What would one do with a time machine (that goes back 400 years) knowing that no major changes could be made to history? What languages would be the most useful to know? What would be an excuse to go to any time period for China? I know that I am supposed to research, but how do I translate the negative symptoms of schizophrenia into writing? Would it be realistic to go to right after the American Civil War and stay for a week just to pick up a few items that will become valuable later?
Hi, welcome to the forum. I'm not quite sure what you are asking? It sounds like you are interested in an historical setting. Is it for a novel? Is it about a time traveler?
1. I would go back to the 90's and give my grandma a hug. Also pick up a bag of my favorite discontinued chips. 2. Depends on where you start and where you want to go. 3. That would depend on your character his goal, and your story. Why not check out some Chinese history and see what perks your interest? 4. Again this depends on your character. You could show him hearing voices by actually keeping the conversation he hears in his head as part of the story. A voice that keeps interrupting his life and daily routine making him more paranoid. I think Meyer does this in the Host. Haven't read it, though. 5. Yes. Especially if your character has knowledge that these items will be valuable and knows people he can sell them too and has some interest in them. But don't pick items that don't relate to the story. I.E. a musician would go back in time and pick up music memorabilia.
Hearing voices that makes a person paranoid is a positive? I only used the Host as an stylistic example.
Positive symptoms are not usually present in a normal person (psychosis). Negative symptoms are cognitive deficits (alogia, avolition, blunted affect).
Okay, I looked it up wow, weird wording. Lol. I would think the easiest way of showing these things is through the other characters. Their reaction to his behavior. As he might feel all this is normal. If they're trying to get him to talk and it's like pulling teeth, the characters would get exasperated. He might feel annoyed and wonder what they're getting all upset about.
All of these questions could be turned into stories. As in science, the questions you pose in writing can be far more interesting than the answers anyone provides.
The difference between your response and not answering is that I have to see your comment on my question.
Ermmm....I may be picking up your tone wrongly here—and if I am, I apologise–but I see you're new to the forum. If you want people here to help you with your questions, you might work on becoming slightly more receptive and responsive to their replies? If they ask helpful questions, as GingerCoffee did, it might help you if you answer them more fully. She's just trying to get an angle on what you're writing, so she can help. As were peachalulu, who offered a very useful suggestion about how to incorporate schizophrenia into a story, and Cogito—who did not deserve the response you gave his comment. We're friendly folks here, and we hope you'll join in...
I am sorry, I was feeling particularly like a " retro spiderman" last night and I had to express it. Too bad there is no "spiderman" emoticon to show that.
No problem! I feel like I've eaten bad shoelaces at times myself. Anyway, welcome to the forum. No harm done. Your last question about going back to Civil War days to pick up valuable items is interesting. I don't know if you've ever read the Sci-Fi/Fantasy author Kage Baker or not, but her "Company" series starting with In the Garden of Iden deals with this very same idea. She has written about a futuristic company that has a 'time machine' of sorts ...well, it doesn't work like HG Wells's version, but essentially people go back in time ...with the express purpose of picking up valuable items and bringing them back to the future. These aren't just ANY valuable items, but items that go missing during disasters–like the San Francisco earthquake, or Vesuvius burying Pompeii—so everybody assumes they're 'lost' and not stolen. In other words, if you go back just before the disaster happens and scoop up the goodies, nobody will be the wiser. You can even gather extinct plants and animals BEFORE they go extinct... It's a stunningly good premise for a story. I wouldn't suggest you copy it, BTW, but it might send you off on some ideas of your own. Perhaps a family heirloom, or something you KNOW a certain person had, but it's now gone missing? Something that appears in a Civil War photo of HER great-grandfather that you find in the bottom of your grandmother's sock drawer? Might be a cool idea for a story. I'd be interested to hear more about what you're writing. Sounds like you're thinking outside the box on this.
Here are the things on Silver's to do list: Don't change history (much) Invest in Apple early (time machine research costs you something, you know) Get enough paradise pigeons to breed (and maybe a pet) That is all I have. When he travels, he has to stay for at least a week, so I don't think that he would want to do two minute jobs when he goes to some place, and neither would any of his hires.
