 Action/Adventure: June 22, 2016 Issue [#7703] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Setting a Date Edited by: Cinn  
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Have you ever read a novel with time discrepancies? Say, a noir-style detective story that feels like authentic 40's throughout, but suddenly, the main character pulls a cell phone out on page 100? It seems like it should be easy to avoid, and that is what today's newsletter is all about.
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I was reading a novel a month or two ago that I thought was set in the past. The slang was all very late 1960's. There were a few political references that sounded much like the U.S. protest era. Everything was cruising along, and all of a sudden, a side character pulled out a flash drive. As a reader, it threw me for a loop, but as a writer, it seemed like something worth considering.
How can we plant a story firmly in an era? First, by choosing an era... deliberately. I rarely ever choose a time period for my stories and tend to go with a more timeless approach, but without choosing a specific time period, I might end up using references that my audience is unprepared for. One slip is all it takes to make a "timeless" story awkward. I am going to make an effort to specifically choose an era and keep it in mind while writing. Perhaps it would be a good idea to work the time period into the initial setting as well, which isn't something I have purposefully done before.
To really get the right vibe, I imagine that I'll need to research as well. My husband and I got into a discussion about VHS the other day. I tend to think of it as an 80's thing, but it is actually a 70's device that was popular clear through the 90's and into the early 2000's. It reminded me to not take my own personal nostalgia as fact.
Research will also be helpful if the era is in the near-future (I do love science fiction). Tech news might lead to some interesting details that might give the story an authentic feel.
If the story takes place in the present, that might be tricky as well. Especially if publishing is an interest. By the time a book is published, you don't want the technology and pop culture references to be old. These things move quickly. It might be a good idea to evergreen those details whenever possible.
I have been toying with these ideas for a while, and I thought maybe it would be interesting for some of you too. If you have any tips or experiences with dating your stories, feel free to leave a comment. Perhaps we can revisit the topic together soon. 
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Do you consciously think about an era for your stories?  Are you more likely to set stories in the past, present, or future? Any tips for writing a "timeless" story?
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