I'm stuck. The story I'm writing is split into 2 parts, one chapter being set 18 years ago, the next chapter in the present, next 18 years ago, and so on. It should all link together in the end, but I'm reluctant to actually write the years anywhere, because then the writing will seem out-of-date. For example, the Lostprophets video of Last Summer says 'Class of 2005' makes the song seem so outdated everytime I see the video, even though It was only 4 years ago. Its the same with clothes, if theyre really old its okay, coz you can class it as vintage, but if its just a couple of seasons old, then its out of fashion & old news. Any ideas how to overcome this?
Subtitle the chapters "Present Day" or "18 Years Past". That, or just use setting to imply the current time period in the first paragraph.
And even if you want to use an actual year, you can wait to add the year until someone wants to see the full manuscript. That will reduce the out-datedness of it. Besides, we read books that were published years ago, and we know they were set years ago. Any part of yoru audience worth worrying about won't care if it's set a few years before they buy it.
I agree. I wait until my book is completely finished before I add the year to it. Stephanie Meyer had the same problem in Twilight with the music in Bella's head phones. It was Linkin Park playing but she didn't know if at the time the book was published Linkin Park would still be popular, so she took it out. P I would do what the above says.
if you do that, keep in mind the fact that it'll be 1.5 to 2 years after signing a contract, before a book appears in bookstores...
