Session 3: Timeline AU
Announcements
The second assignment will be posted in a friends-locked post after this session. I noticed that there were a few late comments to the first assignment, and I thought perhaps it would be good to relax the late policy a little. If you are taking the assignment option, you must hand in all four assignments to complete the course. One of these assignments can be handed in late (up to 24 hours after the deadline) but no more than one, unless you've informed me in advance. Late homeworks will not be accepted otherwise. I will post a friends-locked reminder on Sundays so people don't need to scramble to comment before Monday midnight. Also, you can always choose the fanfic option instead of the assignments to complete the course.
Timeline AU
What is a timeline AU?
The timeline AU was the first type of AU I encountered. It evokes the many worlds theory that at any point in time there are a multitude of universes, one for each possible route that the future can take. Timeline AUs ask the "what if" questions--what if a certain event had not occurred or what if a character had made a different choice--while keeping the fanfic within the original canon universe.
The definition of the timeline AU seems relatively clear-cut, but there are many potential variations, as many of the commenters noted in the first discussion. Instead of focusing on a specific time point in canon, one could have a character not exist or switch genders. For the purposes of this course, what distinguishes the timeline AU is that it retains the canon world while exploring the possible repercussions of the change.
Writing a timeline AU
Here are some questions that may help you get started on writing a timeline AU.
What is the point of divergence and when does it occur?
Does the change occur early or late in the canon timeline? As a general rule, setting your point of divergence earlier may have more repercussions. For example, a fanfic where Harry Potter is Sorted into a different House will require the writer to make more changes than a fanfic where Sirius did not die at the Department of Mysteries. Another general rule would be that changing a major plot point rather than a minor one would also have a greater effect. A Gundam Wing fanfic where Zechs never joins the White Fang would probably diverge more from the canon storyline than a fic where Relena does not send Heero an invitation to her birthday party.
All fairly obvious...which is why it may be interesting to explore exceptions to the rules. Perhaps a seemingly minor event could have serious repercussions for the storyline and characters, in a sort of butterfly effect. Perhaps changing an event that happens at the end of the canon timeline requires radically different interpretation of everything that has happened before.
The writer could also choose to propose a "what if" that does not focus on a plot point at all, but rather on an element of characterization. What if the main character and his sidekick switched roles? What if two enemies were allies instead? Of course, whether such scenarios fall strictly within the boundaries of the timeline AU is up to debate, but they are still interesting AU options to explore.
What elements of canon will change?
An issue brought up in previous discussions was the situation where a writer writes a "what if" scenario but does not change the plot very significantly. Keeping the plot parallel to canon may work in some cases (I've certainly resorted to it myself) but it also can't hurt to take chances and see just how far-reaching the effects of the change can be. In a sense, the key will lie in your own motivation for writing the fic. If your main purpose is to tell a story different from the canon plotline, you may concentrate on the events and conflicts, while keeping the characters the same. If you intend to show how a character might have been affected by the change, you may choose to focus on showing how his or her personality diverges from the canon characterization. Whatever your choice of focus, writing a timeline AU is like conducting a thought experiment: the hypothesis you test can lead to startling and unexpected results.
How much of canon should be kept the same?
I wrote in the first session that I thought "the key to a good AU depends as much on evoking the canon as it does on altering it." I find it especially true for timeline AUs, which are often propelled by the writer's love for canon and its flexibilities. Because the timeline AU occurs in the same universe as the original material, it is important to keep the story compatible with canon in order to draw attention to the differences. However, evoking canon is a much more subtle exercise than simply avoiding OOC or remembering the details of the background and setting. Preserving the mood of the original series, translating the textual or visual style into your own voice in writing, adopting the cultural perspective of the canon, and recognizing the conventions of the source genre can often make the timeline AU have a greater impact on the reader. The strength of the timeline AU lies in its plausibility, which requires as much consideration for canon as any non-AU fic.
Discussion
The standard reminder: discussions are open indefinitely, so you are welcome to continue commenting in this post (as well as previous posts) throughout the duration of the course.
1. Describe some of the timeline AUs you have read. What made them effective or enjoyable for you? (If they weren't effective or enjoyable, then what made them fail?)
2. What motivates you to read timeline AUs? What motivates you to write them? Do you prefer to focus on changes in plot, characters or both?
3. Are there certain common "what if" scenarios in your fandom? (E.g. various Harry Potter characters being Sorted into different Houses.) Are certain points of divergence more attractive for AU-writing than others? Are certain fandoms more suited for timeline AU fanfic?
4. (A repeat from the last discussion, but applied to the new topic.) I've proposed some questions that writers should consider when writing timeline AUs. How would you choose to deal with these considerations? Also, what other considerations should writers take into account when writing a timeline AU?
The second assignment will be posted in a friends-locked post after this session. I noticed that there were a few late comments to the first assignment, and I thought perhaps it would be good to relax the late policy a little. If you are taking the assignment option, you must hand in all four assignments to complete the course. One of these assignments can be handed in late (up to 24 hours after the deadline) but no more than one, unless you've informed me in advance. Late homeworks will not be accepted otherwise. I will post a friends-locked reminder on Sundays so people don't need to scramble to comment before Monday midnight. Also, you can always choose the fanfic option instead of the assignments to complete the course.
Timeline AU
What is a timeline AU?
The timeline AU was the first type of AU I encountered. It evokes the many worlds theory that at any point in time there are a multitude of universes, one for each possible route that the future can take. Timeline AUs ask the "what if" questions--what if a certain event had not occurred or what if a character had made a different choice--while keeping the fanfic within the original canon universe.
The definition of the timeline AU seems relatively clear-cut, but there are many potential variations, as many of the commenters noted in the first discussion. Instead of focusing on a specific time point in canon, one could have a character not exist or switch genders. For the purposes of this course, what distinguishes the timeline AU is that it retains the canon world while exploring the possible repercussions of the change.
Writing a timeline AU
Here are some questions that may help you get started on writing a timeline AU.
What is the point of divergence and when does it occur?
Does the change occur early or late in the canon timeline? As a general rule, setting your point of divergence earlier may have more repercussions. For example, a fanfic where Harry Potter is Sorted into a different House will require the writer to make more changes than a fanfic where Sirius did not die at the Department of Mysteries. Another general rule would be that changing a major plot point rather than a minor one would also have a greater effect. A Gundam Wing fanfic where Zechs never joins the White Fang would probably diverge more from the canon storyline than a fic where Relena does not send Heero an invitation to her birthday party.
All fairly obvious...which is why it may be interesting to explore exceptions to the rules. Perhaps a seemingly minor event could have serious repercussions for the storyline and characters, in a sort of butterfly effect. Perhaps changing an event that happens at the end of the canon timeline requires radically different interpretation of everything that has happened before.
The writer could also choose to propose a "what if" that does not focus on a plot point at all, but rather on an element of characterization. What if the main character and his sidekick switched roles? What if two enemies were allies instead? Of course, whether such scenarios fall strictly within the boundaries of the timeline AU is up to debate, but they are still interesting AU options to explore.
What elements of canon will change?
An issue brought up in previous discussions was the situation where a writer writes a "what if" scenario but does not change the plot very significantly. Keeping the plot parallel to canon may work in some cases (I've certainly resorted to it myself) but it also can't hurt to take chances and see just how far-reaching the effects of the change can be. In a sense, the key will lie in your own motivation for writing the fic. If your main purpose is to tell a story different from the canon plotline, you may concentrate on the events and conflicts, while keeping the characters the same. If you intend to show how a character might have been affected by the change, you may choose to focus on showing how his or her personality diverges from the canon characterization. Whatever your choice of focus, writing a timeline AU is like conducting a thought experiment: the hypothesis you test can lead to startling and unexpected results.
How much of canon should be kept the same?
I wrote in the first session that I thought "the key to a good AU depends as much on evoking the canon as it does on altering it." I find it especially true for timeline AUs, which are often propelled by the writer's love for canon and its flexibilities. Because the timeline AU occurs in the same universe as the original material, it is important to keep the story compatible with canon in order to draw attention to the differences. However, evoking canon is a much more subtle exercise than simply avoiding OOC or remembering the details of the background and setting. Preserving the mood of the original series, translating the textual or visual style into your own voice in writing, adopting the cultural perspective of the canon, and recognizing the conventions of the source genre can often make the timeline AU have a greater impact on the reader. The strength of the timeline AU lies in its plausibility, which requires as much consideration for canon as any non-AU fic.
Discussion
The standard reminder: discussions are open indefinitely, so you are welcome to continue commenting in this post (as well as previous posts) throughout the duration of the course.
1. Describe some of the timeline AUs you have read. What made them effective or enjoyable for you? (If they weren't effective or enjoyable, then what made them fail?)
2. What motivates you to read timeline AUs? What motivates you to write them? Do you prefer to focus on changes in plot, characters or both?
3. Are there certain common "what if" scenarios in your fandom? (E.g. various Harry Potter characters being Sorted into different Houses.) Are certain points of divergence more attractive for AU-writing than others? Are certain fandoms more suited for timeline AU fanfic?
4. (A repeat from the last discussion, but applied to the new topic.) I've proposed some questions that writers should consider when writing timeline AUs. How would you choose to deal with these considerations? Also, what other considerations should writers take into account when writing a timeline AU?