Outlander was originally meant to be a historical novel. Gabaldon did pay homage to her inspiration, though Jamie Fraser’s first name is a nod to the Doctor Who character.

Instead of hurtling through time and space in a boxy contraption, the time-traveling Outlander characters step through mysterious portals, aided by genetic luck and some gemstones. Soon, Gabaldon was penning her own fantastical tale set in 18th-century Scotland.īut apart from the ruggedly beautiful setting and a handsome man in a kilt-plus, of course, a fair amount of time travel-the two series share little in common. The Scotsman, played by Frazer Hines, gave her an idea. While noodling on potential ideas for her practice novel, Gabaldon watched “War Games,” an old Doctor Who rerun on PBS- and spotted the character Jamie McCrimmon. It was a popular science fiction franchise, not real-world experience, that sparked the series. But Gabaldon didn’t set foot in the country until after she’d received some of the book’s advance money. You’d be forgiven for thinking a foray into Scotland’s dreamy landscape inspired Outlander. Outlander was partially inspired by Doctor Who. Gabaldon posted additional pieces of the story at the request of other forum readers one of them ultimately put her in touch with the literary agent who went on to help her score a three-book contract. But after getting into an argument with a man on an online forum about what pregnancy feels like, she published a section of her draft in which a character vividly recounts her pregnancy. When she started writing the novel, she never intended for anyone to read it, let alone publish it-it was originally just a practice book. If Gabaldon had stuck to her original plans, Outlander never would have become the sensation it is today. Diana Gabaldon never intended to publish Outlander. Here are a few facts you should know about the novel and the book series it launched. The two are the stars of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, a genre-bending whirlwind of romance, historical, and science fiction that has also become a hit Starz television show. Readers have swooned over Jamie Fraser’s love for his time-traveling wife Claire since 1991.

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