Ideas and inventions don't materialise out of a vacuum - everything the human mind can concoct is based on ones' experiences, lifetime education and circumstances.A typical example of this can be found in my novel "Hitler's Zeitmaschine".
In my story, the characters travel back and forth through time to assist their earlier selves in achieving desired outcomes.
I had always been good with words, loved writing and from an early age, enjoyed reading short Science Fiction stories appearing in publications such as 'Astounding' and a variety of SciFi anthologies published during the genre's Golden Age. Of course one of the mainstays of this genre was the time travel subset, and there were many good stories written at the time embracing the concept.
But did my earlier reading have any influence on the thought processes involved in writing my novel?
You bet they did!
On reflection, the standout influencing the Hitler's Zeitmaschine plot had to be 'By His Bootstraps' a short story by one of the SciFi greats, Robert Heinlein. A summary of the story can be found at this Wikipedia page - Check it out, and for those of you who have read my novel, you will immediately see the connection.
After reading the two works, some people may be tempted to accuse me of plagiarism. However I can assure my readers that it was not until the plot of 'Hitler's Zeitmaschine' had become fully developed that I saw the connection with my past readings - reinforcing my contention that when we discover new horizons, we do so because we are elevated by standing on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us.
