No, not time to write (though everyone suffers that one). What I’m thinking about is, how do you effectively introduce that your story is set in the recent past without plopping it in there like a bird turd out of the sky?
The hubby and I watched Starter For Ten the other night, and we pretty much figured out after watching for a time that it was set in the mid-eighties. Mostly because the soundtrack was dominated by 80’s alternative tunes, but also by the fashions and use of these things called “cassette tapes”. And maybe by the lack of cell phones. But then, the characters are in a restaurant and they order wine, and this happens:
“What year is it?”
“1985.”
“No… [chuckle] …I meant, what year is the wine?”
“1985.”
See, that just seems hokey and ham fisted. Not to mention, the scene appeared to exist for 2 reasons: to reveal that the female love interest was a slut, and to drop in the year for those who hadn’t yet figured it out.
Apart from the fact I didn’t really like the movie, this part really bothered me. And if I were to write something set in the recent past, I’d really like to avoid it if I can. But how do you do that? Or do you just ignore hinting at it, and just not have cell phones or Internet in your story?
