Traveling At The Speed Of Plot

One of the things that often bugs science fiction fans is that spaceships don't seem to have actual speed limits. Fictional vessels of all kinds are often mapped out to extreme detail, yet somehow their maximum velocity is immeasurable. The problem is that there is often great inconsistency within the story how fast the ship can move.

Many writers will say that their vehicles travel at the speed of plot. If the story demands they show up 5 minutes early, 5 minutes late, or 5 hours late, that is when they arrive, regardless of when they would realistically reach a destination.

I am one of the people that hates that. It's the kind of device that takes me out of the world. It makes me feel like the story is on rails; it's no longer about how good people can do in a situation and it instead becomes a matter of characters having the story enacted upon them.

As an author, consider it a challenge to know how fast people can travel and how far away things are.  Let the tools available to your characters affect the outcome of your story. Avoid cheesy or hokey plot devices to slow down or sidetrack the characters just to make them show up when you want. And if they simply can't get to a certain area in time, then let that be the case instead of having them break the rules just to have the dramatic entrance.

With the limitation of realistic travel times, you can be more focused to find compelling new ways for your story to go and still be realistic and believable. And that is the mark of a great storyteller.