Friday, September 10, 2010

Wanting to Write, but . . .

So, I have been wanting to write a story on time travel for some time and it is driving me nuts. I have all of my theories worked out and have studied a lot in regards to paradoxes and how the people would travel, how one would overcome the grandfather paradox, as well as the time periods that would take place. The time traveling theories are that of Ron Mallett--a physicist who has been working on a time machine. He has several papers published on his theories.

Basically, the idea comes from observing frame dragging caused by rapidly rotating black hole. This frame dragging causes closed-loop time-lines. Basically looping time. From these observations he theorized that light, (because it effects space therefore effecting time) would have the same effect as the black hole. By circulating the light, causing the light to spiral up like a slinky, causing closed-loop time-lines, theoretically one can travel to different points in the loop. You could go forward and backward in time as long as the machine is left on.

I find this all fascinating, but I am really struggling with writing a book about time travel. I don't know where to start--if I should start from the beginning, or start in the middle of the story and let it unfold. The latter seemingly more fitting as this story will take place in multiple time lines . . . h'mmm.

Also, the paradox problem . . . not sure if I like my work around. So here are possibilities I can use. Let me know what you like best:

1. There simply are multiple versions of you. Because you are jumping onto another time line you cannot be killed if something (Because someone else time traveled) happens to yourself in another time line. (This one I like, but because of the complexities of laws of Matter, etc. I can't see how you could have two versions of yourself in one time line... but that bring even more questions).

2. When you time travel you travel into a different universe or dimension. This will eliminate your previous self starting a new time line. Everything would be exactly the same, but this would take the multiple version scenarios out. It would be less complicated. (While this would work with th despondent feeling of the book, it still seems... I don't know... weak? I'm thinking of making it true, but revealing it later on. Something like, most people don't know they are travelling into another dimension).

Anyway. Lots of stuff to work out and it makes me sad. Hopefully soon I'll have something workable.

1 comment:

Lesa said...

I'm sure whatever you decide to do will turn out great - everything you write does! :O)