The Tom Clancy Universe
There are a few methods of addressing the setting/timeline in a fictitious story.
1) Complete nonsense. Writers set the story in total fiction, like in the movie Star Wars, and the writer can do anything. So, Trump did not get elected because there is no earth, or he won in a landslide because pigeons can vote.
2) Close to home. The reality is near our own in this universe, but there are apparent differences. Trump was probably elected, but that does not matter to the story.
3) Parallel. In this timeline, the story takes place without changing the past or present. This timeline is easy because all the history is available. How did WWII end? Just look up the answer.
4) Skewed. In this reality, writers skewed things like in the awful Watchmen movie where America wins the Vietnam war because the naked big blue guy beats them up. Someone probably elected Trump unless the big blue guy smashed his house.
5) Time travel. Everything is up for grabs. Trump who?
6) Tom Clancy Universe (a term I invented). Everything is normal until the first book. In 1984, the character Jack Ryan stole a submarine; by the ‘90s, he was President. The author decides Trump’s fate or ignores him.
7) Sort-of Tom Clancy Universe. There is a significant event in this universe, and then everything returns to normal. For example, the JFK assassination is unsuccessful. JFK finished his term, and eventually, Trump got elected. As a result, history is slightly rewritten but converges to what we now know.
Let’s explore writing in the Tom Clancy Universe. There was a split in 1984, and we entered an alternate timeline. The characters grow along a similar path to our reality. The problem occurs when we ask a fundamental question. Did Apple invent the iPhone? Yes, because a character in the book used one. Did 911 occur? Umm? Because if it did, then “president” Jack Ryan was in office and responded, XXX. Wow, that is super-confusing to readers because they lived through the event and watched the news.
As an author, the most straightforward answer is to skip that historical period. However, that is bad because the event changed presidential politics and Jack Ryan’s character. And this event leads to new questions. Would congress have approved the Patriot Act? What happened during Hurricane Katrina? Second Iraq war? A bird’s nest of problems.
This makes the Tom Clancy Universe an exciting place to write it. Once a writer chooses a path (point in time), returning to reality is impossible. The best way to navigate the Tom Clancy Universe is to avoid writing about specifics. For example, President Jack Ryan’s Secretary of Defense is not named. So, we cannot compare actual events.
The advantage of the Tom Clancy Universe is a big story. President Jack Ryan can increase taxes without protest or win WWIII without the public or media caring. So is the Tom Clancy Universe improper or immoral? It depends on your perspective, but readers need to accept this type of story before reading this kind of story.
I took the parallel approach in my first two books, and history was not changed. My third book is a spy novel, and I took a shallow dive into the Tom Clancy Universe. So, all the political names were made up and did not provide dates to anchor the story. I was also careful not to mention companies, actual events, or other facts that readers would identify. I even made up the town where the action occurred.
These decisions allowed me the freedom to make an enormous story. The Vice president and President were accused of significant crimes, and several politicians were arrested. In addition, WWIII almost occurred. When the novel concluded, I did my best to restore everything. This was to allow the reader to imagine a realistic story. This approach is more straightforward for the reader to accept, and it will enable their mind to transition into believing that the farfetched story could have occurred (just under different circumstances). If I had used real names like Trump and Obama, Cable Ties would have gotten complex and dated.
Overall, a writer has to choose what setting they want to place their fictional story in. The Tom Clancy Universe is challenging and fun, but there are drawbacks as more details are added to the story.
You’re the best -Bill
December, 12, 2017 Updated March 12, 2023
1) Complete nonsense. Writers set the story in total fiction, like in the movie Star Wars, and the writer can do anything. So, Trump did not get elected because there is no earth, or he won in a landslide because pigeons can vote.
2) Close to home. The reality is near our own in this universe, but there are apparent differences. Trump was probably elected, but that does not matter to the story.
3) Parallel. In this timeline, the story takes place without changing the past or present. This timeline is easy because all the history is available. How did WWII end? Just look up the answer.
4) Skewed. In this reality, writers skewed things like in the awful Watchmen movie where America wins the Vietnam war because the naked big blue guy beats them up. Someone probably elected Trump unless the big blue guy smashed his house.
5) Time travel. Everything is up for grabs. Trump who?
6) Tom Clancy Universe (a term I invented). Everything is normal until the first book. In 1984, the character Jack Ryan stole a submarine; by the ‘90s, he was President. The author decides Trump’s fate or ignores him.
7) Sort-of Tom Clancy Universe. There is a significant event in this universe, and then everything returns to normal. For example, the JFK assassination is unsuccessful. JFK finished his term, and eventually, Trump got elected. As a result, history is slightly rewritten but converges to what we now know.
Let’s explore writing in the Tom Clancy Universe. There was a split in 1984, and we entered an alternate timeline. The characters grow along a similar path to our reality. The problem occurs when we ask a fundamental question. Did Apple invent the iPhone? Yes, because a character in the book used one. Did 911 occur? Umm? Because if it did, then “president” Jack Ryan was in office and responded, XXX. Wow, that is super-confusing to readers because they lived through the event and watched the news.
As an author, the most straightforward answer is to skip that historical period. However, that is bad because the event changed presidential politics and Jack Ryan’s character. And this event leads to new questions. Would congress have approved the Patriot Act? What happened during Hurricane Katrina? Second Iraq war? A bird’s nest of problems.
This makes the Tom Clancy Universe an exciting place to write it. Once a writer chooses a path (point in time), returning to reality is impossible. The best way to navigate the Tom Clancy Universe is to avoid writing about specifics. For example, President Jack Ryan’s Secretary of Defense is not named. So, we cannot compare actual events.
The advantage of the Tom Clancy Universe is a big story. President Jack Ryan can increase taxes without protest or win WWIII without the public or media caring. So is the Tom Clancy Universe improper or immoral? It depends on your perspective, but readers need to accept this type of story before reading this kind of story.
I took the parallel approach in my first two books, and history was not changed. My third book is a spy novel, and I took a shallow dive into the Tom Clancy Universe. So, all the political names were made up and did not provide dates to anchor the story. I was also careful not to mention companies, actual events, or other facts that readers would identify. I even made up the town where the action occurred.
These decisions allowed me the freedom to make an enormous story. The Vice president and President were accused of significant crimes, and several politicians were arrested. In addition, WWIII almost occurred. When the novel concluded, I did my best to restore everything. This was to allow the reader to imagine a realistic story. This approach is more straightforward for the reader to accept, and it will enable their mind to transition into believing that the farfetched story could have occurred (just under different circumstances). If I had used real names like Trump and Obama, Cable Ties would have gotten complex and dated.
Overall, a writer has to choose what setting they want to place their fictional story in. The Tom Clancy Universe is challenging and fun, but there are drawbacks as more details are added to the story.
You’re the best -Bill
December, 12, 2017 Updated March 12, 2023
