Changing Times

In the Orchard--Sir George Clausen (1853-1944) Today, I should be on my way back home from a fun, hopefully relaxing, weekend at the beach (Isle of Palms, near Charleston). My wonderful parents took the children for my husband and me and we headed off with friends.

In preparation for the car ride to the point where my husband and I were handing off the kids to my folks, I went to the Blockbuster movie rental place and got several videos for them to watch on their little DVD players in the car.

This means the most relaxing car ride for the adults.

My sister and I got along extremely well in the car when we were kids. But we did get bored on the long drive to Macon, Georgia to see our grandmother. We’d play the license plate game, look for VW bugs (beetles, we called them), etc.

When I suggested the cow counting game to my son, he looked at me in disbelief. I explained, “No, it’s fun! You count as many cows as you can and if you pass a graveyard, you lose all your cows.”

“And Nana came up with this game?” he asked, stunned. Then, of course, I realized that the number of farms in the South had greatly decreased. And there aren’t too many cemeteries lining the interstate highways.

Mom had dated herself once more.

I’ve touched on this before, but I’m trying not to date my books. I have high hopes that they’ll live on for a few years in libraries, and I don’t want to draw people out of the story.

I did mention Twitter in passing for the Memphis book. I had to think about it, but decided it’s a strong enough pop culture reference that it’s going to stay on for a little while. It’s star is still rising. But that was the only thing I can really think of that will place my story in a particular place and time.

How about you? Do your characters ever Facebook? Tweet? Do you refrain from making social media references at all?

Elizabeth Spann Craig

View posts by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series (as Riley Adams) and the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin and writes the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She also has a blog, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. There she posts on the writing craft, finding inspiration in everyday life, and fitting writing into a busy schedule.

17 Comments

  1. Margot KinbergOctober 18, 2009

    Elizabeth – I remember distinctly long car rides when I was a kid. I had brothers and sisters, too, so I have no idea how my parents survived it..

    Interesting you would talk about online social networking…I don’t shy away from it in my writing, but it doesn’t play a major role, either. In B-Very Flat, one of the characters keeps a blog. And the characters in my novels Email and send texts. I think a certain amount of that kind of communication makes a book more authentic, since that’s what many people do now.

  2. Book Bird dogOctober 18, 2009

    Kids are so funny! Mine used to hold breaths whenever we drove by a cemetery and would only breathe again after we had passed it. Of course, we had to speed up.

  3. Jemi FraserOctober 18, 2009

    I worry about the technological level in my books too. In one ms, the mc is pretty inept in that department, so I didn’t include much other than cell phones. In my new project, I haven’t quite decided how it’ll work. I’ll have to wait and see how the characters decide. :)

  4. Kristen Torres-ToroOctober 18, 2009

    Hi, Elizabeth!!!

    So far I’ve refrained from mentioning them in my stories. I have made pop culture references, more to cement the time frame of the story than anything else.

    I hope you had a great trip!

  5. Carol KilgoreOctober 18, 2009

    I try to omit anything that may be passe in five years or so. Even so, that isn’t always possible because we never know what the next day’s news will bring or how quickly a new trend will either catch hold or vanish.

  6. Carol KilgoreOctober 18, 2009

    Forgot. Hope you had a fantastic time at the beach.

  7. JanelOctober 18, 2009

    I’m always amazed that my kids can read or watch TV in the car. I used to get car sick! I remember riding from Michigan to Texas and back again when I was in the fifth grade. I was sick the whole way, even at 10 years old.

    I have read several older cozies lately that I easily assumed were set in the present day, until there was a reference to technology. It was a bit of a jolt, but not terrible.

  8. Elspeth AntonelliOctober 18, 2009

    My sister and I used to hold our breath as we went through tunnels or over a bridge. Now my kids have the DVD players for long trips and everyone arrives fairly sane.

    As for ‘dating’ books…hehehehe. No worries for me! My plot is 70 years ago; my worry is having anachronisms showing up.

    Elspeth

  9. Dorte HOctober 18, 2009

    I like that cattle counting game, and the graveyard twist SOUNDS fun, but as my children say, it won´t work in Denmark. There is a graveyard for every small village no matter where we go.

    So perhaps they should count graveyards and hope they wouldn´t come across a cow that could take all their graveyards.

    I agree with you, that if you include all these social gadgets and widgets in your books, they date far too soon. Besides, if the writer relies too much on technology, it is often because he/ she does not have a proper plot and detection to offer.

  10. L. Diane WolfeOctober 18, 2009

    I’ve tried to stay away from pop culture references. Like you, I hope that my fiction titles will live on a little longer that way.

  11. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 18, 2009

    Margot–You’re right. It seems odd in a book now for no one to be emailing or texting…that’s 21st century communication. You’re right about keeping the refs general…otherwise the technology seems to change too quickly.

    Book Bird Dog–Oh funny! Yes, my sister and I would lift up our feet in the car and “jump” into each state when we passed state lines.

    Jemi–I’m sure your characters will have their own ideas!

    Kristen–That’s a good way to let people know the time setting for your book.

    The beach was fun! It was even warm enough yesterday to sun a little.

  12. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 18, 2009

    Diane–Yes, there’s nothing like reading about VCRs or new-fangled microwaves to really date a book!

  13. Marvin D WilsonOctober 18, 2009

    Kids can be so funny and crazy. Loved it.

    My character Owen Fiddler has a Myspace, but I need to switch that over to Facebook – thanks for the reminder! I think it’s a great idea to do – having social network presences for your characters. Come to think of it, ol’ Owen should be twittering, too. ;)

    The Old Silly

  14. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 18, 2009

    Carol–Thanks! It was a lot of fun. I know what you mean about trying to gauge the longevity of different technologies. Hard to know!

    Janel–I can’t read in the car either. Bleh!

    Elspeth–Yes, if your characters start Tweeting, it’ll be a ‘Back to the Future’ moment!

    Dorte–Too funny! Count the cemeteries instead. :)

    Marvin–My Space seems like something for the kids and musicians, doesn’t it? I don’t do anything over there, either.

  15. Jan MorrisonOctober 18, 2009

    ah – car trips. Our family spent more time in our car than anywhere else. Being airforce brats we moved every two years or so and when we didn’t we went on mammoth road trips across Canada and the US or even down to Mexico. When we crossed a province or state line our tradition was to say the name of the one we were in over and over as we approached the new one which we would yell loudly once with wild abandon…Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia….NEW BRUNSWICK!
    We played tonnes of road games, collecting different state and provinical licenses, singing songs, and as an adult that travelled a fair bit in one of my jobs – we had a great game called INKY PINKY. Anyone know it?
    As to popular references – my series is set a bit earlier than now so I’m always remembering what wasn’t second nature then and is now. It is weird to think of the near past. The police obviously need to use it but oddly didn’t need to in this last one. I don’t think. Hmmmm….

  16. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 18, 2009

    Jan–Now THAT sounds like fun! May have to force my kids to play that next time! I do sort of remember Inky Pinky, but a fading memory–will have to look that one up online. Thanks!

  17. Rayna M. IyerOctober 20, 2009

    You would probably be dating your books (in the past), if your characters don’t Facebook.
    I’ve been receiving friend requests from my mother’s friends- ladies I have not even met!

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