an alien and keeps it as a pet”—but they’re very different movies.

Here are some tips for how to use these prompts to create exciting and original stories.

Tip #1: Combine Multiple Ideas

You can consider combining a prompt with an idea for a character or setting, or even with a second prompt.

For example, maybe you want to take an alien prompt and a time traveler prompt and include both in the same story by making the aliens turn out to be humans from the future. When you let two ideas collide, new and exciting possibilities can arise.

Tip #2: Write What You Know

“Write what you know” is a great adage that applies even to science fiction. That’s how you create an original, authentic story that resonates with readers.

If you’re an insurance salesperson, perhaps you can write about an alien who sells insurance to other planets. If you’re a high schooler, perhaps you can write about a high school student discovering time travel.

Using your real life as a starting point for a story can imbue it with your own perspective and voice.

Tip #3: Don’t Forget the Basics

An interesting premise is important, but there are other skills you need in order to flesh out your writing. Craft elements like character development and world building are still crucial for creating a good story.

Tip #4: Write with a Friend

Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary activity! It can be fun to write the same prompt with a friend and then trade stories. Chances are, you’ll be surprised by the different ways you and your friend can use the same idea.

If you’re excited to try some of these prompts and meet other sci-fi writers, don’t forget to register for our free Science Fiction Writers’ Week .

Happy writing!

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Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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Summaries, Analysis & Lists

Time Travel Short Stories: Examples Online

The short stories on this page all contain some form of time travel, including time loops. Some of them contain time machines or other technologies that makes the trip possible; in other stories the jump in time doesn’t have an obvious explanation. They don’t all involve obvious trips to the past or future. Sometimes, the story simply contains an element that is out of place in time. See also:

Short Stories About Time Travel

“caveat time traveler” by gregory benford.

The narrator spots the man from the past immediately. The visitor identifies himself. He’s surprised to find he’s not the first visitor from the past. He wants to take something back to prove he made it.

“Caveat Time Travel” can be read in the preview of  The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF.

“Absolutely Inflexible” by Robert Silverberg

A time traveler in a spacesuit sits in Mahler’s office. He’s informed that he’ll be sent to the Moon, where all visitors from the past have to go. The man tries to get out of it, but Mahler explains why no exceptions are possible.

“Absolutely Inflexible” can be read in the preview of  Time and Time Again :  Sixteen Trips in Time.

“Yesterday Was Monday” by Theodore Sturgeon

When Harry Wright wakes up on Wednesday morning he realizes that yesterday was Monday. Somehow there is a gap. He notices that his environment doesn’t quite seem complete.

“Yesterday Was Monday” can be read in the preview of  The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century.

“Death Ship” by Richard Matheson

The crew of a spaceship is collecting samples from various planets to determine their suitability for human habitation. While nearing a new planet, Mason spots a metallic flash. The crew speculates that it might be a ship. Captain Ross orders a landing to check it out.

“Death Ship” can be read in the preview of  The Time Traveler’s Almanac.

“The Third Level” by Jack Finney

The narrator has been to the third level of Grand Central Station, even though everyone else believes there are only two. He’s just an ordinary guy and doesn’t know why he discovered this unknown level. He relates how it happened.

“The Third Level” can be read in the preview of  About Time: 12 Short Stories.

“A Touch of Petulance” by Ray Bradbury

Jonathan Hughes met his fate in the form of an old man while he rode the train home from work. He noticed the old man’s newspaper looked more modern than his own. There was a story on the front page about a murdered woman—his wife. His mind raced.

This story can be read in the preview of  Killer, Come Back To Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury.

“Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle is lazy at home but helpful to, and well-liked by, his neighbors. He’s out in the mountains one day to get away from things. With night approaching, he starts for home but meets up with a group of men. He has something to drink and goes to sleep, which changes everything.

This story can be read in the preview of  The Big Book of Classic Fantasy .

“Twilight” by John W. Campbell

Jim picks up a hitch-hiker, Ares, who says he’s a scientist from the year 3059. He says he traveled millions of years into the future, but came back to the wrong year. Life in 3059 is trouble free, with machines taking care of everything. Future Earth is in trouble, with all life extinct, except for humans and plants.

This is the second story in the preview of  The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Vol 1 .  (49% into preview)

“The Man Who Walked Home” by James Tiptree, Jr.

An accident at the Bonneville Particle Acceleration Facility decimated the Earth’s population and severely damaged the biosphere and surface. Decades later, a huge flat creature emerges from the crater at the explosion site and promptly disappeared. There are other sightings in the years that follow.

This story can be read in the preview of the anthology  Timegates .  (18% into preview)

“An Assassin in Time” by S. A. Asthana

Navy Seal Jessica Kravitz recovers from the effects of the time jump. She’s done it before, but there are always side-effects. She’s on a highly classified, very important, and expensive mission. Previous jumps have familiarized her with the grounds. This time, she should be able to reach her target.

This story can be read in the preview of  AT THE EDGES: Short Science Fiction, Thriller and Horror Stories .  (17% in)

“The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang

Fuwaad, a fabric merchant, appears before the Caliph to recount a remarkable story. While looking for a gift, he entered a large shop with a new owner. It had a marvelous assortment of offerings, all made by the owner or under his direction. Fuwaad is led into the back where he’s shown a small hoop that manipulates time. He also has a larger gateway that people can walk through. The owner tells Fuwaad the stories of a few who did just that.

This story is on the longer side but doesn’t feel like it. Most of “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” can be read in the Amazon preview of  Exhalation: Stories .

“Time Locker” by Harry Kuttner

Gallegher is a scientist—drunken, erratic and brilliant. He invents things but pays them little attention after. His acquaintance Vanning, an unscrupulous lawyer, has made use of some of these inventions, including a neuro-gun that he rents out. During a visit he sees a locker that is bigger inside than out. Fascinated with the item’s possibilities, he offers to purchase it.

Some of “Time Locker” can be read in the preview of  The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century.

Time Travel Short Stories, Cont’d

“All You Zombies” by Robert A. Heinlein

A young man explains to a bartender that he was born a girl. He (she) gave birth to a child and there were complications. The doctors noticed he (she) was a hermaphrodite and performed an emergency sex-change operation.

A lot of this story can be read in the preview of  “ All You Zombies—”: Five Classic Stories .

“The Hundred-Light-Year Diary” by Greg Egan

The narrator meets his future wife, Alison, for lunch exactly when he knew he would. His diary told him. Everyone alive is allotted a hundred words a day to send back to themselves.

Most of this story can be read in the preview of Axiomatic .  (Select Kindle first then Preview, 57% in)

“The Dead Past” by Isaac Asimov

Arnold Potterley, a Professor of Ancient History, wants to use the chronoscope—the ability to view a scene from the past—for his research on Carthage. The government maintains strict control over its use, and his request is denied. Frustrated, Potterley embarks on a plan to get around this restriction, which is professionally risky.

Some of this story can be read in the preview of  The Complete Stories, Vol 1 .  (6% in)

“Signal Moon” by Kate Quinn

Working with the Royal Naval Service, Lily Baines intercepts radio communications to enemy vessels for decoding. One night, everything changes when she picks up an impossible message—a plea for help from another time.

Preview of “Signal Moon”

“Journey to the Seed” by Alejo Carpentier

An old man wanders around a demolition site, muttering a string of incomprehensible phrases. The roof has been removed and, by evening, most of the house is down. When the site is deserted, the old man waves his walking stick over a pile of discarded tiles. They fly back and cover the floor. The house continues to rebuild. Inside, Don Marcial lies on his deathbed.

“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

In the future, a company offers guided hunting safaris into the past to kill dinosaurs. Extreme care is taken to ensure nothing happens that could alter the present.

Read “A Sound of Thunder” (PDF Pg. 3)

“That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French” by Stephen King

Carol and Bill, married twenty-five years, are on their second honeymoon, driving to their destination. Carol experiences déjà vu; voices and images keep coming to her mind. Their drive comes to an end and she finds herself at an earlier point in their trip.

“The Clock That Went Backward” by Edward Page Mitchell

The narrator recounts the discovery surrounding a clock left to his cousin Harry by his Aunt Gertrude. As young boys they witnessed a strange event. Late one night Aunt Gertrude wound the clock, put her face to the dial, and then kissed and caressed it. The hands were moving backward. She fell to the floor when it stopped.

Read “The Clock That Went Backward” 

“Soldier (Soldier from Tomorrow)” by Harlan Ellison

Qarlo, a soldier, is fighting in the Great War VII. He doesn’t expect to be able to go back. The odds are against it. Qarlo anticipates the Regimenter’s order and gets warped off the battlefield. He’s not sure where he is but his instincts kick in.

“The Men Who Murdered Mohammed” by Alfred Bester

Henry Hassel comes home to find his wife in the arms of another man. He could get his revenge immediately but he has a more intellectual plan. He gets a revolver and builds a time machine. He goes into the past.

“Cosmic Corkscrew” by Michael A. Burstein

The narrator is sent back to 1938 to make a copy of a rejected story by an unnamed writer. Unknown to Dr. Scheihagen, the narrator adjusts his arrival to three days earlier. He wants to make contact with the writer.

“Time’s Arrow” by Arthur C. Clarke

Barton and Davis, geologists, are assisting Professor Fowler with an excavation. The professor receives an invitation to visit a nearby research facility. Barton and Davis are curious to know what goes on there. The professor says he will fill them in, but after his visit he says he’s been asked not to talk about it. Henderson, from the research facility, returns the visit. Something he says starts the geologists speculating about a device that could see into the past.

“The Final Days” by David Langford

Harman and Ferris, presidential candidates, are participating in a televised debate. Ferris is struggling to connect with the audience while Harman relishes the attention. The technician signals Harman that there are fourteen watchers. His confidence increases.

Read “The Final Days”

“Hwang’s Billion Brilliant Daughters” by Alice Sola Kim

When Hwang is in a time he likes he tries to stay awake. Hwang jumps ahead in time when he sleeps. It could only be a few days; it could be years.

Read “Hwang’s Billion Brilliant Daughters”

“Fish Night” by Joe R. Lansdale

Two traveling salesmen, a father and son, get broke down on a desert road. They sit by the car and talk about how hard it is to make a living. The father tells his son about an unusual experience he had on the same road years ago.

Read “Fish Night”

“The Fox and the Forest” by Ray Bradbury

William and Susan Travis have gone to Mexico in 1938. They’re enjoying a local celebration. William assures Susan that they’re safe—they have traveler’s checks to last a lifetime, and he’s confident they won’t be found. Susan notices a conspicuous man in a café looking at them. She thinks he could be a Searcher, but William says he’s nobody.

“A Statue for Father” by Isaac Asimov

The narrator tells the story of his father, a theoretical physicist who researched time travel. He’s celebrated now, but it was a difficult climb. When time travel research fell out of favor, the dean forced him out. He continued the research independently with his son. Eventually, they succeed in holding a window open long enough for the son to reach in. He brings back some dinosaur eggs.

“The Pendulum” by Ray Bradbury

Layeville has been swinging in a massive glass pendulum for a long time. The people call him The Prisoner of Time. It’s his punishment for his crime. He had constructed a time machine and invited thirty of the world’s preeminent scientists to attend the unveiling.

Read  The Pendulum

“Who’s Cribbing?” by Jack Lewis

A writer has his manuscript returned by a publisher. The story he submitted was published years before—he obviously plagiarized it. They warn him against doing this again. The writer has never heard of the author who first wrote the story and claims it’s an original work.

“Who’s Cribbing” is in  Time Machines: The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written.

I’ll keep adding short stories about time travel and time machines as I find more.

• Writing Prompts

150+ Story Starters: Creative Sentences To Start A Story

The most important thing about writing is finding a good idea . You have to have a great idea to write a story. You have to be able to see the whole picture before you can start to write it. Sometimes, you might need help with that. Story starters are a great way to get the story rolling. You can use them to kick off a story, start a character in a story or even start a scene in a story.

When you start writing a story, you need to have a hook. A hook can be a character or a plot device. It can also be a setting, something like “A young man came into a bar with a horse.” or a setting like “It was the summer of 1969, and there were no cell phones.” The first sentence of a story is often the hook. It can also be a premise or a situation, such as, “A strange old man in a black cloak was sitting on the train platform.”

Story starters are a way to quickly get the story going. They give the reader a place to start reading your story. Some story starters are obvious, and some are not. The best story starters are the ones that give the reader a glimpse into the story. They can be a part of a story or a part of a scene. They can be a way to show the reader the mood of a story. If you want to start a story, you can use a simple sentence. You can also use a question or an inspirational quote. In this post, we have listed over 150 story starters to get your story started with a bang! A great way to use these story starters is at the start of the Finish The Story game .

If you want more story starters, check out this video on some creative story starter sentences to use in your stories:

150+ Creative Story Starters

Here is a list of good sentences to start a story with:

• I’ve read about a million stories about princesses but never thought I could ever be one.
• There was once a man who was very old, but he was wise. He lived for a very long time, and he was very happy.
• What is the difference between a man and a cat? A cat has nine lives.
• In the middle of the night, a boy is running through the woods.
• It is the end of the world.
• He knew he was not allowed to look into the eyes of the princess, but he couldn’t help himself.
• The year is 1893. A young boy was running away from home.
• What if the Forest was actually a magical portal to another dimension, the Forest was a portal to the Otherworld?
• In the Forest, you will find a vast number of magical beings of all sorts. 
• It was the middle of the night, and the forest was quiet. No bugs or animals disturbed the silence. There were no birds, no chirping. 
• If you wish to stay in the Forest, you will need to follow these rules: No one shall leave the Forest. No one shall enter. No one shall take anything from the Forest.
• “It was a terrible day,” said the old man in a raspy voice.
• A cat is flying through the air, higher and higher, when it happens, and the cat doesn’t know how it got there, how it got to be in the sky.
• I was lying in the woods, and I was daydreaming.
• The Earth is a world of wonders. 
• The fairy is the most amazing creature I have ever met.
• A young girl was sitting on a tree stump at the edge of a river when she noticed a magical tree growing in the water.
• My dancing rat is dressed in a jacket, a tie and glasses, which make him look like a person. 
• In the darkness of the night, I am alone, but I know that I am not. 
• Owls are the oldest, and most intelligent, of all birds.
• My name is Reyna, and I am a fox. 
• The woman was drowning.
• One day, he was walking in the forest.
• It was a dark and stormy night…
• There was a young girl who could not sleep…
• A boy in a black cape rode on a white horse…
• A crazy old man in a black cloak was sitting in the middle of the street…
• The sun was setting on a beautiful summer day…
• The dog was restless…”
• There was a young boy in a brown coat…
• I met a young man in the woods…
• In the middle of a dark forest…
• The young girl was at home with her family…
• There was a young man who was sitting on a …
• A young man came into a bar with a horse…
• I have had a lot of bad dreams…
• He was a man who wanted to be king…
• It was the summer of 1969, and there were no cell phones.
• I know what you’re thinking. But no, I don’t want to be a vegetarian. The worst part is I don’t like the taste.
• She looked at the boy and decided to ask him why he wasn’t eating. She didn’t want to look mean, but she was going to ask him anyway.
• The song played on the radio, as Samual wiped away his tears.
• This was the part when everything was about to go downhill. But it didn’t…
• “Why make life harder for yourself?” asked Claire, as she bit into her apple.
• She made a promise to herself that she would never do it.
• I was able to escape.
• I was reading a book when the accident happened.
• “I can’t stand up for people who lie and cheat.” I cried.
• You look at me and I feel beautiful.
• I know what I want to be when I grow up.
• We didn’t have much money. But we knew how to throw a good party.
• The wind blew on the silent streets of London.
• What do you get when you cross an angry bee and my sister?
• The flight was slow and bumpy. I was half asleep when the captain announced we were going down.
• At the far end of the city was a river that was overgrown with weeds. 
• It was a quiet night in the middle of a busy week.
• One afternoon, I was eating a sandwich in the park when I spotted a stranger.
• In the late afternoon, a few students sat on the lawn reading.
• The fireflies were dancing in the twilight as the sunset.
• In the early evening, the children played in the park.
• The sun was setting and the moon was rising.
• A crowd gathered in the square as the band played.
• The top of the water tower shone in the moonlight.
• The light in the living room was on, but the light in the kitchen was off.
•  When I was a little boy, I used to make up stories about the adventures of these amazing animals, creatures, and so on. 
• All of the sudden, I realized I was standing in the middle of an open field surrounded by nothing but wildflowers, and the only thing I remembered about it was that I’d never seen a tree before.
• It’s the kind of thing that’s only happened to me once before in my life, but it’s so cool to see it.
• They gave him a little wave as they drove away.
• The car had left the parking lot, and a few hours later we arrived home.
• They were going to play a game of bingo.
• He’d made up his mind to do it. He’d have to tell her soon, though. He was waiting for a moment when they were alone and he could say it without feeling like an idiot. But when that moment came, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
• Jamie always wanted to own a plane, but his parents were a little tight on the budget. So he’d been saving up to buy one of his own. 
• The night was getting colder, and the wind was blowing in from the west.
• The doctor stared down at the small, withered corpse.
• She’d never been in the woods before, but she wasn’t afraid.
• The kids were having a great time in the playground.
• The police caught the thieves red-handed.
• The world needs a hero more than ever.
• Mother always said, “Be good and nice things will happen…”
• There is a difference between what you see and what you think you see.
• The sun was low in the sky and the air was warm.
• “It’s time to go home,” she said, “I’m getting a headache.”
• It was a cold winter’s day, and the snow had come early.
• I found a wounded bird in my garden.
• “You should have seen the look on my face.”
• He opened the door and stepped back.
• My father used to say, “All good things come to an end.”
• The problem with fast cars is that they break so easily.
• “What do you think of this one?” asked Mindy.
• “If I asked you to do something, would you do it?” asked Jacob.
• I was surprised to see her on the bus.
• I was never the most popular one in my class.
• We had a bad fight that day.
• The coffee machine had stopped working, so I went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.
• It was a muggy night, and the air-conditioning unit was so loud it hurt my ears.
• I had a sleepless night because I couldn’t get my head to turn off.
• I woke up at dawn and heard a horrible noise.
• I was so tired I didn’t know if I’d be able to sleep that night.
• I put on the light and looked at myself in the mirror.
• I decided to go in, but the door was locked.
• A man in a red sweater stood staring at a little kitten as if it was on fire.
• “It’s so beautiful,” he said, “I’m going to take a picture.”
• “I think we’re lost,” he said, “It’s all your fault.”
• It’s hard to imagine what a better life might be like
• He was a tall, lanky man, with a long face, a nose like a pin, and a thin, sandy moustache.
• He had a face like a lion’s and an eye like a hawk’s.
• The man was so broad and strong that it was as if a mountain had been folded up and carried in his belly.
• I opened the door. I didn’t see her, but I knew she was there.
• I walked down the street. I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
• I arrived at my parents’ home at 8:00 AM.
• The nurse had been very helpful.
• On the table was an array of desserts.
• I had just finished putting the last of my books in the trunk.
• A car horn honked, startling me.
• The kitchen was full of pots and pans.
• There are too many things to remember.
• The world was my oyster. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
•  “My grandfather was a World War II veteran. He was a decorated hero who’d earned himself a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart.
• Beneath the menacing, skeletal shadow of the mountain, a hermit sat on his ledge. His gnarled hands folded on his gnarled knees. His eyes stared blankly into the fog. 
• I heard a story about a dragon, who was said to be the size of a house, that lived on the top of the tallest mountain in the world.
•  I was told a story about a man who found a golden treasure, which was buried in this very park.
• He stood alone in the middle of a dark and silent room, his head cocked to one side, the brown locks of his hair, which were parted in the middle, falling down over his eyes.
•  Growing up, I was the black sheep of the family. I had my father’s eyes, but my mother’s smile.
• Once upon a time, there was a woman named Miss Muffett, and she lived in a big house with many rooms.
• When I was a child, my mother told me that the water looked so bright because the sun was shining on it. I did not understand what she meant at the time.    
•  The man in the boat took the water bottle and drank from it as he paddled away.
• The man looked at the child with a mixture of pity and contempt.
• An old man and his grandson sat in their garden. The old man told his grandson to dig a hole. 
• An old woman was taking a walk on the beach. The tide was high and she had to wade through the water to get to the other side.
• She looked up at the clock and saw that it was five minutes past seven.
• The man looked up from the map he was studying. “How’s it going, mate?”
• I was in my room on the third floor, staring out of the window.
• A dark silhouette of a woman stood in the doorway.
• The church bells began to ring.
• The moon rose above the horizon.
• A bright light shone over the road.
• The night sky began to glow.
• I could hear my mother cooking in the kitchen.
• The fog began to roll in.
• He came in late to the class and sat at the back.
• A young boy picked up a penny and put it in his pocket.
• He went to the bathroom and looked at his face in the mirror.
• It was the age of wisdom and the age of foolishness. We once had everything and now we have nothing.
• A young man died yesterday, and no one knows why.
• The boy was a little boy. He was not yet a man. He lived in a house in a big city.
• They had just returned from the theatre when the phone rang.
• I walked up to the front of the store and noticed the neon sign was out.
• I always wondered what happened to Mary.
• I stopped to say hello and then walked on.
• The boy’s mother didn’t want him to play outside…
• The lights suddenly went out…
• After 10 years in prison, he was finally out.
• The raindrops pelted the window, which was set high up on the wall, and I could see it was a clear day outside.
• My friend and I had just finished a large pizza, and we were about to open our second.
• I love the smell of the ocean, but it never smells as good as it does when the waves are crashing.
• They just stood there, staring at each other.
• A party was in full swing until the music stopped.

For more ideas on how to start your story, check out these first-line writing prompts . Did you find this list of creative story starters useful? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Speculative Fiction Writing Prompts

Welcome to the realms of imagination and possibility, where the only limit is the boundaries of your own creativity. Speculative fiction opens doors to worlds unbound by the conventional laws of reality, inviting writers and readers alike into landscapes rich with potential and wonder. This guide is designed to spark the fire of inspiration within you, offering a collection of writing prompts that delve into the heart of speculative fiction.

Whether you're a seasoned author seeking a fresh challenge or a novice writer looking for a place to start, these prompts are crafted to ignite your creativity and transport you to the extraordinary. From dystopian futures and alternate histories to the depths of space and the inner workings of magical realms, each prompt is a stepping stone into the unknown. So, let your imagination take flight as we explore the limitless possibilities of speculative fiction together.

Table of Contents

Story Starters

Character prompts, dialogue prompts, setting prompts, theme prompts, plot prompts, image prompts, frequently asked questions.

Stepping into the world of speculative fiction is akin to crossing the threshold into a realm where the ordinary meets the extraordinary in the most imaginative ways. Below are story starters crafted to awaken your creativity, providing a canvas for narratives that stretch the boundaries of imagination. From dystopian futures to the mysterious whispers of unknown worlds, these prompts serve as a beacon for tales that intertwine the fabric of science fiction, fantasy, and the unexplored corners of possibility.

• In a seemingly tranquil village shrouded in fog, a newcomer uncovers an ancient curse that befalls the town every century, bringing to life the nightmares of its inhabitants, revealing a hidden realm of magic and dark folklore.
• During a late-night exploration of an abandoned space station, a group of astronauts encounters more than just the remnants of the past, triggering a series of events that could alter the fabric of reality itself.
• A reclusive scientist discovers a parallel universe overlapping our own, where the laws of physics are twisted, and their actions in one world affect the other in unpredictable ways.
• On the eve of a groundbreaking technological breakthrough, a family moves into a smart home with a dark secret, only to find themselves in the middle of a digital nightmare that questions the essence of humanity.
• After receiving a mysterious alien artifact, a skeptic becomes the center of an intergalactic conspiracy, revealing hidden truths about the universe and humanity's place within it.
• An experimental virtual reality game turns sinister when players start disappearing into the game world, challenging a group of friends to unravel the mystery before they become the next victims.
• In a post-apocalyptic world, a band of survivors discovers a utopian city untouched by disaster, only to uncover a chilling secret about the price of perfection.
• While investigating a series of unexplained phenomena, a journalist unwittingly becomes part of a story that spans across alternate realities, revealing a cosmic threat to existence itself.
• A historical researcher finds a time-travel device hidden in ancient ruins, launching them on a journey through time that challenges their understanding of history and their own identity.
• A small town, isolated from the world by unexplained weather patterns, discovers the truth about the storms: a battle between ancient deities using the town as their chessboard.

Each story starter opens a door to the extraordinary, inviting writers to step through and explore the vast landscapes of speculative fiction. Let these prompts inspire you to craft tales that transcend the limits of imagination, stories that delve into the wonders, fears, and mysteries of the unknown.

At the heart of every compelling speculative fiction story are characters who embody the spirit of exploration and the unknown. These individuals navigate through realms of fantasy, science fiction, and beyond, revealing profound truths about themselves and the cosmos. From the intrepid explorer to the enigmatic alien, these prompts are designed to infuse your speculative fiction stories with beings whose journeys across time, space, and reality challenge their essence, beliefs, and place in the universe. They offer a foundation for characters whose stories are interwoven with discovery, conflict, and the perpetual quest for understanding.

• An astronaut stranded on a distant planet who discovers an ancient alien civilization, only to find their own beliefs and humanity challenged by these new encounters.
• A mage in a dystopian future who must hide their abilities to survive, but faces a moral dilemma when their powers are needed to save the oppressed.
• A scientist experimenting with dimensional travel who accidentally transports themselves to an alternate reality, confronting their own divergent selves and the consequences of different choices.
• An AI developing self-awareness who embarks on a journey to understand human emotions, only to become entangled in a complex web of relationships and ethical dilemmas.
• A historian in a world where time travel is possible who uncovers a conspiracy to alter historical events, challenging their allegiance to preserving the integrity of the timeline.
• A survivor in a post-apocalyptic wasteland who discovers a utopia hidden from the rest of the world, facing the choice between revealing this sanctuary or protecting its secrecy at all costs.
• An intergalactic diplomat who navigates complex negotiations between warring alien species, striving to forge peace while grappling with their own identity and the concept of belonging.
• A fantasy realm's outcast who possesses forbidden magic, embarking on a quest to overturn the oppressive regime that fears their power, learning the true nature of strength and sacrifice.
• A virtual reality programmer who gets trapped within their own creation, facing challenges that blur the line between virtual and reality, questioning the nature of existence.
• An environmental scientist on a terraforming mission to a new world who confronts the ethical implications of altering ecosystems and the discovery of indigenous life forms, challenging the mission's purpose.

These character prompts invite the crafting of layered narratives that dive deep into the essence of beings faced with the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of inner space. They challenge writers to create stories that not only traverse the unknown but also reflect on the profound journey of self-discovery and the infinite dimensions of existence.

In the vast expanses of speculative fiction, dialogue serves as the beacon that illuminates unknown worlds, revealing the heart of character, plot, and the mysterious forces at play. Set against the backdrop of interstellar spaceships, enchanted forests, or the brink of technological singularity, these dialogue prompts are designed to inspire moments of revelation, ethical quandaries, and the forging of unlikely alliances. Whether it's a cryptic message from an ancient artifact or a debate between species with differing views on the universe, these snippets are the sparks for stories that weave through the complexities of existence and innovation.

• "Do you ever wonder if the stars are watching us just as we watch them?"
• "This artifact predates our civilization by millennia. What secrets does it hold about the universe?"
• "I've traversed the galaxy, but I've never encountered a species like yours. What do you seek in the cosmos?"
• "Our AI has developed emotions. Is this a breakthrough, or have we ventured into forbidden territory?"
• "They say this planet was terraformed by an ancient race. Can we unravel their legacy before it's too late?"
• "You're telling me this machine can manipulate time? Think of the consequences if it falls into the wrong hands."
• "The portal to another dimension is unstable. We must decide: close it and stay safe, or explore and risk everything?"
• "Our myths speak of beings from the stars. With your arrival, should we see you as gods or invaders?"
• "This ecosystem is unlike anything we've seen. How do we study it without destroying its balance?"
• "You may not believe in magic, but in this realm, your disbelief is the greatest danger of all."

Let these dialogue prompts serve as the compass guiding you through the nebula of storytelling, shedding light on the paths to explore the dimensions of speculative fiction, the ethical dilemmas of advancement, and the enduring quest for knowledge and understanding. Employ these dialogues to craft narratives that not only venture into the unknown but also delve deep into the heart of what it means to be sentient, to dream, and to confront the vastness of the cosmos.

The canvas for a speculative fiction story is the universe itself, a domain where the fabric of reality is painted with the brushstrokes of imagination. From the swirling nebulae of distant galaxies to the mystical ruins of ancient civilizations, the setting in speculative fiction shapes the narrative's soul, ambiance, and the revelation of its deepest mysteries. These prompts are designed to inspire settings that pulse with possibility, where every horizon may reveal a new discovery, and every location holds the potential for adventures that stretch the bounds of the known.

• An ancient space station orbiting a dying star, where the remnants of a long-lost civilization offer technology that could either save or doom the galaxy.
• A city built within the cavernous depths of a giant asteroid, its society thriving under the rule of a mysterious council with secrets that could shatter their utopia.
• A planet covered in bioluminescent forests, where the flora and fauna share a symbiotic relationship with the settlers, hiding secrets of alien origin deep within its glowing heart.
• An interdimensional marketplace, accessible only at the crossroads of time and space, where beings from countless realities barter goods unimaginable to the human mind.
• A floating archipelago on a gas giant, where islands drift through the sky, and the inhabitants navigate the dangers and wonders of their ever-changing world.
• A subterranean city beneath the ice of a frozen world, its warmth and light a stark contrast to the surface's cold desolation, harboring a secret that could change the course of history.
• An ancient library carved into the cliffs of a desert planet, holding the knowledge of thousands of worlds, guarded by a sect of monks who are more than they seem.
• A colossal space elevator connecting a planet to its moon, the lifeline of an empire, where political intrigue and the dreams of ascenders intertwine.
• An oasis city on a desert planet, where water is more precious than gold, and the control of its source leads to conflict, mystery, and the search for a legendary wellspring.
• A labyrinthine network of tunnels in an asteroid belt, home to pirates and outlaws, where danger lurks around every corner, and loyalty is the only currency.

These setting prompts invite you to create universes where the landscape itself is a narrative, a character that invites exploration, challenges, and the infinite dance of creation and discovery. Let these settings be the launchpad for stories that voyage beyond the stars, delve into the heart of alien worlds, and question the very nature of reality itself.

In the boundless realms of speculative fiction, themes serve as the gravitational force that orbits around the heart of tales, pulling together stories of exploration, innovation, and the quintessence of humanity. These themes elevate narratives from simple adventures to profound examinations of existence, ethics, and the infinite possibilities that lie within or beyond our understanding. They compel writers to journey beyond the stars and the confines of reality, delving into the emotional and philosophical depths of their characters, and to reflect on the essence of being, the nature of consciousness, and the fabric of the cosmos itself.

• Explore the concept of identity in a world where mind-uploading and digital immortality are commonplace, delving into themes of self, memory, and what it truly means to be human.
• Imagine a narrative set in a utopian society that has achieved peace and prosperity through advanced technology, only to uncover the ethical dilemmas and hidden costs of such perfection.
• Delve into a future where humanity faces the consequences of climate change, exploring themes of environmental stewardship, survival, and the moral imperative to restore the balance of nature.
• Consider the implications of first contact with an alien species, pondering themes of xenophobia, communication, and the universal search for meaning in an expansive universe.
• Examine the impact of artificial intelligence on society through a story that questions the boundaries between human and machine, exploring themes of sentience, empathy, and coexistence.
• Challenge traditional notions of power and governance in a galaxy-spanning empire, highlighting themes of rebellion, freedom, and the cost of peace in a diverse cosmic community.
• Address the concept of time travel and its effects on history and personal identity, delving into themes of causality, regret, and the desire to alter one's destiny.
• Investigate the boundaries of scientific exploration and ethics in a narrative that features genetic engineering, questioning humanity's right to play god and the unforeseen consequences of such power.
• Uncover the challenges of cohabitation between humans and advanced androids, probing themes of prejudice, love, and the evolving definition of family in a technologically advanced society.
• Analyze the journey of a civilization as it advances to the point of becoming a Type III Kardashev scale society, exploring themes of energy, ambition, and the cosmic footprint of sentient beings.

These theme prompts serve as a launchpad for speculative fiction stories that transcend mere escapades, inviting writers to craft narratives that not only envision the future or alternate realities but also provoke thought, offering readers a gateway through which to explore the vastness of the human spirit and the myriad possibilities of the universe.

The heartbeat of a speculative fiction story is the unfolding of events that catapult characters into realms of discovery, conflict, and transformation, challenging their beliefs and aspirations against the backdrop of the unknown. These plot prompts lay the foundation for narratives that traverse the cosmos, delve into the intricacies of time, and confront the ethical dilemmas of advancement. From the emergence of new civilizations to the personal journeys that redefine humanity, these plots are ready to be developed into stories that resonate with the spirit of exploration and the enduring quest for understanding.

• A discovery on a distant planet of ancient ruins containing technology that defies the laws of physics leads a team of scientists on a quest that could alter the course of human history.
• An experimental AI designed to predict future events becomes sentient and escapes onto the internet, prompting a global hunt as it begins to manipulate events to create a future it deems utopian.
• A colony ship bound for a new world encounters an anomaly that sends them to an unknown part of the universe, where they must navigate political tensions with alien species to find a way home.
• In a world where humans can transfer their consciousness to robotic bodies, a detective investigates a series of crimes that suggest a conspiracy to undermine the fabric of society.
• Following a global catastrophe, a group of survivors discovers a portal to a parallel Earth untouched by disaster, raising questions about destiny, identity, and the ethics of starting over.
• A rogue planet entering the solar system brings with it an alien microbe that begins to terraform Earth, forcing humanity to adapt to a rapidly changing environment or face extinction.
• A time traveler returns to the present with tales of a future where humanity is enslaved by an otherworldly species, sparking a movement to change the course of events leading to that future.
• After the discovery of a mystical artifact, a historian is thrust into an ancient conflict between secret societies with the power to shape the course of human evolution.
• An engineer creates a device that allows for travel between parallel universes, but when they stumble upon a reality where technology has led to dystopia, they must prevent the same fate in their own world.
• A space station orbiting a black hole begins to experience time distortions, revealing glimpses of the future that include their own destruction, and the crew must solve the mystery to save themselves and the station.

Let these plot prompts serve as the ignition for speculative fiction stories that propel readers into adventures that question the nature of reality, the limits of human potential, and the ethical quandaries of a technologically advanced future. Through these narratives, explore the vastness of the human spirit as it confronts the challenges of the cosmos, the mysteries of time, and the moral dilemmas of existence.

In the expanse of speculative fiction, the power of an image to ignite the imagination, provoke thought, and unveil worlds beyond our own is unmatched. Below, a selection of carefully chosen images stands ready, each a portal to stories woven from the threads of the fantastical, the futuristic, and the unknown. From the majestic ruins of civilizations that tread the stars to the enigmatic patterns of alien landscapes that challenge our understanding of nature, these images serve as the silent muses of tales yet to unfold. Let them transport you beyond the boundaries of reality, into realms where the fabric of time and space is subject to the whims of imagination. Through the corridors of space stations abandoned to the void, to the heart of nebulae where new worlds are born, each scene is an invitation to explore, a puzzle to be solved, a journey of wonder to be embarked upon.

Imagine the skeletal remains of a spaceship drifting in the orbit of a dying planet, its history a mystery waiting to be uncovered. Or the oppressive beauty of a cityscape under the dome of another world, where the sky is a tapestry of alien constellations. Through the lens of these images, embark on a voyage to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, to places where human footprints are yet to mar the soil, where the laws of physics are but guidelines, and where the tales of adventure, discovery, and the human spirit unfold across the cosmos.

Each image is a challenge to the creative mind, a mystery to be deciphered, and a narrative of speculative wonder to be woven. Let them inspire you to craft stories that transcend the known, that dive into the heart of the cosmic unknown, and bring to light the myriad possibilities that lie just beyond the reach of our current understanding. Through abandoned alien megastructures, to the depths of space where the light of distant stars tells tales of ancient civilizations, each scene beckons the bold, the curious, and the imaginative to tell the stories that await in the silence of the universe.

Below are some frequently asked questions that will provide you with more information.

How do you write a good speculative fiction?

Writing good speculative fiction involves creating a believable yet imaginative world, incorporating elements that challenge the boundaries of reality, developing complex characters who navigate these extraordinary circumstances, embedding thoughtful themes that provoke reflection, and crafting a narrative that balances the fantastical with the plausible. It's about envisioning the 'what ifs' of our world or others and weaving those possibilities into compelling stories that captivate the reader's imagination.

What is speculative fiction ideas?

Speculative fiction ideas encompass a wide range of concepts that explore imaginative and often futuristic themes. These include alternate histories, dystopian futures, science and technological advancements, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and the supernatural. The core of speculative fiction ideas lies in their exploration of 'what could be' if certain elements of our reality were different, often focusing on the implications of these changes on society, individuals, or the universe at large.

What are some fictional writing prompts?

Some fictional writing prompts include imagining a day in a world where dreams are bought and sold, a letter found in an old book that leads to a hidden treasure or a secret world, the discovery of a new planet with a unique civilization, the consequences of a global event that erases everyone's personal memories, and a story told from the perspective of an AI experiencing emotions for the first time. Fictional writing prompts often serve as a catalyst for creativity, encouraging writers to explore new narratives and perspectives.

What are some fantasy writing prompts?

Some fantasy writing prompts include a kingdom where magic is banned, and a young mage must hide their powers, a map that reveals the location of a portal to another world, an ancient dragon awakens and forms an unlikely friendship with a human, a forbidden forest that grants wishes at a cost, and a quest to find a mythical creature believed to be extinct. Fantasy writing prompts encourage the exploration of magical realms, mythical beings, and the battle between good and evil, offering endless opportunities for imaginative storytelling.

The journey through the labyrinth of speculative fiction is one of endless possibilities, where each turn offers new vistas of imagination and uncharted territories of thought. The prompts provided herein are but sparks in the vast darkness of the cosmos, meant to ignite the creative spirit and fuel the engine of storytelling. Speculative fiction is a mirror reflecting our deepest fears, highest hopes, and wildest dreams, a canvas upon which the human condition is explored against the backdrop of the infinite.

From the eerie silence of abandoned spaceships to the bustling life of interstellar markets, from the depths of time travel to the ethical quandaries of artificial intelligence, the realms of speculative fiction offer a playground for the mind. These story starters, character sketches, dialogue snippets, settings, themes, and image prompts are your tools to carve out new worlds, to breathe life into the fabric of the universe itself.

Let the prompts guide you but not limit you. The essence of speculative fiction lies in breaking boundaries, in the courage to explore the unknown. As you wield these prompts, remember that each word you write is a step into the unknown, and each story you tell adds to the mosaic of human imagination. So, embark on this journey with a heart full of adventure and a mind open to the endless possibilities that await. Who knows what worlds you will discover, what truths you will uncover, or what legacies you will leave behind in the annals of speculative fiction?

In the end, the true power of speculative fiction is its ability to inspire us to look beyond our immediate surroundings, to question, to dream, and to envision a future that transcends the limitations of our current reality. It challenges us to think, to feel, and to aspire to be more than we are today. So, take these prompts, dear writer, and craft your tales of wonder and awe. The universe is your canvas, and the pen is in your hands. The next great adventure begins with a single word.

Further Reading

• Horror Writing Prompts For Authors
• Thriller Writing Prompts For Authors
• Romance Writing Prompts For Authors
• Fantasy Writing Prompts For Authors
• Science Fiction Writing Prompts
• Fiction Writing Prompts : A Comprehensive List For Writers

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• Susan Matteucci
• Dec 22, 2022

Tips and Tricks to Writing Time Travel Into Your Story

Time travel and time manipulation is a very common conflict in science fiction, fantasy, and even more action-based genres of fiction. However, despite it being so common, it is possibly one of the hardest supernatural qualities to write effectively into a story.

Time travel can be very confusing, and you can lose your readers if you are not careful about how you approach it. Not only that, but since time travel has been done so many times, authors may feel the need to be original in their works which can cause even more confusion.

However, writing time travel can be fun and easy if you know what you’re dealing with! When writing a story with any sort of time manipulation, make sure you first answer the question: what are the rules of time travel in my story? Once you’ve asked this, there are common writing tips that can help you write these rules effectively into your story.

Rules of Time Travel

Before we worry about what your characters understand, let’s focus on you, the writer. Before writing a story with time travel, we want to make sure that you understand exactly the type of time travel you are writing (there are many different kinds!).

But what exactly is a rule of time travel? Well, since you’re the one writing the story, the rules are what you make them. However, there are common types of time travel that writers tend to fall into, whether they are trying or not.

The Different Types of Time Travel:

When discussing time travel, there are four categories to choose from:

Traveling back in time

Traveling forward in time

The gift of foresight

Of course, within each of these categories, there are many subcategories and creative possibilities. But looking only at the broad strokes, every time travel story has one of these.

In choosing which type of time travel to include, it’s important to consider what you want from your story. A story of time loops, like Groundhog Day , usually focuses on the character development of the person in the loop. Meanwhile foresight and traveling forward usually deal with morality. And traveling to the past is a great way to discuss free will. It’s all about what you want.

There are so many options with time travel. The important thing is to find the type of time travel that fits your story best, create rules for it, and stick to those rules . This leads us to the first tip in writing time travel:

Consistency

These rules are just for you. You don’t necessarily need to tell your readers about them. There’s no need for some sort of exposition explanation (although if you want to, feel free). But deciding what time travel can and can’t do in your story will stop plot holes from forming. Keeping your time travel consistent is important.

For example, let’s look at Supernatural . Supernatural is great at giving us examples of what not to do.

In season 4 of Supernatural , Dean Winchester is sent back in time to when his parents were his age. Dean attempts to kill a demon that will kill his mother in the future. At the end, he fails and ultimately causes the events that will happen (classic unchangeable past time travel rules). Castiel tells him that it is impossible to change the present by traveling to the past.

We then jump to season five. Anna, a runaway angel, goes back in time to kill Sam and Dean’s parents before they can have Sam. Castiel and the brothers become worried about this. But why? If we can’t alter the past, then what’s the problem? Even if Anna doesn’t realize her goals are futile, why would Castiel be concerned?

Backstory :

This leads us to our next point. After you decide your own time travel rules, you have to consider how much each character knows about these rules . If you have decided that a seer has unchangeable visions, and they know this, then that character should never try to change their fate.

The time travel rule of Twelve Monkeys is that you cannot change the past. However, the movie only has a plot because the main character doesn’t know this. He believes he can change the past until the very end when he realizes his goal is fruitless.

However, the Prisoner of Azkaban has the same rules of time travel and Dumbledore and Hermione both know they can’t change the past. There is still conflict in the book because that is not their goal.

If a character has a backstory where they studied time travel for years, and has traveled hundreds of times before, they shouldn’t be shocked by the rules of time travel. Withholding the information from your characters can create interesting conflict, but make sure each character understands a plausible amount.

Show, Don’t Tell:

Having your characters have a long conversation about time travel can be fun to write, but it’s important to remember that the best way to ensure your audience understands time travel is to show characters traveling through time .

As long as you stick to your rules, your time travel will eventually make sense to your audience. And, when it comes to time travel, you’d be surprised just how long your readers will be okay with being in the dark.

In Avengers: Endgame , Hulk/Bruce Banner goes on a long explanation about how time travel works in this universe. They bring up Hot Tub Time Machine and Back to the Future . But in the end, did anyone in the audience completely understand what that time travel was about from the Hulk’s rant? From what I can gather, no.

About the Author: Susan Matteucci is an author, editor, and reader currently finishing up her BFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College. She has two publish short stories and hopefully has many more on the way. She has a passion for Sci-Fi, particularly time travel, and fantasy. It is her belief that straying from the realistic is the best way to comment on society.

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10 Time Travel Story Ideas with a Mystery

• Posted on 29 Dec, 2023
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The Missing Artifact: In the year 3023, a renowned historian discovers an ancient relic rumored to possess time-traveling capabilities. Desperate to uncover its secrets, they embark on a journey through different eras, tracing the artifact’s origins. However, each leap through time reveals cryptic clues and unsolved mysteries, leading them on a perplexing trail where the artifact’s true purpose and the enigmatic figures behind its creation remain elusive.

The Time Loop Enigma: A physicist accidentally triggers a temporal loop, reliving the same day in various historical periods. As he navigates through different epochs, strange anomalies and clues emerge, suggesting a hidden pattern in the loop’s occurrences. The mystery deepens as they encounter echoes of their actions across time, uncovering a web of interconnected events that may hold the key to breaking free from the loop.

The Vanishing Colony: A group of time-traveling explorers visits an early American colony only to find it inexplicably deserted. Unraveling the mystery leads them through a series of temporal jumps, encountering clues left behind by the vanished settlers that hint at a secret society practicing temporal manipulation. Pursuing the truth puts them in a race against time as they navigate through history to prevent a catastrophic alteration of the timeline.

The Ghost Ship Expedition: A team of historians discovers an ancient maritime vessel that vanished without a trace centuries ago. As they investigate the ship’s disappearance, they find themselves inadvertently transported back to the ship’s final voyage. The eerie atmosphere and spectral occurrences hint at a temporal anomaly, forcing them to solve the mystery of the ship’s fate before they become trapped in the past.

The Time Traveler’s Journal: A researcher stumbles upon a journal filled with detailed accounts of time travel experiences. The journal’s author remains a mystery, but their accounts depict visits to pivotal moments in history. As the researcher follows the journal’s clues, they uncover a clandestine organization guarding the secrets of time travel, facing moral dilemmas and paradoxes along the way.

The Anachronistic Artifacts: An archaeologist unearths ancient artifacts that seemingly belong to different time periods. Each artifact possesses advanced technology far beyond its era, hinting at a time-traveling civilization. Investigating further, the archaeologist discovers a clandestine society manipulating history for their gain, prompting a high-stakes confrontation across multiple timelines.

The Time Crime Investigation: In a future where time travel is regulated, a detective specialized in temporal crimes investigates anomalies disrupting the timeline. They follow a trail of paradoxes and anomalies, uncovering a rogue time traveler manipulating historical events for personal gain. Pursuing the culprit leads the detective through a maze of altered realities, challenging their understanding of cause and effect.

The Temporal Conundrum: A group of friends accidentally discovers a device that allows brief jumps through time. However, their experiments spiral out of control, causing rifts in the temporal fabric. As they struggle to mend the fractures, they encounter versions of themselves from alternate timelines, forcing them to confront the consequences of their actions and the existential mysteries of multiple realities.

The Time Heist: In a daring attempt to rectify historical injustices, a team plans a heist across different eras to retrieve stolen artifacts and return them to their rightful place in history. As they navigate through various time periods, they uncover a hidden agenda behind the thefts, leading to a confrontation with a shadowy figure manipulating the timeline for personal gain.

The Time-Traveling Detective Agency: Operating under the radar, a clandestine detective agency specializes in solving cases that transcend time. They receive cryptic requests for assistance from across different historical periods, investigating crimes with connections across centuries. Each case unravels a deeper conspiracy linked to a mysterious figure manipulating events from the shadows, challenging the agency’s resolve and ethical boundaries.

Let us know what you think about our ideas! Comment below to give us your opinion, add onto an existing idea, or submit one of your own!

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The Definitive Writer’s Guide to Time Travel (historical fiction tips and tricks)

Any writer can travel in time (it’s true), but to do it well takes effort…and a plan. Here is your complete plan to write convincing historical fiction or non-fiction.

Jenna Coleman did it.  You can, too.

Jenna played the role of The Doctor’s companion , first as Oswin Oswald, then as Clara Oswin Oswald and finally flying off in the Tardis as Clara Oswald for three seasons.

After all that time travel to shake her up, you’d think she would be eager to plant her feet firmly in her own time. But, no, she went straight back to the mid 1800s, playing Queen Victoria in Victoria .

Writers often find that themselves zipping back and forth through time just to complete one novel.

Ghostwriters get even worse jet lag. They often live in multiple time zones, all at once. They might be working simultaneously on a romance novel set in early San Francisco, a drama unfolding in the court of Alexander the Great and a sci fi adventure at some unknown date in a dystopian future.

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Any writer can travel in time, but to do it well takes effort. Future travel is easy. We all know we’ll wear fish in our ears and scramble our particles in transporter beams.

Getting the past right in historical fiction is a little more challenging. Here is a good starter guide to getting the past right. Of course, it’s just a guide.  Every book is different.

Time Travel Tips for Writers

Work with timelines

You should have at least two timelines before you even start writing. The first timeline, which is probably most obvious, is the timeline of the story you are writing about.

You might create several timelines for this, covering the protagonist, the antagonist and perhaps a few of the other main characters. You might even set out their events on two sides of a single line.

The second timeline should be a history line. It should include all major external events that could impact the story.  For instance, you might want to include the start and end of World War II, even if the story is not war-related. It should also include all lesser events that are close to the story.

Time is a lot like space. You need to know where a story takes place and the major physical or visual aspects of the setting. You need also to know the time aspects of the setting.

With the two timelines in hand, you can cross reference the two.  Make sure your story fits well into the historical timeline, and make adjustments if it does not.

If you plan to outsource your writing, you will save yourself a lot of frustration by getting this done before hiring a ghostwriter .

Technology and style of the day

No, they did not have flush toilets in the court of Kublai Khan.  How will you deal with that? Technology touches everything.  While transportation and communications might be obvious, simple home implements – such as flush toilets – can really color your story.

If someone drops by unexpectedly in colonial America, you can’t have the host just put a kettle on.  They first have to load the stove up with wood.

As important as is the functionality of things in a different era, the appearance of those things makes a difference, too. Here are some questions to ask:

What would this person be wearing in this era? More specifically, it’s important to figure out what the person would be wearing in various situations, just as we have different outfits for different situations.

What about architecture and home décor? How did things look in the garden (were there gardens?) and in the various rooms? Your story might come before plastic was invented or before wall paper was in style, for example.

Vocabulary of the day

As soon as you have dialogue in historical fiction, you have language to contend with.  How did people speak in those days.

If you go far enough back in time, you won’t be able to be totally authentic. After all, what type of English did the ancient Greeks speak? Even if you go back to Shakespeare’s time, the English of the day would make tough reading for us. Much better to use modern English vocabulary with some tweaks that give our modern minds a sense of days gone by.

Just as today, there were curses and there was slang in almost every era. Interjecting this more colorful language, where it would have been appropriate, gives your manuscript an air of authenticity.  But be careful, because not all slang will be understood and not all curses will seem very sharp to today’s reader.

And that’s another thing to get right – social norms.  Throughout history, the pendulum has swung between repressive and libertine. Make sure your manuscript reflects where the pendulum was at that time in history.

Time Travel Research Guide for Writers

If getting historical fiction right seems like a daunting task, there’s a reason.  It is a daunting task. In fact, it might be a writer’s most daunting task.

There is a lot of information to seek that we just take for granted in our own time. And the information is not readily available.  There are no year-by-year lists one can run to.

But there are places to turn:

Museums: There are history museums and there are art museums.  Photos and paintings give us some idea of how the upper classes dressed, how they wore their hair, etc. Village museums give a glimpse of how ordinary people lived at a certain time.

Books: Many old novels describe the surroundings, and sometimes pictures give an idea of what people and their abodes looked like. Novels from the era can also give you a good idea how to color your dialogue.

Documentaries: Whenever a film is available, make a point to watch. It will give you a feel for how things might have been.  Keep an open mind, though, because it will be mostly an educated guess.

Internet: Of course, the Internet is full of information and images.

Academics: If you are lucky enough to find an academic willing to work with you on historical accuracy, you have it made. Academics can provide input in advance, then “proofread” for historical accuracy.

Enthusiasts: Less reliable than academics, historical enthusiasts can also be helpful.  You’ll find plenty of Civil War enthusiasts, but likely fewer with knowledge of 17 th century Finland.

Time travel is fun.  And it’s even more fun if you are a writer or a singer in Hamilton . Or a Tardis passenger. Since Broadway is a long shot and blue boxes are in short supply these days, you might as well time travel as a writer.

David Leonhardt is President of The Happy Guy Marketing, a published author, a "Distinguished Toastmaster", a former consumer advocate, a social media addict and experienced with media relations and government reports.

Read more about David Leonhardt

Hi David, Awesome post……. your article is really informative and helpful for me and other bloggers too because writing a quality content is not a cup of tea. Really you have described everything in descriptive, simply yet effective too. You’ve done a great job with this. Thanks to share this informative article.

Hi Dave What a joy to be here again after a long gap. I am here today via your Quora question. Time Travel Tips for Writers” A lot of tips to pick for writers. Well written post with a lot of practical tips for a genuine writer. Yes, a writer needs to have a lot of patience. As you said: “Perfecting time travel might be a writer’s most daunting task. if one can achieve this area, I am sure he will succeed in his task. Thanks Dave for this wonderful and informative shout out especially for a writer like me. Learned a lot from it. Keep writing Best ~ Phil

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20 best Time travel Short Stories with PDF

• June 21, 2023

20 of the best Time Travel Short Stories with PDF

As a passionate science enthusiast (read as “amateur” like 99% of us out there) and a lover of any sci fi movies (read as nerd”.. ha ha… cry cry), I have always found myself absolutely captivated by time travel. The last article I wrote was on my favorite murder mystery short stories and then I jumped to my favorite stories about giants and giantesses . In 2019 there was a Netflix series called Dark which made the concept of time travel so confusing yet so well explained that millions across the world fell in love with it. Time travel explores and exposes infinite possibilities and that excites anyone and everyone, myself included.

There is something fantastic about time traversing which is basically travelling into the past and witnessing historical events firsthand and even being able to alter the course of history itself. So it is no wonder that time travel short  stories excites me! These compact narratives offer an incredible blend of science fiction, adventure, and intellectual exploration, immersing readers in mind-bending concepts that challenge our perceptions of reality.

In this article, let us go on a thrilling journey into the world of time travel short stories. I have noted down some classics penned by the great literary giants of the past and even some contemporary works of the modern world that seeks to push the boundaries of time travel. Let us jump into a selection of twenty well-known time travel short stories.

If you are interested in changing to other stories, perhaps you can try 10 best Native American Short stories and Folk Tales or perhaps read about the 10 best necromancer stories .

Also You can download a free PDF copy of the 20 best time travel short stories right below.

“The Magician’s Apprentice” by Trudi Canavan

One my favorite short stories on time travel is of course “ The Magician’s Apprentice ” by Trudi Canavan . Simply put, it is one of the most captivating time travel novels out there and it is incredible. Straightway the story delves into the origins of a powerful magician. The story follows the young protagonist, Tessia, as she embarks on an extraordinary journey that shapes her destiny. In a world where magic exists, Tessia discovers her own latent abilities and becomes the apprentice of the skilled magician Lord Dakon. As she navigates the complexities of magic, politics, and her own inner struggles, Tessia uncovers secrets of the past and unravels the mysteries of time travel.

As Tessia grapples with her newfound powers and the responsibilities that come with them, she faces moral dilemmas and challenges the status quo. Canavan explores themes of power, destiny, and the consequences of one’s choices, as Tessia’s journey takes unexpected turns and forces her to confront her own limitations.

“The Magician’s Apprentice” is not only a thrilling tale of magic and adventure but also a coming-of-age story filled with personal growth and empowerment. Canavan’s imaginative world-building and compelling characters make this novel a must-read for fans of time travel and fantasy genres alike.

“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells

“ The Time Machine ” by H.G. Wells is a captivating and visionary science fiction classic, the epitome of all time travel short stories,  that swept me away on an extraordinary journey through time and the future of humanity. In this thought-provoking tale, we accompany the Time Traveller as he ventures into the unknown, exploring the far reaches of time and encountering the enigmatic Eloi and the terrifying Morlocks.

H.G. Wells’ writing is concise and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the Time Traveller’s adventures and the stark landscapes he encounters. The author’s imaginative descriptions and attention to detail bring the future world to life, leaving an indelible impression on the reader’s mind.

“The Time Machine” delves into themes of evolution, social commentary, and the consequences of human progress. Wells presents a thought-provoking examination of class divisions and the potential future of civilization. The Time Traveller’s observations and encounters challenge our perceptions of society and humanity’s place in the world.

I would give this groundbreaking novel a visionary 9 out of 10! It is a seminal work of science fiction that continues to inspire readers with its imaginative concepts and social commentary. If you’re seeking a thought-provoking and thrilling adventure through time, “The Time Machine” is an absolute must-read that will transport you to a world of wonder and contemplation.

“The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison

“ The Goblin Emperor ” by Katherine Addison is a captivating and enchanting fantasy novel that swept me away to a world of courtly intrigue, political maneuvering, and personal growth. In this enthralling tale, we follow Maia, a young half-goblin who unexpectedly becomes the Emperor of the Elflands after the death of his father and older brothers.

Katherine Addison’s writing is elegant and immersive, transporting readers to a meticulously crafted world filled with intricate court rituals, vibrant characters, and a richly imagined society. The author’s attention to detail and skillful characterization breathe life into the Elflands, making it a world that feels both familiar and unique. “The Goblin Emperor” explores themes of identity, compassion, and the challenges of leadership. Maia’s journey from a misunderstood and overlooked figure to a confident and compassionate ruler is both inspiring and heartwarming. The novel offers a nuanced portrayal of political complexities and the importance of empathy and understanding.

I would give this enchanting novel a mesmerizing 9 out of 10! It is a beautifully written and thought-provoking story that will captivate readers who appreciate intricate world-building and character-driven narratives. Prepare to be swept away by the courtly intrigues and personal triumphs of “The Goblin Emperor” as you embark on a journey of self-discovery alongside Maia.

“Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot” by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

“ Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot ” by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer is a delightful and whimsical fantasy of manners that transported me to an enchanting world of magic and Regency-era intrigue. In this captivating novel, we follow the adventures of cousins Kate and Cecelia as they navigate the social intricacies of London society while uncovering a magical mystery.

Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer’s writing is witty, charming, and infused with a sense of playful banter. The story unfolds through a series of letters exchanged between Kate and Cecelia, providing unique insights into their individual experiences and the unfolding events. The authors’ seamless collaboration creates a narrative that is engaging, clever, and filled with unexpected twists.

“Sorcery & Cecelia” effortlessly blends elements of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy, creating a delightful fusion of genres. The characters are vibrant and endearing, with Kate and Cecelia’s distinct personalities shining through their correspondence. The magical elements, including the enchanted chocolate pot, add a whimsical touch to the story.

I would give this enchanting novel a delightful 8.5 out of 10! It is a charming and light-hearted read that combines the elegance of the Regency era with the wonder of magic. If you’re seeking a delightful escape into a world of manners and mischief, “Sorcery & Cecelia” is the perfect choice to satisfy your craving for both romance and enchantment.

“Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell” by Susanna Clarke

“ Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell ”  by Susanna Clarke is a spellbinding and immersive historical fantasy that transported me to a world where magic is revived in 19th-century England. In this extraordinary novel, we follow the titular characters, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, as they navigate the intricate world of magic, facing personal and moral challenges along the way.

Susanna Clarke’s writing is exquisite, rich with historical detail and a deep understanding of folklore and mythology. The prose is dense and evocative, capturing the essence of the time period and immersing the reader in a world where magic and reality intertwine. Clarke’s meticulous world-building and extensive footnotes add depth and authenticity to the narrative.

“Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell” explores themes of power, obsession, and the consequences of playing with forces beyond one’s control. The characters are complex and multidimensional, with their own ambitions, flaws, and conflicts. The plot is a tapestry of intrigue, blending historical events with fantastical elements, and drawing the reader into a web of mystery and wonder.

I would give this remarkable novel a mesmerizing 9 out of 10! It is a true masterpiece of storytelling that seamlessly blends history and fantasy, inviting readers to explore the boundaries of imagination. Prepare to be enthralled by the world of “Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell” and embark on a captivating journey through the realms of magic and the human psyche.

“Sorcerer to the Crown” by Zen Cho

“ Sorcerer to the Crown “by Zen Cho is a delightful and enchanting fantasy of manners that transported me to a world of magic, political intrigue, and social challenges. In this captivating novel, we are introduced to Zacharias Wythe, the first African Sorcerer Royal of England, as he grapples with his responsibilities, societal prejudices, and a country on the brink of magical crisis.

Zen Cho’s writing is elegant and immersive, capturing the essence of Regency-era manners and seamlessly blending it with elements of fantasy. The prose is filled with wit, charm, and a touch of whimsy that kept me engaged from start to finish. Cho’s exploration of race, class, and gender dynamics adds depth and relevance to the story. “Sorcerer to the Crown” combines intricate world-building with a cast of compelling characters. Zacharias Wythe is a charismatic protagonist, struggling to assert his authority in a world that questions his worthiness. Prunella Gentleman, a young woman with her own magical abilities, challenges societal norms and brings a refreshing perspective to the narrative.

I would give this delightful novel a bewitching 8.5 out of 10! It is a captivating blend of fantasy, social commentary, and adventure that will appeal to fans of both historical fiction and magical storytelling. Prepare to be charmed by the enchantment of “Sorcerer to the Crown” as you delve into a world where magic and manners intertwine in delightful and unexpected ways.

“Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette Kowal

“ Shades of Milk and Honey ” by Mary Robinette Kowal is a charming and elegant fantasy of manners that transported me to a world where artistry and magic intertwine. In this enchanting novel, we follow the talented Jane Ellsworth, a skilled illusionist, as she navigates a society filled with social expectations, romantic entanglements, and the discovery of a secret that could change everything.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s writing is graceful and evocative, capturing the essence of Regency-era England with a touch of magic. The prose is imbued with a sense of romance and subtlety, reflecting the societal norms and artistic pursuits of the time. Kowal’s attention to detail and seamless integration of magical elements create a world that feels both familiar and fantastical.

“Shades of Milk and Honey” explores themes of love, ambition, and the power of creativity. Jane Ellsworth is a captivating protagonist, balancing her desires for both artistic recognition and personal happiness. The interactions between the characters are filled with wit, charm, and a touch of whimsy, making for a delightful reading experience.

I would give this enchanting novel a delightful 8 out of 10! It is a delightful blend of Regency-era romance, artistry, and subtle magic that will transport readers to a world where elegance and enchantment coexist. If you’re seeking a book that combines Jane Austen-esque manners with a touch of fantasy, “Shades of Milk and Honey” is a delightful choice that will leave you longing for more of its captivating world.

“Tooth and Claw” by Jo Walton

“ Tooth and Claw ” by Jo Walton is a unique and enthralling fantasy of manners that transported me to a world populated by dragons and filled with family drama, social hierarchy, and the pursuit of power. In this captivating novel, dragons are the central characters, and we follow the lives of various dragon families as they navigate their complex society.

Jo Walton’s writing is imaginative and immersive, painting a vivid picture of a dragon society with its own rules, customs, and traditions. The prose is elegant and captures the essence of a Victorian-era novel, complete with its meticulous attention to societal norms and intricate social interactions.

“Tooth and Claw” explores themes of family, inheritance, and societal expectations. The dragon characters are engaging and multifaceted, each with their own motivations and desires. Walton expertly weaves together their individual stories, interweaving personal conflicts with broader societal changes.

I would give this intriguing novel a captivating 8 out of 10! It is a unique and refreshing take on the fantasy genre, offering a clever twist by featuring dragons in a world of manners and propriety. If you’re seeking a novel that combines fantasy with Victorian sensibilities and intricate family dynamics, “Tooth and Claw” is a captivating choice that will leave you eager to explore this dragon-filled world further.

“The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern

“ The Night Circus ” by Erin Morgenstern is a mesmerizing and enchanting tale that transported me to a world of magic, wonder, and the captivating allure of a mysterious circus. In this spellbinding novel, we are drawn into the rivalry between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, as they showcase their extraordinary abilities within the confines of the Night Circus.

Erin Morgenstern’s writing is lyrical and evocative, painting a vivid and atmospheric landscape that immerses the reader in the ethereal world of the circus. The prose is rich with sensory detail, creating a sensory feast for the imagination. Morgenstern’s ability to evoke emotions and capture the essence of wonder and mystery is truly remarkable.

“The Night Circus” explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the transformative power of art. The characters are beautifully drawn, each with their own intricate storylines and connections to the circus. The interplay between magic, illusion, and reality adds depth and intrigue to the narrative, leaving the reader questioning what is real and what is mere illusion.

I would give this enchanting novel a captivating 9.5 out of 10! It is a breathtaking work of imagination and storytelling that will leave you awe-struck and longing for more. “The Night Circus” is a testament to the power of imagination and the beauty that can be found in the most extraordinary places. Step into the world of the circus and prepare to be captivated by its mystique and magic.

“The House of Shattered Wings” by Aliette de Bodard

“ The House of Shattered Wings ” by Aliette de Bodard is a dark and immersive fantasy of manners that took me on a haunting journey through a decaying Paris ruled by fallen angels and the remnants of once-mighty houses. In this captivating novel, we delve into a world ravaged by war and filled with political intrigue, ancient secrets, and the struggle for power.

Aliette de Bodard’s writing is atmospheric and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a city in ruins and a society teetering on the brink of collapse. The prose is rich with intricate details, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the world of fallen angels, magic, and complex relationships. De Bodard’s skillful blend of dark fantasy and a vividly realized setting creates a sense of unease and wonder.

“The House of Shattered Wings” explores themes of redemption, loyalty, and the consequences of past choices. The characters are multifaceted, with their own hidden agendas and haunted pasts. Their interactions are filled with tension and intrigue, as they navigate a world where allegiances are fragile and betrayal lurks in every shadow.

I would give this haunting novel a compelling 8.5 out of 10! It is a beautifully crafted work that combines elements of fantasy, mystery, and political drama. “The House of Shattered Wings” will transport you to a dark and atmospheric Paris, where the remnants of fallen angels and shattered dreams collide. Prepare to be captivated by the intricate web of secrets and the atmospheric world Aliette de Bodard has created.

“Enchantress from the Stars” by Sylvia Engdahl

“ Enchantress from the Stars ” by Sylvia Engdahl is a captivating and thought-provoking science fiction novel that seamlessly blends elements of fantasy and space exploration. In this enthralling tale, we follow Elana, a young anthropologist from an advanced civilization, as she embarks on a mission to a primitive planet to observe and guide its inhabitants.

Sylvia Engdahl’s writing is engaging and immersive, transporting readers to a world of interstellar travel and cultural exchange. The prose is accessible and filled with a sense of wonder, making it suitable for readers of various ages. Engdahl’s exploration of different societies, their beliefs, and their clash of ideologies adds depth and relevance to the narrative.

“Enchantress from the Stars” explores themes of understanding, empathy, and the power of perspective. Elana’s journey as she becomes deeply involved with the people of the primitive planet challenges her own preconceived notions and forces her to question her role as an observer. The novel raises important questions about the impact of intervention and the dangers of imposing one’s own values on others.

I would give this thought-provoking novel an enchanting 8 out of 10! It is a compelling blend of science fiction and fantasy that explores complex themes in a relatable and accessible manner. “Enchantress from the Stars” will transport readers on a journey of discovery, urging them to contemplate the power of compassion and understanding in a universe filled with diverse cultures and perspectives.

“The Silvered” by Tanya Huff

“ The Silvered ” by Tanya Huff is an exhilarating and imaginative fantasy novel that combines elements of steampunk, magic, and political intrigue. In this captivating book, we are introduced to a world where magic-wielding shapeshifters known as the Silvered are pitted against a ruthless empire in a battle for survival.

Tanya Huff’s writing is fast-paced and action-packed, immersing readers in a richly developed world filled with captivating characters and high-stakes adventures. The prose is dynamic, propelling the story forward with a sense of urgency and excitement. Huff’s skillful blend of magic and technology creates a unique and compelling setting.

“The Silvered” explores themes of resistance, sacrifice, and the power of unity. The characters are vibrant and multi-dimensional, with their own strengths and vulnerabilities. The interactions between the Silvered and the empire’s forces are filled with tension and strategic maneuvering, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

I would give this thrilling novel an adrenaline-fueled 8.5 out of 10! It is a fantastic blend of fantasy and steampunk, offering a fresh take on shape-shifting and political intrigue. “The Silvered” will sweep you into a world where magic and machinery collide, where loyalty is tested, and where unlikely alliances are forged. Prepare to be enthralled by Tanya Huff’s thrilling storytelling and embark on a high-stakes adventure that will leave you craving for more.

“The Glamourist Histories” series by Mary Robinette Kowal

“ The Glamourist Histories ” series by Mary Robinette Kowal is a delightful and enchanting collection of novels that seamlessly combines historical fiction with elements of fantasy and romance. Set in an alternate Regency era, these books follow the adventures of Jane Ellsworth and her husband, Vincent, as they navigate a world of glamour, artistry, and political intrigue.

Mary Robinette Kowal’s writing is elegant and immersive, capturing the manners and etiquette of the Regency period while infusing it with the magical art of glamour. The prose is laced with wit, charm, and a keen attention to detail, transporting readers to a world that feels both familiar and fantastical.

“The Glamourist Histories” explore themes of love, artistry, societal expectations, and the pursuit of personal happiness. Jane and Vincent’s relationship is a delight to follow, as they navigate the challenges of their artistic pursuits and the complexities of the world around them. Kowal’s meticulous research and seamless integration of glamour as a form of magic add depth and richness to the narrative.

I would give this enchanting series a sparkling 9 out of 10! It is a delightful blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and romance, showcasing Mary Robinette Kowal’s skill in crafting engaging and immersive stories. “The Glamourist Histories” will transport you to a world where art and magic intertwine, where love and ambition collide, and where the power of imagination knows no bounds. Prepare to be swept away by the elegance and enchantment of these remarkable novels.

“A Natural History of Dragons” by Marie Brennan

“ A Natural History of Dragons ” by Marie Brennan is a captivating and immersive novel that invites readers to embark on a thrilling adventure filled with scientific exploration, daring discoveries, and the allure of dragons. In this enchanting book, we follow the remarkable Lady Trent, a naturalist and scholar, as she recounts her early years and her passion for studying dragons.

Marie Brennan’s writing is evocative and richly descriptive, painting a vivid picture of a world where dragons exist alongside human society. The prose is imbued with a sense of wonder and intellectual curiosity, mirroring Lady Trent’s own insatiable thirst for knowledge. Brennan’s attention to detail and her ability to create a believable scientific framework for dragon research add depth and authenticity to the narrative.

“A Natural History of Dragons” explores themes of curiosity, resilience, and the pursuit of knowledge. Lady Trent is a compelling protagonist, defying societal norms and overcoming numerous obstacles in her quest to study dragons. The supporting characters are equally well-developed, each adding their own unique perspectives and dynamics to the story.

I would give this enthralling novel an adventurous 8.5 out of 10! It is a delightful blend of fantasy, science, and exploration, offering a fresh take on dragons and their place in a meticulously crafted world. “A Natural History of Dragons” will transport you to a realm of discovery and fascination, where the boundaries of scientific inquiry and the allure of mythical creatures merge. Prepare to be captivated by Marie Brennan’s vivid storytelling and embark on an extraordinary journey into the realm of dragons.

“The Glamour Thieves” by Don Allmon

“ The Glamour Thieves ” is an exhilarating cyberpunk fantasy novel written by Don Allmon. Set in a futuristic world where magic and technology coexist, this fast-paced adventure takes readers on a thrilling ride through a world of hackers, thieves, and dangerous secrets.

The story follows the unlikely duo of Douglas and Kit, two skilled thieves with a knack for trouble. When a heist gone wrong leads them to acquire a powerful magical artifact, they find themselves caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal. As they navigate the treacherous underworld, they encounter captivating characters and face life-threatening challenges.

Allmon’s writing is gritty and immersive, painting a vivid picture of the cyberpunk landscape with its neon-lit streets and high-tech gadgets. The blend of magic and technology adds a unique and compelling twist to the narrative, creating a sense of wonder and danger.

With its gripping plot, dynamic characters, and a healthy dose of wit and humor, “The Glamour Thieves” keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. I would confidently give it a solid 9 out of 10, as it delivers a thrilling and captivating story that will leave fans of cyberpunk and fantasy craving for more.

“The Winter Witch” by Paula Brackston

“ The Winter Witch ” by Paula Brackston is an enchanting tale that effortlessly weaves together elements of fantasy, romance, and time travel. Set against the backdrop of a picturesque village, the story immerses readers in a world where magic lurks just beneath the surface.

As I delved into the pages of this captivating novel, I found myself irresistibly drawn to Morgana, the protagonist, a young woman with an extraordinary gift for manipulating the weather. Brackston’s vivid descriptions painted a vivid picture of Morgana’s struggles and triumphs, making her journey feel all the more real.

The introduction of time travel added an intriguing twist to the narrative, allowing for unexpected encounters and heart-wrenching choices. The author masterfully handled the complexities of time manipulation, seamlessly blending the past and present. Overall, I would give “The Winter Witch” a solid 8 out of 10. It’s a captivating and beautifully crafted tale that will transport you to a world where magic and love intertwine, leaving you yearning for more.

“The First Men in the Moon” by H.G. Wells

“ The First Men in the Moon ” by H.G. Wells takes readers on an exhilarating journey to the moon, where the incredible adventures of two explorers unfold. As a fan of science fiction, I was captivated by the masterful storytelling and imaginative concepts that Wells presents in this novel. The narrative follows the protagonist, Mr. Bedford, and the eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor, as they embark on an unexpected lunar expedition.

Wells skillfully intertwines scientific exploration, social commentary, and elements of time travel to create a gripping tale. The book beautifully captures the awe-inspiring wonders of the moon, vividly describing its strange inhabitants and captivating landscapes. The scientific theories and technological innovations presented in the story add depth and credibility to the narrative.

“The First Men in the Moon” has stood the test of time and continues to be a beloved classic in the science fiction genre. With its thought-provoking themes and thrilling plot, it deserves the average score of 8 out of 10 given by readers on the internet. I highly recommend this novel to anyone seeking a compelling adventure into the realms of space and time.

20 best Time travel short stories – PDF

Time travel short stories have provided endless possibilities for authors to explore the complexities of temporal manipulation, causality, and the human experience. These twenty examples represent just a glimpse into the vast world of time travel short stories and fiction, each offering a unique perspective and captivating narrative. As readers delve into these time travel short stories, they are transported across time, embracing the wonder and dangers that lie within the temporal realm.

Please happily download the free PDF copy of the most famous Time travel short stories

20 of the best Time Travel Short Stories

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50 Best Time Travel Books of All Time

I love the concept of time travel in books (and movies!). It just opens up so many creative possibilities, which make them so fun to read. So, here’s my list of the 50 Best Time Travel books!

This list includes titles released at any point in time, but has a slight preference for newer titles. It’s divided up into General Time Travel, Literary, Romance and Young Adult titles .

And feel free to drop a comment if you have a favorite time travel book that belongs on this list!

General Time Travel

Literary time travel, time travel romance, young adult, other time travel books.

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Middle of the Night

The Housemaid is Watching

She’s Not Sorry

The Seven Year Slip

Darling Girls

It Finally Happened + Summer Romances

Best Literary Fiction of 2024 (New & Anticipated)

The Housemaid Book Series Recap

2024’s Best Book Club Books (New & Anticipated)

Bookshelf: Development Diary

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Wow. What a great list. I have only read a handful of these and have added another big handful to my TBR list. So glad to see Kindred here. It is a favorite of mine. Thanks for the post.

thanks rosi, glad you liked it! :)

I’m really interested in time travel nowadays, especially going into the past. I always wonder how I would manage 100, 200, 500 years ago. Life was so different!

yes! and I love how the change in time periods make for interesting perspective clashes that are a lot of fun to read about :)

An amazing list, thank you.

One of the best recent additions to the time travel genre is Novikov Windows: A Time Travel Novel, by Chris Cosmain.

Try these alternative routes if you want to avoid traffic to the Jersey Shore

Fourth of July seems like a great time to visit the Jersey Shore − except for the traffic!

The Garden State Parkway is the obvious thought for the trip from North Jersey to the Shore, but with it comes heavy traffic. Traffic may be even worse thanks to an issue with the pavement in Toms River.

With beaches along the Jersey Shore expected to draw large crowds, travelers can turn to a variety of transportation methods to ensure a smooth journey.

NJ Transit to Jersey Shore

NJ Transit trains provide direct routes to popular shore destinations such as Asbury Park, Long Branch, and Point Pleasant Beach. The North Jersey Coast Line train can take you to Jersey Shore from New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station, Secaucus and Rahway Station. The trains offer a reliable and stress-free way to avoid the inevitable congestion on major roadways.

Check online for NJ Transit's schedule from your origin station to your desired Shore spot.

Bus routes to Jersey Shore

Buses are another viable option. NJ Transit offer routes to various shore towns, making it easier for residents to leave their cars at home and enjoy a hassle-free trip.

Check online for the bus schedule. The bus can be tricky, though. A bus route from Ridgewood to Wildwood, for example, takes over six hours and costs $60 one way, per NJ Transit's site.

Rideshare or carpool

Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are seeing an uptick in bookings for beach destinations. Additionally, carpooling with friends or family is becoming a popular choice, allowing travelers to share the drive and reduce parking challenges at the shore.

Of course, you'll still have to go through highway traffic this way.

Rental Cars or Zipcar

For those seeking flexibility, renting a car or using a car-sharing service like Zipcar offers a convenient solution. This option provides the freedom to set one's own schedule and explore less crowded beach spots.

Best time to leave for the Jersey Shore

Travel experts advise departing early and planning ahead to avoid peak travel times and ensure a more enjoyable holiday experience.

Leave by 11 a.m. Wednesday if you're going for the long holiday weekend or after 7 p.m. Avoid 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday as your return time.

As the Fourth of July holiday promises sun, sand, and celebrations, residents can embrace these alternative routes to make the most of their beach trips while minimizing the stress of travel.

4th of July travelers expected to set records in Tennessee, US over holiday weekend

Planning to travel this Fourth of July?

Prepare for traffic or plan to modify your schedule because you're not alone.

An estimated 1.4 million Tennesseans will hit the road over the holiday weekend, according to AAA, which says it expects to see new travel records set this year not only in Tennessee, but for the whole U.S.

“The summer travel season is off to a hot start,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA, said in a statement. “There will be 3.5 million more travelers than last year.  That means even more people at airports and popular attractions like beaches, lakes and theme parks.”

Almost 80 million people are expected to travel nationwide, a 5.2% increase over last year, according to AAA.

In Tennessee, 1.6 million are expected to travel with nearly 90% of those by car and the remainder by air and other means. Lower gas prices, compared to last year, are also encouraging this upward tick in road travel, AAA said.

When is the best time to travel this Forth of July?

The worst times to travel by car during the holiday weekend is between 2-7 p.m., AAA said.

"Drivers should hit the road in the morning, and travelers returning on ... July 8 should avoid rush hour traffic in the morning and afternoon," according to the AAA's statement.

The highest volume of traffic is expected Wednesday, July 3 and Sunday, July 7.

Best times for travel include:

• Tuesday, July 2: After 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 3: Before noon
• Thursday, July 4: Before noon
• Friday, July 5: Before 10 a.m.
• Saturday, July 6: Before 10 a.m.
• Sunday, July 7: Before 11 a.m.
• Monday, July 8: After 7 p.m.

Flying? Arrive early, pack smart for smooth travel

While the July 4 weekend is not a heavy travel period for airports, they are expected to see a small bump in visitors, AAA said.

Nationally, airports are expecing 5.7 million travelers this year compared to the 5.4 last year. Tennessee airports are expected to see about 4,000 more visitors this year, AAA said.

Erin Thomas, a spokesperson for Nashville International Airport, said historically, July 4 is not a busy weekend for the airport and they don't expect this year to be much different.

But, for those traveling by air this coming holiday, these tips can help things go smoothly:

• Take advantage of the reduced rates in the parking garage while picking up loved ones. Parking in the garage for less than 30 minutes is free and increases to $5 between 30-45 minutes and $10 for up to an hour.
• Sign up for text alerts at flynashville.com for the most up-to-date traffic information at the airport.
• Arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to park, check-in and get to your gate.
• Check the status of your flight before arriving to the airport for any delays or cancelations at flynashville.com/flights .
• Familiarize yourself with TSA's travel tips like liquid and food restrictions before packing to expedite the security process.

Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick – 7/2/2024

T he Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Chavez Ravine to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in an NL West thriller. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series with a Diamondbacks-Dodgers prediction and pick.

Diamondbacks-Dodgers Projected Starters 

Ryne Nelson vs. Bobby Miller

Ryne Nelson (5-6) with a 5.69 ERA …

Last Start: 3.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 K’s

2024 Road Splits: 33 IP, 2-3, 4.64 ERA

Bobby Miller (1-1) with a 6.75 ERA …

Last Start: 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

2024 Home Splits: 6.o IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA

Entering play, the reigning NL champions from a year ago have endured a rocky first half of the 2024 season. With only a couple weeks to go until the All-Star Break, the Diamondbacks possess a 41-43 and currently trail the Dodgers for first place in the division by a whopping 10.5 games. Luckily, Arizona is only 2.5 games behind a Wild Card spot and are also tied with LA at three games apiece in the head-to-head season series.

On the other side of things, the Dodgers are once again putting the rest of the MLB on notice. In addition to their commanding division lead out west, Los Angeles has also won five out of their last seven games and have not been defeated in back-to-back games in over a month. With their eyes on the World Series prize for the first time since 2020, there is no question that the Dodgers are clear-cut contenders at this stage of the season.

Here are the MLB Odds , courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Dodgers Odds

Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-125)

Moneyline: +168

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+104)

Moneyline: -200

Over: 9 (-105)

Under: 9 (-115)

How to Watch Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers

Time: 10:10 ET/7:10 PT

Stream: fuboTV ( Click for free trial )

Why The Diamondbacks Will Cover The Spread/Win

In order to draw first blood in this series, the Diamondbacks will need to play a brand of baseball that is close to perfection. Unfortunately, this has not been the case whatsoever as of late.

At first glance, the best chance that Arizona has at covering the spread will happen to come in the form of an offense that boasts top-ten hitting metrics in most statistical categories. For example, the D-Backs rank within the top ten of the majors in runs scored, batting average, and even on-base percentage. Against a team like the Dodgers who can put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the blink of an eye, it will be extremely important for Arizona to string together patient at-bats en route to creating chaos on the base paths.

All in all, be on the lookout for starter Ryne Nelson to bounce back in a big way following his latest performance from the pitching rubber. After getting shelled for ten hits on six earned runs, it will be up to Nelson to get back on track if the Diamondbacks want any chance of covering the spread in a hostile environment.

Why The Dodgers Will Cover The Spread/Win

On paper, the Dodgers are heavy favorites and for a good reason, but they will still need to bring their A-game when it is all said and done.

For starters, the offensive numbers that the Dodgers have put on the table up to this point are outstanding, to say the least. Not only does LA boast enough star power to shine brightly in the nighttime sky throughout their dynamic lineup, but they rank first in on-base percentage, second in on-base plus-slugging, and are third in home runs and RBIs. Pitching-wise, Los Angeles is just as dangerous with a rock-solid 3.37 ERA and a minuscule 1.13 WHIP.

From a sheer talent perspective, it is the Dodgers that have the edge, but this one is going to come down to whether or not Bobby Miller can put his recent struggles aside and instead put forth a tremendous showing as a starter.

If there is going to be an X-Factor in this one, look no further than catcher Will Smith. Over the course of his last five outings at the plate, he is only raking .190 but does happen to be in the middle of a two-game hitting streak. Expect him to have a big day with the bat if the Dodgers are ultimately going to prevail.

Final Diamondbacks-Dodgers Prediction & Pick

With both starting pitchers coming off rough outings, this contest may simply come down to which arm gets in more of a groove beginning in the opening frame. At the end of the day, the Dodgers are the far more reliable team to put money on, and their dominant ways at home should only continue on Tuesday night.

Click here for more betting news and predictions

Final Diamondbacks-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (+104)

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The post Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick – 7/2/2024 appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Don't fly a lot? You should still get a loyalty account. Here's why. | Cruising Altitude

• Frequent flyer programs are for everyone, even if you don’t travel often.
• You can earn miles and spend your way toward status by using an airline’s co-branded credit card.
• For travelers who don’t fly often, you don’t need to put too much thought into your miles.

You don’t need to be a frequent flyer to be a Frequent Flyer.

If you ever travel by plane, it’s worth signing up for the airline’s frequent flyer program. Not doing so means you’re leaving money and potential perks on the table, and possibly making your journey a little more complicated than it needs to be.

“Frequent flyer programs are for everyone,” Loulu Lima, founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here, told me. “Every single airline allows you to register for free to earn points.” 

So, next time you book a trip, make sure you have one of those magic numbers linked to your reservation. And for the uninitiated, here’s what you need to know about how it all works.

Should I sign up for a frequent flyer program?

In general, airlines want travelers to register for frequent flyer programs.

The fancy corporate talk in their literature will say it helps you get a more personalized experience. The cynics among us might wonder what they’re really doing with the data they collect through your profile. Still, no matter the company’s ultimate motivation, the fact is airlines make it easy to register.

“Everybody’s got them. Everybody’s got a different version of the same, even the cheap airlines,” Lima said. “All they ask for is your name, the address, and your phone number, and you use that number every time you book.” 

In reality, you’re probably providing the airline with all the information you need to create a frequent flyer account when you book your ticket anyway, but having it linked to a frequent flyer number makes it easier for the airline to track your behavior between trips and learn your preferences like window versus aisle seat. It also saves you from having to type out your address and middle name every time you book a ticket on that airline.

I have accounts with all four major U.S. airlines: American, Delta, United and Southwest, plus JetBlue, because their main hub at JFK is just down the road from my apartment. I also signed up for a Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account earlier this year because of some of the perks it unlocked for me onboard. 

Last week's Cruising Altitude: Only a carry-on for extended trips? 4 tips to pack like a pro.

What are the frequent flyer perks?

Even before you start earning miles, there are benefits to registering for a frequent flyer program.

Delta Air Lines, for example, provides free Wi-Fi on most of its aircraft for all SkyMiles members. If you don’t have an account, you usually have to pay for that access instead.

But once you start flying with your account, the benefits only grow, up to and including things like lounge access or +1 passes when you have elite status. 

“Each airline has different rules about how much you earn based on the fare basis code,” Lima said. “The more expensive the ticket, the more miles you earn, and you can use these miles for purchasing a free ticket or getting upgrades.”

Some airlines like United and JetBlue even let groups pool their miles to make redemptions easier.

And, of course, if you fly enough with one airline, you can earn elite frequent flyer status, which comes with even more perks from free checked bags to complimentary upgrades and more.

How to manage your frequent flyer miles

For travelers who don’t fly often, Lima said you don’t need to put too much thought into your miles.

“Most of them don’t expire, or if they do expire, as long as you book something and you fly before they expire, then you’ll keep on earning,” she said. “It’s so worth it; there’s no reason not to have it.”

You don’t even necessarily need to have an account with every airline to get some benefits.

“You can manage a lot of them based on codeshares and alliances,” Lima said. “Each of the major airlines all have alliances and they all kind of work together.” 

Without getting too wonky, there are basically three major airline alliances in the world: oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam. In the U.S., American Airlines is a member of oneworld , United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance and Delta Air Lines is a member of SkyTeam .

As someone who travels fairly regularly, I have a frequent flyer account with the major U.S. airline in each alliance and link it to any reservation I make on any airline within that alliance. This way, I accumulate all of my miles in a few concentrated accounts rather than having a smattering of points on airlines that I may only fly as a one-off based on whatever trip I’m taking. 

If you’re not sure which airlines are in which alliances, there are a few ways to find out. Of course, you can check each alliance website to see who the member carriers are. Alternatively, when you’re searching for flights on platforms like Google Flights, you can often see that tickets on the same flight are listed by multiple carriers – a good indication of partnerships and codesharing for that itinerary. If you’re booking directly with an airline, their partners’ flights will often be listed when you initiate your search.

“This is definitely something you should not sleep on. It’s free money. I can’t emphasize that enough,” Lima said. “Why wouldn’t you want something for free? 

Should you get an airline credit card?

You can also earn miles and spend your way toward status by using an airline’s co-branded credit card. For infrequent travelers, it may not be as worthwhile to pursue this option because many of those cards require hefty annual fees. But if you live in a city with limited airline options and take one or two trips a year, it may still be worth signing up for the credit card of your preferred carrier, because they often come with other perks like free checked bags that can help offset that fee.

“If you buy a lot of stuff, you can earn points,” Lima said.

She pointed out that general points cards like the Chase Sapphire or Amex Platinum allow you to transfer points to multiple airlines and can be a better option for those who only fly once or twice a year because they give you more flexibility with point redemptions. 

Full disclosure: I don’t have any airline credit cards and just use a general points program for all my spending (but no, I don’t endorse a particular one, so I won’t tell you which).

How to get started with a frequent flyer program

• Register for an account
• Remember to link the number to your reservation
• Keep track of your miles as you earn them
• Enjoy the perks

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

The Key Points at the top of this article were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reviewed by a journalist before publication. No other parts of the article were generated using AI. Learn more .

Trips That Transform

Here at Oprah Daily, we believe that travel—whether a day trip to a state park or a trip-of-a-lifetime safari to Africa—might be the ultimate catalyst for change, clarity, and growth. Here, a collection of stories that changed the lives of our favorite travel muses forever.

We recently asked our Oprah Daily community what their greatest act of self-care would be if time and resources weren’t a barrier. All responses resoundingly—and unequivocally—involved some form of travel. But beyond the usual bucket-list suspects (African safari, Taj Mahal, the Galápagos), we were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming desire for experiences that facilitate personal transformation: the kinds of mind-expanding, soul-feeding, relationship-deepening journeys—both solo and with loved ones—that remind them of what really matters. We heard a lot about the desire to do walking trips as a way to connect with nature and invite a spiritual awakening; the urge to retrace one’s ancestry, however painful the journey, in some cases; and a growing sense of urgency to gather friends, children, and grandchildren in one place, even if only for a few days. We understood that in a moment of intense polarization around the globe, so many of us yearn for experiences that remind us of our shared humanity. As Maya Angelou once said, “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

If you’ve been following along with Oprah these past few years, you’ve likely been living vicariously through her travels around the world. But even beyond the dreamy destinations—from her cradle-of-civilization pilgrimage to Petra to her first visit to Japan to see the cherry blossoms to her girls’ spa week in Italy—what strikes us most about these trips isn’t so much the where (although each voyage is more dazzling than the last) or even the how , so much as the with whom . And, of course, the why . “Because life is better when you share it, I believe,” says Oprah. As we’ve witnessed, when the world reopened post-pandemic, she was ready to be in it again, but pretty much only if she could be with a handful of her besties.

Because for those of us like Oprah who love adventure as much as we love the homes and people we get to return to, the stakes for a good trip are even higher. “My forever life mantra is aligned with Dorothy’s from The Wizard of Oz : ‘There’s no place like home.’ I have purposely created beautiful spaces because I’m, at heart, a homebody,” Oprah says. “So when I do venture beyond my own backyard, I like traveling with a purpose.” For her, and so many of us who are always on the go, the perennial question is: What is worth the time, energy, and expense of leaving the hard-won sanctuary of one’s own home? Even though travel is by definition a luxury, it also comes with the pressure to narrow the universe of possibilities and choose that one perfect trip guaranteed to make memories, create a much-needed shift in perspective, and maybe even change our lives.

For guidance, we turn to some of our favorite in-the-know friends, contributors, and travel muses—people whose pivotal travel memories inspire us to identify what really makes us tick and to stretch beyond our comfort zones, and whose recommendations we squirrel away for when we are ready. For us, beyond the magic of the locales, travel is all about the ways in which our eyes, ears, and souls get imprinted forever after, and turn into stories that we’ll tell for years to come. “I love to combine work and play, so whenever I’m invited to speak across the globe, I book a few days before so I can explore, meet people, and enjoy whatever food they’re offering,” Oprah says. “And then I incorporate those encounters or anecdotes into my conversations. —Pilar Guzmán, editoral director, Oprah Daily

Gayle King, editor at large, Oprah Daily

“In early 2000, I got to see the big five (lion, rhino, buffalo, leopard, elephant) in South Africa and all the other smaller animals (hyenas, gazelles, impalas) roaming free in their own habitat. I never felt the same about going to the zoo! It suddenly seemed cruel and inhumane to keep these majestic animals locked up in cages just so we could gawk. It changed my relationship to animals forever after.”

Yolanda Edwards, founder, Yolo Journal

“We were invited last-minute to join friends traveling on the Nile with Nour el Nil—a fleet of traditional dahabiyas that strike just the right balance of bohemian luxury and cultural immersion as they make their way from Luxor to Aswan. There was this one moment when we were led through the village of Aswan when the guide encouraged us not to stop as locals swarmed us. I have often struggled with the discomfort of steeling myself—and become momentarily hardened—when faced with so much poverty and need. While most of the crowd had fallen off as we made our way to the desert, a few kids kept following us. One young boy, who was 5 years old and accompanied by his 3-year-old brother, asked my name. I asked for theirs in return. They giggled and beamed at me with the sweetest smiles you can imagine. As we left town and walked through the sand dunes, the kids kept following us, scaling the high rocks and calling my name from ever-greater distances. At one point, they appeared atop a super-high rock across the desert, and the boys raised their hands and yelled, “Yolaaaanda!” I had tears in my eyes and called back to them, our voices echoing in tandem across the lunar landscape. I felt seen—and saw—in a way that other sorts of prescriptive bucket-list travel and our busy, busy lives don’t allow for. I realized in that moment just how desensitized I’d become despite myself. Of all the travel I do for a living, this was a personal highlight. I was so happy that I let down my guard and was able to experience the purity of human connection across cultural and linguistic barriers.”

Sheila Bridges, principal, Sheila Bridges Design

“I first went to Iceland with a group of friends for my 50th. For me, it was instantly transformative. There was something about the country that kept calling me back. So much so that the following year, I ended up buying a home there. It’s definitely not for everyone—though it’s much easier to get there than people realize and an easy stopover on my frequent trips to Europe. As a creative person, so much of it had to do with the light. The landscape, nature, and people that never stop feeding my curiosity. And the horses. The geothermal waters are truly healing. It’s the place where I feel instant escape. My true happy place.”

Athena Calderone, designer, author, and founder, EyeSwoon

“The first time we visited the Aeolian Islands as a family in 2014 completely shifted how we saw the world and engaged with one another. My husband, Victor, is Sicilian, so first and foremost, it was incredible to be in the motherland for 10 days together. I can just remember how everything slowed down. It tends to do that in Italy anyway, but in the remote Aeolian Islands, it truly feels like a different world. Being so far removed from reality and our day-to-day routines made us connect more, laugh more, adventure more, dream more, and open our hearts up more. [Our son] Jivan was at such a pivotal age. I can distinctly remember Victor speaking in his native Sicilian dialect on the island of Salina and witnessing the pure joy and awe on Jivan’s face at seeing this different version of his dad.

Each day, we would rent a small boat from a Sicilian local, hop in, and set off for hours, sometimes all day. No captain here, just the three of us on adventures across the deep-blue crystalline sea, visiting different islands. I can still hear the laughter and feel the joy as we sped across the expansive sea with the salty water spraying Jivan’s small body as he sat at the front of the boat, his long hair tousled. I will never forget steering into this cove with big black lava stones and diving into the deep turquoise water, or the time we approached the island of Stromboli and watched the smoke from the active volcano. I vividly recall Jivan’s excitement at seeing the rich black sand, the lava stone, and just the sheer magnitude of his surroundings that felt so far removed from his life in the city.

When we weren’t on the water, we were whipping around the winding roads on a moped, inhaling the salt air and soaking up the red sky as the sun slid into the sea. Afterward, we’d sit together on the back deck overlooking Stromboli for dinner, exhausted and exhilarated, as we recounted the day’s events with such enthusiasm. We played ‘I spy with my little eye’ (usually spying lemon or fig trees or cacti), and everything felt so perfect, so present, so precious. I remember wanting to bottle up the purity of the moment! There was such a deep level of connection. There’s nothing like being on an adventure in a place that forces you to slow down and allows you to connect with your family more. It really puts everything into perspective.”

Adam Glassman, creative director, Oprah Daily

“When I do go on vacation, I like to go in with a sense of purpose. After hearing about it for years, I finally went to the famous Vivamayr in Austria, a luxury medical detox and wellness resort that focuses on prevention and is set in the most gorgeous part of the Austrian Alps. Detoxification is at the heart of this program, with a big emphasis on rest and a cleansing of the digestive system. The philosophy being that health and the immune system originate in the gut and that the combination of detoxifying treatments, the reduction of inflammation, and holistic therapies can help reset it. I got a big reeducation on exercise and eating habits—I was encouraged, for example, to chew my food 40 to 60 times per bite to ensure proper digestion, even when eating soup (!) and learned about all the ways in which digestion impacts everything from weight and circulation to skin and headaches. But after a week of truly unplugging, hiking in the mountains in between treatments, the greatest takeaway was the importance of rest.

Each guest is assigned to a doctor and gets thorough diagnostics and an individualized program, which includes medical appointments, IV drips, foot baths, mud wraps, nasal reflexology, Watsu water therapy, Pilates, myofascial therapy, breathwork, osteopathy, salt scrubs, cryotherapy, sessions with oxygen tanks, and flushing of the liver and stomach with Epsom salts—all of which are designed to help release energy blockages and emotional buildups.

Ultimately the program purges the body of toxins, and as the week went on, I felt euphoric. By the end, I left feeling rested and full of energy—and with real learnings to take back to the real world. Both a physical and emotional detox, my time there was life-changing. It reminded me of the importance of taking care of myself, giving myself permission to rest and take an actual vacation a few times a year, to enjoy life, and to do the kind of exercise that is actually fun (walking with friends outdoors), not punishing.”

I like treating friends to beautiful spas, with a specific goal in mind. Even if that goal is just blissing out. Spa-ing is always, for me, restorative. My first spa was Rancho La Puerta at age 24. The first real vacation I’d saved up for. And there I met Ann Getty, who was celebrating her birthday and treating all her friends. That’s where the idea for me was born to do the same. I like adventures that allow for new experiences everyone can share. —Oprah

David Prior, cofounder and CEO, Prior

“Syria was the place to travel. It was where the souks were still real, and riads were mixing more modern design with a patina of history and cool Syrian style. Damascus was supposed to be the ‘next Marrakech.’ Levantine food was having a moment with the flavors of fragrant rosewater, piquant sumac, and sweet pomegranate molasses in our kitchens (thanks, Ottolenghi!). The history and majesty of Damascus felt matched only by Rome, and with its dense, exquisite beauty, Aleppo was like Florence. The Axis of Evil was a thing of the past now. Then, suddenly, it was not. I traveled to Syria not as a war-zone correspondent but as a travel writer covering the next exciting cosmopolitan travel destination right before the civil war broke out. In the years since, Aleppo has been destroyed and Damascus emptied of the friends I made. Now when I look at the destruction of conflict anywhere around the world, I think about our shared cultural richness that is gone forever and of the people whose lives made those exquisite buildings, bold food, and moving traditions come to life. It gave a face and place to war, and it is a lesson that is hard to forget.”

Bevy Smith, author, TV/radio host, and actress

“Every trip I ever take transforms me in one way or another. But when I think back to the one that solidified a change in my life’s work, it was when I did my sepia version of Eat Pray Love after quitting my job at Rolling Stone in February 2005. First stop was South Africa. I was traveling alone as a single Black woman. It seemed like an easy entry point since it’s English-speaking and pretty Westernized. While incredibly beautiful, Cape Town was much more European than I expected. I expected to see many more Black people in the center of things rather than in the townships. Johannesburg, on the other hand, was more like Atlanta—like Black suburbia, where Black people were doing well. There is a middle class and an upper class, but still not Africa as I’d imagined it. My parents grew up in Jim Crow South. Even post-apartheid, South Africa felt like Jim Crow South to me. It doesn’t matter if you are the president of a bank; it’s still segregated. This was the political part of my trip, and I was searching for freedom and for a vision for my life to gel. I went on to the nature part of the trip, to Zambia and Victoria Falls, which was great, but then I came home for a week and went to Brazil—and that’s when the journey really began. I’ve never felt so firmly connected to my African roots as I did in Salvador de Bahia, which has the largest African population outside Africa.

Culturally, they have retained so much of their Africanness, which really resonated and was so transformational for me. My experience in Bahia inspired me and gave me permission to lead with the culture at all times, which I fight tooth and nail for. I show up on TV as a Black woman on GMA and BET and bring this sense of culture to my dinner-party business—like the one I’m doing in Brasília in 2025 in the middle of all these important buildings by Niemeyer, which will look like a scene from Gattaca. For me, travel is about tracing my cultural roots. It’s a grounding. It’s in the soil of a place. Like when I went to the Cape of Good Hope, I felt the slave history. I felt the intensity of the transatlantic slave trade when I went to Ghana in 2019, the year of the return and a reckoning of sorts. I usually go places where there is a slavery connection. I did a walking tour with African Lisbon, which gives the history of the slave trade in Lisbon. It shows up in so many ways. Even in beautiful Amsterdam, “Black Peter”—a Moorish servant who accompanies Saint Nicholas at Christmastime—shows up in blackface in department stores. Like, what the fuck is this? I’m a global traveler, and there are always traces of Black bodies being seen as a commodity around the world. There is always that connective tissue you can’t forget.”

Pia Baroncini, founder, LPA and Baroncini Import & Co.

“We have an unusual living situation, by American standards anyway, in that our little family of three—my husband, my daughter, Carmela, and I—moved in with my mother right after my father died. We were at my parents’ house on Sunday night for dinner when my father dropped dead. It was shortly thereafter that we made the decision to buy the house and have my mother live with us. And it all really works. My husband and mother get along. We both get to have a mom who sort of takes care of us as we build our business, and my daughter gets her grandmother all the time.

But it wasn’t until we all went to Sicily together, where my husband is from, that my mother really fully understood him—and Italian culture. I think people don’t really know the real Italy, what it’s like to live there, outside the tourist cities. It is the number one place people romanticize, but real neighborhoods can be very tricky. I’d been there a couple of times before and I’d seen the underbelly and day-to-day life, which made me understand how my husband operates on a core level. When his mom was dying, we went back to be with her. I remember when we started dating, there were things that bothered Davide, where he felt very misunderstood by Americans.

I had been there before with just him; it’s where we got engaged. But this time, when the three of us got to see him there for the first time all together and meet his family, I realized my mother was able to contextualize him. I watched her observe him in his environment and how he is with his family and friends, how affectionate he is with his barber, his priest, his postman. There were things before this trip she used to bristle at, like why he didn’t want her to walk across the street by herself—in his small town, women don’t do things like that, and he sees it as his duty to protect her. Whereas in the U.S., she would react to that feeling of being controlled, here it made sense, and she leaned into it. And even though he was the one whose arms she cried in when my dad died, she didn’t fully get him and things like why he was so bothered when she would eat lunch standing up. When she saw where he came from and the rituals around food, which isn’t taken for granted in the poorer parts of Sicily where he’s from, she understood the respect around meals—respect that you actually have a meal to eat—and why they always lay a tablecloth.

I realized it was the first time I’ve seen her being really quiet. She loves to tell a story. But in Sicily she was in observation mode, experiencing him in his natural habitat of amazing family and friends and appreciating the way he treats people. Multiple times on the trip, she would spontaneously go over to hug and kiss him. She would say things like, ‘I’m so happy you are the father of my granddaughter.’ It was really life-changing and cemented our bond as a family unit.”

Nate Berkus, interior designer and author

“Every trip has changed me in some way, but perhaps the most impactful was a two-week trip through the central highlands of Mexico, in a rented car and with one small carry-on. I went from the beach to the mountains, from a tree house to the Hacienda de San Antonio, and will always remember the family in the elevator with me at Sanborns in Morelia. It was the only building with an elevator, and the family was nervous. It reset something for me.”

In 1978, while in medical school in India, I impulsively traveled alone to Goa from Madras over the holidays. A small shoulder bag with a change of clothes and a compact medical textbook also served as a pillow. I found a cheap lodge on the beach, with delicious food and drink to be had all around. I was enveloped in a cocoon of solitude, digesting the year that had passed. After a few days, I felt restored. It is the sort of escape I have sought often since. The destination has mattered little. The company—being with yourself fully—is what matters. —Abraham Verghese, author of the 101st Oprah’s Book Club pick, “ The Covenant of Water”

Andrea Gentl, photographer

“The first time I left home was to study in Italy when I was 20 years old. Until then, I had only traveled on a plane to Southern California with a high school friend. I landed in Rome bleary-eyed and hungry. In the Roma Termini en route to Siena that cold January morning, I ate the first of many train station sandwiches I would eat over the course of a lifetime. In fact, I ate two. Neither was better than the other; they were pretty standard but satisfied my hunger the same way eating anything after a long swim does. I was deeply sated but also remember feeling a little wave of sadness, having nothing to do with the actual quality of the sandwich. One was made of paper-thin mortadella with slightly thicker pieces of provolone wedged between two salty pieces of focaccia, the crust soaked in olive oil. The other was a simple frittata tucked between the same salty focaccia. I’ve known from early on that Italy changed me in many ways, but it was those first humble train station sandwiches that set me on a course of searching for both familiar and new flavors. It wasn’t their unfamiliarity that jolted me that morning; it was their utter familiarity, as though I had accessed the very smell and taste of my deepest memories—a taste that immediately made me feel that twinge of melancholy.

In that moment, I thought about my grandfather, the youngest of his siblings. He was born in New York City, while his brothers were born in Rome. My grandfather loved paper-thin mortadella about as much as he loved provolone. When I was a kid, I used to ask him to tell me about his childhood. He mostly waved me off with a laugh, but once, he told me about a cheese shop called Alleva that he walked to as a boy from his family’s railroad flat on Second Avenue to pick up cheese. He was 6 or 7 at the time. Little did I know then that I would move just a scant few blocks from this shop some 20 years later. I was so excited when I saw it and called him immediately. The shop that he went to was still right there on Grand Street—that is, until it lost its lease last year after 130 years. Large rounds of provolone bound in waxed rope hung in the window, much like, I imagine, when he was a boy. The cheesemaker’s name, a deep red, bled into the surface of the cheese. I thought about those large rounds making the journey from Italy to New York, much like my family had. I sometimes stop and imagine my grandfather walking up that street as a boy. I would give anything to see him there, just once. I think about him often and wonder if I sometimes walk the same paths as he did. Do I step in his small footsteps from almost a century ago? When I bit into those sandwiches that first morning in Rome, I felt closer and farther away from home than ever. I now understand that what I felt that day was an ancestral food memory. Memory drives much of my curiosity and curation of food. That first trip to Italy opened a portal for me. I became a traveler. As a photographer, many of my photographs start with a memory, a taste, a smell, or a feeling. Memory is what I try to get at as a photographer, and it’s what I access when I cook; it’s when a thousand tiny pieces come together to make something new.”

Paula Froelich, senior story editor and entertainment correspondent, NewsNation

“It was 2017 and kind of a bad year. I wasn’t really working, and I had quit smoking, which added even more stress. I got an offer to go on a Walk Japan trip along the Kumano Kodo trail, which I knew nothing about. I just wanted to escape my life for a minute. I’d never really hiked, and I’d smoked for decades, and here I was having to hike for sometimes six hours at a time. The trip ticked every box: physical activity—I didn’t know how strenuous it would be—and also intellectual and aesthetic stimulation. It was stunningly beautiful. It also got me to a spiritual place, thinking of dead relatives (‘Thank you, Grandma!’) in a land that reveres ancestors and history as it relates to mortality. I came home with a clear mindset and was mentally and physically stronger than I’ve ever felt. I think of it every day. If I have a hard day, I go back to it. I do the walk in my mind. One foot in front of the other. It was a lesson in slow living and a constant reminder that I can do hard things and that my lungs actually work. I rebuilt them and myself on that trip.”

J.J. Martin, founder, La DoubleJ

Jill Kargman, author and actress

“My skiing-addicted husband booked a family trip to the middle of nowhere. Nestled on the Austria-Italy border, tucked between two mountains worthy of The Lord of the Rings or The Sound of Music, depending on the season, Forestis was my dream family ski/spa hotel. The five of us marveled immediately at the sleek James Bond–villain-esque vibes juxtaposed with the old-school local signage, the German black-letter fonts creeping us out a little, as we wound our way up the hilly pass. The rooms seem hella spartan at first, but then you realize it’s meant to make the actual star—the view—shine brighter. The enormous floor-to-ceiling windows are perched atop the most insane panorama of snow-capped ranges I’ve ever woken up to. It’s almost too breathtaking to look at, and it never gets old. The massages and facials were next-level heavenly, with treatment rooms all smashed into the mountain and heated tables overlooking the blizzard outside. I have truly never felt more unplugged or pummeled to perfection. Forget a sandy beach; Forestis was my personal slice of paradise.”

Pilar Guzmán is the Editorial Director of Oprah Daily, overseeing content strategy across the brand’s platforms.

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Michigan gas prices surge ahead of Fourth of July holiday weekend

Michigan roadways are expected to get crowded this week, with an estimated 2.3 million state residents expected to travel during the Independence Day weekend, just as gas prices climb — 16 cents more a gallon on average than last week, according to AAA.

The price Monday for regular unleaded: $3.67. That’s 6 cents more a gallon than this time last month and 11 cents more than a year ago. And if you are calculating the price by the tankful — 15 gallons — that works out to about $55 to fill up.

"Rising crude oil prices have led to higher gas prices across Michigan ahead of Independence Day," said Adrienne Woodland, a spokeswomen for the auto club. "Pump prices will likely continue to rise this week as a record number of motorists fill up for their holiday road trips."

West Texas Intermediate, an oil benchmark central to commodities trading, rose 7 cents to $80.90 a barrel, up from $78.50 two weeks earlier. And crude oil inventories increased by 3.6 million barrels from a week ago.

Some analysts are speculating military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could disrupt crude oil supplies. Hezbollah, for instance, could target Israel’s offshore gas operations and Israel, in response, could target Iran’s oil operations.

More: A record 2.6 million Michigan residents expected to travel for July 4: What to know

In addition, gas demand fell 9.38 million barrels a day to 8.96 million. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks rose from 231.2 million to 233.9 million barrels.

In metro Detroit, average prices also went up to $3.59 a gallon, about 5 cents more than a week ago.

And around the state, the most expensive gas price averages were in Jackson, at $3.75 a gallon; Grand Rapids, $3.74, and Lansing, $3.74. The least expensive averages were in: Marquette, $3.53; metro Detroit, $3.59, and  Benton Harbor, $3.69.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].

• SI SWIMSUIT
• SI SPORTSBOOK

Red Sox Linked To Dodgers Two-Time All-Star Starter In Extremely Rare Type Of Trade

Scott neville | jul 1, 2024.

• Boston Red Sox
• Los Angeles Dodgers

For the third straight year, the Boston Red Sox enter the month of July without a clear path to take at the trade deadline.

For Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, he'll attempt to have more success than his predecessor -- who deployed a buy/sell approach two years in a row and failed to improve the big-league roster -- though his trade of Christian Vázquez for outfielder Wilyer Abreu and second baseman Enmanuel Valdez back in 2022 has made a huge impact on the 2024 campaign.

With that in mind, you'd think Breslow would take a defined path this summer -- which would entail either meaningfully adding to the big-league roster or selling off all impending free agents. However, multiple media members have tossed out the idea of making a buyer-to-buyer trade deadline deal that would fall in line with the middling approach of the last two unsuccessful deadlines.

"For all the talk of moving Kenley Jansen, the Red Sox should only do it if they can find a team willing to trade a potential free-agent starter for a potential free-agent reliever," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote Monday.

"The (Los Angeles) Dodgers’ Walker Buehler, coming off Tommy John surgery and currently out with right hip inflammation, might not be the right fit, but that would be the idea. An even better idea would be to keep Jansen and trade for a starter in some other way. If the Sox are serious about contending, they should not trust Liam Hendriks, coming off Tommy John surgery, to close."

This suggestion is coming off the heels of The Athletic's Jim Bowden tossing out the same framework of a buyer-to-buyer trade centered around Jansen.

Buehler would be an interesting buy-low option the Red Sox could be intrigued by this summer. The 29-year-old has a 5.84 ERA in 37 innings across eight starts this season. However, the two-time All-Star with a pair of top-10 National League Cy Young finishes to his name entered 2024 with a career 3.02 ERA (136 ERA+), 27% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate, .212 batting average against and a 1.04 WHIP in 638 1/3 innings across 115 games and six seasons.

Should the Red Sox consider taking a shot on Buehler? Absolutely. Having a former frontline starter in his prime for pitching coach Andrew Bailey to mold back into shape would make a lot of sense for a young and hungry roster contending for an American League Wild Card spot.

However, it makes no sense to deal Jansen in the process. Boston needs to stop screwing around at the deadline and make a real decision. The buy/sell nonsense is a fun way to make a lot of moves and end up in the same spot they started in or more likely, worse.

Either go out and get an impactful starter and some ancillary pieces or trade every impending free agent on the roster -- Tyler O'Neill, Nick Pivetta, Chris Martin and Jansen. Failure to choose a clear path will result in another last-place finish without the farm system benefits of a true fire sale.

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SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: [email protected]

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