FAQ

Important Notice:

Work on Timeless has been suspended for now. The Transcendence wing of World of Dreamers has opened and for the foreseeable future my focus will be on that story and world. When more work is done on Timeless, It'll be amply announced. Having said that, I am leaving the below FAQ as-is.

A Note for New Visitors:

If you're new to the site, then I'd like to welcome you! I encourage you to start at the beginning with Episode 1, and perhaps read through some of the older newsposts that accompany each episode's publication.

What is Timeless?

Timeless is an epic tale told in the form of stories that are so short you won't mind reading them, and so fun you'll come back for more.

How often are episodes released?

A new episode will be released every Friday by 8:00 PST

Who are you?

I'm Richard Wayne Houchin, and I'm excited to have people here reading my stuff.

Wait, you really expect people to read?

You're here, aren't you?

Well, yeah, I mean...I guess I have to give you that one. But most people read print books! What about those who don't like reading from a computer screen?

That's why I've made printable versions of each story available. Print yourself a copy and read it while you sit wherever it is you non-internet folk do your sitting.

Okay, but why are the episodes so short?

Because you're lazy. Or because I'm lazy. Or a little of both. I don't want to spend half an hour reading something, however good it is, so why should I expect any different from you? But if I've got a story that takes seven minutes from start to finish? And it even has a picture? I could read that, but only if it had guns and an occasional scene where someone totally flips out.

Well, yippee-ki-yay! I just described Timeless!

Lucky for you, huh?

Yeah, it's a very convenient arrangement.

So you're just writing what you want to read?

Yup.

Selfish bastard.

I'm sorry, was that a question?

Nevermind. If you're writing this for yourself, then why are there all these cliffhanger endings?

Oh, that's simple. The creative part of my brain has been shaped and molded by hours of watching Spiderman and the Power Rangers. I am incapable of perceiving the world in any way other than brief, serial segments strung together by cheap cliffhangers.

Plus, it's smart marketing.

Is Timeless sci-fi, or alternate history?

Yes.

That wasn't a very helpful answer.

And that wasn't a question!

Fine, whatever! Here's a question: I've found a problem with your plot: it sucks. How can I report that?

If you find a typo, you can e-mail me at support@worldofdreamers.com and I'll take a look. I'm obsessive about making my work technically flawless, so I appreciate all the help I can get. If you think you've found a plot hole, then that just means I haven't published the episode that explains it in a perfectly legitimate manner. Have patience. Or hey! Here's an idea! Use your imagination!

What if I don't feel like reading and want to watch something instead?

I'm glad you asked! Check out the awesome video section over at www.waynehouchin.com. You'll get to see my big brother performing some remarkable feats of dexterity and misdirection.

Since we're talking about visual stuff, who takes the photographs?

None of what you see here would be possible without Roy Steves, a super guy who can write code like nobody's business, and do magical things with a camera and photoshop. Roy wrote all of the css templates I use for this site, and he takes the pictures for each episode. My brother, Wayne Houchin, took the photograph of myself you see on the main index.

So why do some of the episodes have a black and white version of an already-used photograph?

Sometimes, usually due to time constraints on my part, Roy and I don't get a photograph finished for release. I assure you I'm doing my absolute best to get both an episode and a photo ready each Friday, but at this point in the semester I may have to use recycled photography more often than not!