Time is something we take for granted. 'What time is it?' How often have you asked or been asked that question? There are so many commonplace questions or statements relating to time.
How long does it take?
How long do I have?
Isn't time flying.
Never enough time.
Give me time!
Time to go.
I wish time would stand still.
I could go on. We mark time, watch it, our lives are often ruled by the clock, appointments and schedules. we have timepieces in our homes, in cars, on our wrists, on our phones, in public places and it is often difficult to be anywhere without knowing or being able to find out what time it is. Clocks through the ages have been huge and tiny, magnificent and ultra modern, even clocks made of flowers. From fashion statements to design icons they are as varied as man's imagination.
But time, and time travel, is the fabric of many stories and that is something I am thinking about at the moment. I love playing with the idea of time, how we can or cannot change things, and in fact as a writer you are the master of time.
You can start a story at any point in time, you can jump forwards, and backwards in time, leading the reader along a winding road through lifetimes, before revealing the answer to the question that kept them reading.
But some stories use time as a main element of the plot. The ability to go back and change things is a tempting idea for all of us. How often have you wondered what would have happened if you had said or done something differently, with the benefit of hindsight or even just enough time to make a considered decision?
I have been considering time recently and finding it an exciting concept filled with problems to solve but opportunities to explore.
Time to go now, but I will be back...
