I was born in the 90s. However, my current book, which will likely be my debut novel, is set in the 1950s with intermittent flashbacks to the 30s and 40s. Some might see this as a challenge, but I saw a learning opportunity.
As part of my research for The Bright One, I learned a great deal about life in those decades and how experiences differed based on your age, where you happened to be in the world, and what socio-economic class you belonged to. I used Google, I read books, watched movies, and then selected elements I could potentially use in my story.
Because I wanted this fictional story to sound as ‘authentic’ as possible, I had to be very careful in the way certain things were expressed and constantly keep in mind what time period a particular scene was taking place in. I thought I’d done a pretty good job with this, that is, until I got my Editor’s Report back.
The editor offered fantastic feedback of my novel which has really motivated me to continue working towards getting it publisher-ready. However, one of the things she brought to my attention was the main character’s perceptiveness to the world around her, or lack thereof. In essence, what I did was, I set the time and had my characters live and speak and think and respond in a manner appropriate to the time. What I didn’t do was share with the reader about any key events at the time that were affecting the lives of these characters. The reader is taken on a journey through the protagonist’s eyes, who for the most part was completely self-involved in her quest to find her parents and the world simply blurred in the background.
I didn’t notice I had done this until the editor pointed it out and I really appreciated that bit of insight as it has given me something specific to work on to make the story more rounded and a bit more believable.
Have you faced similar challenges of writing in a different time period? Are there any other points I should look out for as I’m editing my latest draft? Please share your thoughts and comments below.
Thanks for reading!