Time and place
new
When we first began the process of brainstorming the book, we thought it would be cool to have the story take place sometime in the past, like decades ago. We considered the 1950s or 1960s even though none of us is a child of the ’50s or ’60s.
old
The 1950s was the era of Ozzie and Harriett, Father Knows Best, Patty Duke, Elvis and Rock ‘n Roll. The 1960s brought us the Beatles, Woodstock, the Peace Movement, Hippies and Flower Children. It would be cool to place our characters in such colorful times.
We did quite a bit of research about those times including what people wore, how they parted their hair, what they drove, even how kids spoke and the slang they used. We learned a lot.
Well, we’ve decided to bring the story into the present. For the sake of our characters and the benefit of the book and our target audience, it was a good move. We may refer back to the old times every once in a while, but the story is set in modern times. Now, one of the guys you love–and love to hate–drives a late model Mercedes Convertible instead of a 1932 Ford Roadster. Plus, the characters get to use modern technology and state-of-the-art electronics.
Come on, you know you like that better.
Interesting. I agree it’s good to know your history if your story is based in a past era. Unless you’ve got a real good handle on the era, why put yourself under the extra burden of researching history AND writing a novel? This seems like it would be doubly true for rookie authors.