Has this story idea been used before?

Question

I am currently trying to come up with an idea for a story. I'm not sure on all the details yet, but I figure I better scrap this idea now if it's been done a million times over.

There are two 'times', per say. There is the time we live in now, and the past. Most people cannot link these two together, but a very small group of people can by their dreams. When one is sleeping in this time, they are awake in the past. When the said person is sleeping in the past they are awake in the present. It's basically like the same person is living at two totally different times. The 'past' can be 50 years ago or the dawn of humanity.

Due to the small number of people having this 'ability', the people with this ability don't share past timeliness, nor are they people of importance just by the cards you're dealt with in life. They are usually considered mentally ill for thinking their dreams are real in the current time line and mentioning cars, computers, cell phones in the past time line usually leads people to believe they're mentally ill as well. Most of these people think they are alone with their ability and don't talk about it or have been convinced that one of the time lines are really just dreams by people in the other time line.

I am still trying to figure out an exact plot around this like characters and the actual plot, but as this element will be key in my story I want to know if it's been overused or not. I think my plot will involve trying to stop a murder or something of the sort. I'm still trying to figure out my fantasy element here before I develop a heavy plot involving it, like how death would be handled between the two time lines. Would you die in both time lines or would you continue in the other one?

Also if you have any ideas on how to make my idea better I'll take it. =) I'm just beginning to be interested in writing so I'll take anything I can get.

Answer 1

Nice idea...very Nice.

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Answer 2

wow.

That is an amazing idea.

I like the idea of the trying to stop a murder.

Is the main character a girl or boy?

Um... maybe she (the main character being a girl) could have this "power" and one day has this dream of someone being murdered. Right before she wakes up, she sees someone (her age) looking at the body but not doing anything. Then the girl looks up and notices that (I dunno why or how) the main girl is like her (has the power) but before that girl can do anything, she wakes up.

Just an idea. Doesn't have to be used. :) it's there to help.

Hope I helped : )

Answer 3

the plot sounds great.....a bit complex, but if you think you can pull it off...go for it girl!!!!

hey, can you please, please, please help me out???

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Answer 4

First of all, very nice. The only real repetition is the fact that these people with powers all think their alone, as in the TV show Heroes, but really nothing to worry about. Also i've read a series of books called Everworld, where four teens are transported to a fantasy universe, and when they go to sleep, they live their lives in the real world. I've never heard of this kind of plot, so I'll tell you to my knowledge that it's original.

As for your plot, i would think that The people with powers would be totally separate, (present to past), and if one died the other would just become a normal person. And the whole trying to stop a murder thing could hurt your brain. If your hero stopped Lincoln's murder for example, how would that affect your present day hero's world. or to the extreme, if your hero did something during your dawn of man time line, to change the course of man? And if many of these special people altered the time line at many different points? And if time is a mapped out force that cannot be changed, then what happens when your main characters try?

So what if they create a time paradox, one of those "What if you built a time machine, went back in time, and killed yourself?"

This might be a lot more than you asked for, but i think this is a really good premise for a story.

Answer 5

Sounds like an interesting idea.  I read a lot - 2 to 3 books a week plus 2 audios a week - and have been keeping track of my reading since 2001.  I don't recognize this as an overused concept.  It sounds like a different twist on time travel! Might want to check out the movie "13th Floor" (I hope that's the right name) as it has some similarities though different.  GOOD LUCK!