by Rickie Kay LongfellowLast month's blog, “Updating the cars in your earlier stories” by member, Mary Hickey was a great reminder - I had a light bulb moment wondering how badly my characters’ modes of transportation needed updating. I began pulling out some of the short stories I wrote years ago and discovered I had more than cars to update. I had current events that are now long forgotten and even unknown to recent generations. In some of my stories I mentioned television programs that were current when I wrote my story but now might leave younger readers scratching their collective heads. If your story takes place within a specific time period make sure that's clear from the beginning: “It was a dark and stormy night in 1901” or indirectly, “It was a dark and stormy night after America’s bicentennial parade.” Once you establish either the exact or approximate year, you can then drop a fact here and there throughout your story to remind readers occasionally of the time period. How can I do that? Okay, let's see. Main Character, aka MC, says, "Hey, pass that hard stick of butter, would ya'? Lemme' see how many holes I can rip in my slice of bread trying to spread it." No, that’s a little crude. Let's be a bit more subtle, shall we? For instance, if your story takes place in 1956, you could have MC settling in for the evening just in time to see Elvis Presley's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Or MC, in talking to a neighbor, may mention a family trip to that new “theme park called Disneyland that opened last year.” Even if your reader doesn’t know the exact year Elvis appeared or Disneyland was opened, they likely know these two events happened in the 1950s. Don't forget that Google and WebCrawler are your friends when it comes to finding facts - but check at least 3 reputable sources for each fact. You don't want your main character buying a brand-new Corvette and leaving for Disneyland in 1946. Happy writing, and, oh, yes, soft butter was invented in France in 1869. So where was it in the 1950s Midwest? Not at our house in Central Ohio, I can tell you that! Ms. Rickie Kay Longfellow is an editor, writer, and member of the Kirkersville Writer’s Club. To check out some of her work please click on the following links below: Editor, Writer, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society: http://www.fcghs-oh.org/cpage.php?pt=18Writer Editor, Writer, Benwick Publishing, Owner; See our free book - the Limerick Cemetery:
https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE62791
Sandy Ferrell
2/2/2024 08:55:04 am
Great things to think about Rickie. Really good article!
Kathy Wolfe
2/2/2024 10:12:36 am
Rickie, nice job of reminding writers that updates will refresh our pile of old stories sitting in our files!
Darlene
2/4/2024 06:02:47 pm
Really enjoyable post to read.
Joel R. R Linnabary
2/4/2024 08:38:12 pm
Good to look at our old writings that may have been forgotten. Sometimes a little touch up and by putting a new coat of paint on a story, it becomes one that becomes your treasure.
Mary Hickey
2/6/2024 05:56:11 am
Good advice, useful whether you decide to update your story or keep it as it is as a "period piece". In that second case, it's good as you suggest, to remind readers now and then throughout the story when it's taking place.
Doris Caceres-Schumick
2/21/2024 07:37:16 pm
Rickie, thanks so much for the great writing advice, search engines recommendations (I'd never heard of Web Crawler before), and your bio with your meticulous previous works. You're such an experienced writer and your suggestions are very much appreciated! Comments are closed.
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