Hi all, I am writing my first novel and I have a few questions before I really start getting into the nitty gritty of my story. I have some ideas but not anything 'set in stone' as of yet. I would very much like to write a love story, however, I feel that an element of time travel/shifts in time (to the future) may help enhance my themes ect. My real question is then, would it put you off if you went to read a love/romance story that involved time travel? The reason this worries me is that the story may lose its credibility and its relatability if I start delving into the metaphysical, and this in turn may weaken the emotions the reader will experience. What are your thoughts on this? I know that it has been done successfully, such as in Outlander, and in part, The time Travellers Wife (as well as others I'm sure). Secondly, on an unrelated note to the above, just a thought, I am planning on writing some romance scenes of a sexual (but not explicit) nature. Being a female, it would only feel 'right' to write this from the point of a female narrator, however, and I don't know why but, since the beginning of my thinking, I have always imagined the narrator as a man. I guess I do not have a specific question regarding this, but your thoughts and opinions would be extremely appreciated on this topic. Would it put you off (as a female) if a love story was depicted from the viewpoint of a man (and vice versa). Also, my experience as a sexual male is non existent , obviously! Although saying that, a lot of authors take on the character of someone that they are not (again, pointing out the obvious). Any comments or ideas will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
I'd not be put off by such idea, more like I'd be wondering how it'll turn out. As is, your premise speaks of some hear-touching twists (the way I see it) and also of a story of a very difficult nature; having seen the movie Primer lately, where, apart from time travel and technicalities, emotions were involved, I can well imagine the strength your story could have if tackled properly. But in order to do that, I recommend you go through a lot time travel theories and fan forums. Still, it will be incredibly demanding for you not to get lost in the timelines and for the reader twice as difficult.
Thank you for your response Hwaigon, I agree with what you have said (it would definitely be a challenge and does indeed rely on me being able to tackle it in an effective manner.) I find your suggestion to read theories and fan forums around the subject in detail extremely useful too. I shall certainly do this. Thanks again!
I don't think there's a problem with the time travel element - as you've said, it's been done successfully before. In terms of writing from a male POV for love scenes - if they're non-explicit, this probably won't be much of an issue, will it? I mean, I write fairly explicit sex from male POVs pretty often, so I don't think it's really a problem to write explicitly, either, but I'm not sure why you feel confident about writing the rest of the book from a male POV and then get worried about a non-explicit love scene. I think you should stop looking for possible problems and start writing! See how things go.
You make such a valid point there, if I am confident about writing the rest of the book from a male POV, then why should a love scene be an issue?...interesting , I hadn't even thought about that before. That makes so much sense.... suggestions taken on board, thanks!
