In 1954 Joe Turner
released a song, the lyrics (and title words) “Shake, Rattle and Roll” were sung
by the chorus; a later cover version released by Bill Haley and the Comets was
released with a few minor variations. Turner’s cut was full of what was
considered sexual innuendos in those years, some of these were toned down in
the Haley version. In the mid-1950s the American public translated the term shake, rattle and roll as raucous sexual
intercourse — in the 21st-century few would make that association.
What’s the purpose of
this musical history lesson? The words you use to write a story taking place in
1954 would probably be different than the ones used in a story set in 2015.
Once upon a time the
symbol # was
called a number sign, a hex, a square, or a sharp. It wasn’t until somewhere
around 2007 that the computer term for it Hash
and its ability to Tag keywords gained
recognition.
Sholes & Glidden,
Remington, Blickensderfer, Selectric and Royal are all names of typewriters
with QWERTY keyboards, but each bears relevance to a different time period. In
the current time period the word Keyboard is associated with computers. If your
story involves a writer and you comment on the tools of his/her trade, make
sure that you are mentioning the appropriate items for the time period your
story is set in.
While walking on the
moon may have been a dream of President Kennedy in the early 1960s, the actual
event didn’t happen until 1969 so that is not something a historical novel
should refer to Kennedy actually seeing. By the way the dance craze Moonwalk
(courtesy of Michael Jackson) was popularized in 1983.
Even the names of your
characters should be true to the story. It’s not uncommon for parents to name
their children after popular actors/actresses or other famous personalities. In
the 1950s popular Swedish actress Anita Ekberg was a big inspiration for baby
girl names. Obviously the name was used prior to the 50s (Ms. Ekberg was born
and named in 1931), however it was not as popular. An author might want to name
an adult female lead Anita “because of the actress”, but it would seem much
more authentic to choose a name made popular 20 or so years earlier such as
Mary or Betty.
As a writer you want
your readers to feel as if they are part of the story, you need to build a
world that is believable. While many pieces of trivia might go unnoticed, don’t
chance that you will jolt a reader away from the pages. Make your setting
consistent by researching technologies, historical facts, popular brand names
and common idioms.
*Some writers will create parallel or fantasy worlds where some of the time-specific references will cross the years, but the world building still needs a constant to make the setting believable.
Writing Exercise: Tell us about a memorable catch phrase
from your childhood. Who said it and what did it mean? Does that phrase evoke
any feelings for you today?
Writing Prompt:
Make a list of the top ten distractions that keep you from writing on a
regular basis. Think about the list. What things/changes can you do to override
these distractions and get back to writing?
Challenge Assignment:
Write about a day of work for a newspaper reporter in 2015, no more than
three to five paragraphs. Be sure to include transportation to the job, the “tools”
the reporter would use, lunchtime, currency, language and a popular news topic as
it fits into this mini-story. Rewrite the story in the year of your birth, 1875,
1800 and 1750.
