Period of Divergence

A point of divergence, often abbreviated as POD, is a specific moment in alternate history where events differ from actual history, leading to a new timeline. It serves as the starting point for exploring how different choices or events could have changed the course of history. But when I was at Author Nation, I referred to it as a period of divergence to a fellow author. He said he liked the sound of that.

I prefer a "period" over a "point" of divergence because history is far more complex than we think. Usually one pivotal change could not alter the flow of history. Kill Hitler? Another German dictator takes over. World War Two happens. Millions die. That's because the seeds of the second war were sown in the first. The only difference is which German dictator alt-historians fantasize about assassinating.

With the American Revolutionary War, it's hard to point at a single cause to the war. Certainly, the Proclamation of 1763 was a major provocation. But Americans fled Europe to dangerous North America to be free of despots. Without the Proclamation, we would still revolt. Maybe Parliament grants us representation. We would still revolt. Multiple things have to change to prevent the Americans from revolting.

That's what I'm exploring with the first part of my Strand Series. But to make the changes stick, I have to introduce exotic technology. Without something that fundamentally reshapes the colonial relationship, Americans revolt. It's what we do.