Setting a YA in the recent past

hmg · Oct 15, 2009

Hello! New poster to AW here, but I've been lurking for a little while. Just as a short introduction, I write YA contemporary fiction and mainstream fiction. I've published a few short stories, nonfiction articles poems here and there, but my interest right now is solely in novels. And now to jump right into the fray with a question...

Without getting into too many specifics I'm wondering how people feel about placing a YA novel in the recent past-- say within the last 30 years or so? All my other (unpublished) novels are based in the present but the novel I'm currently writing feels like it should be set in an earlier time period.

I recently read a blog entry at Kidlit that seemed to discourage harking back to a time period before your readers were even born unless it's historical fiction. If it makes a difference, I do plan on following their advice on using made up references and would not constantly be talking about Rainbow Brite Dolls and New Kids on the Block, etc.

Off the top of my head I do know a few MG and YA books that are set in the recent past ("When You Reach Me" is one I've seen reviewed recently) but I'm wondering if it's something that would drastically decrease my marketibility as a first time novelist?

Thanks for your input and I look forward to participating!

wandergirl · Oct 15, 2009

What is it about your story that would make it fit better in the past?

I've heard that for most teens, ten or twenty years ago just isn't far enough back for them to be interested, if that makes any sense. Adults have that feeling of 90s nostalgia, but teens don't. Instead, setting a book in the not-too-far past makes it feel kind of stale and hard to relate to for modern teens.

An exception: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is set in 1991/1992 and works, but I think it's because the author embraces the retro elements instead of ignoring them -- Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Smiths, etc. The pop culture of the era is an important part of the story, and a way to ground it in the past. I don't really see the reason for making up past pop culture references. The reason I keep pop culture out of my books is to avoid "dating" them; but if you're setting your story in the past, you're doing just that already.

charlotte49ers · Oct 15, 2009

I think a lot of teens have an appreciation for the past, personally. I know when I was younger (and really still), I was interested in the 50's and 60's and liked movies, books, etc. set in that time period.

Now super recent, I wouldn't do it because if I read a book set in the 80's, for instance, I would just think it was dated, unless done in a quirky way. I think if executed well, it could be done, but I don't know...it would really just depend on how it was written. That is sooo not any help, is it?

Tuuli · Oct 15, 2009

Wendy Loggia from Delacorte mentioned at the SCBWI NYC conference last year that anything before the 90's is considered history when it comes to teens.

hmg · Oct 15, 2009

I see what you're saying as coming off as stale or dated and that' s exactly my concern. I'm in my mid-twenties so I'm not exactly ripe with nostalgia for the late '80s but I can see it coming off that way to a teenager. On the other hand when I was a teenager I definitely got a kick out of reading YA written in the '70s and '80s because of some of the outdated references. I think I was a weird kid though so I don't trust my own feelings to reflect the average teenager.

eyeblink · Oct 15, 2009

One justification would be if you had a specific historical event as part of the plot or background. Just to pick one notable event of the last decade, I'm sure someone could write a YA novel dealing with 9/11 - I can't think of one offhand, but wouldn't be surprised if there was one.

I have an idea (well, it will be a rewrite of a failed but complete novel I wrote in the early 1990s) that has the Polish martial law clampdown in the background. That was 1981/82 - the original novel had the Velvet Revolution of 1989 going on in the news, but I think it might work better if I set it earlier. It's a coincidence that 1981 was the year I turned seventeen.

I guess it'll be a case the story is good enough, and references not too obscure, then readers will get their heads round it. (I think people underestimate teens' capacity for picking up older cultural references, especially not nowadays when a quick trip to Google or Wikipedia can sort you out.)

nayner · Oct 16, 2009

I say go for it. Worse comes to worst, you realize it doesn't work and you have to change some details here and there. I think you should trust where your book is saying it wants to go. Maybe the book'll be wrong, but it could also be right.

Kathleen42 · Oct 16, 2009

wandergirl said:
An exception: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is set in 1991/1992 and works, but I think it's because the author embraces the retro elements instead of ignoring them -- Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Smiths, etc. The pop culture of the era is an important part of the story, and a way to ground it in the past. I don't really see the reason for making up past pop culture references. The reason I keep pop culture out of my books is to avoid "dating" them; but if you're setting your story in the past, you're doing just that already.

I agree with this. It drives me crazy when I see unnecessary references which will date something but I have absolutely no problem with relevant references when a book is set in a particular time and place. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an excellent example.

kellion92 · Oct 16, 2009

I think the story itself has to work and the writing has to be contemporary, regardless of time period. Also, there has to be a reason for the setting other than '60s, '70s, or '80s nostaglia. It can't seem like it's just an old book written in the 1970s or that the author is just writing a memoir of their own childhood.

My upper middle grade novel is set in 1962. My agent questioned me about why is HAS to be then because it's considered historical fiction and that's a bit of a red flag for editors/readers. But it does have to be then -- at least, I could make it earlier, but not later, based on what happens. Whether it gets published is another story, but I bet that if it does, it will be marketed on the larger premise without the time period a big highlight. The early sixties aren't a super trendy time to write about.

Danthia · Oct 16, 2009

I think the important question would be why you want to set it there. If it's just because you think the era is cool and it would be fun to make fun (good and bad) of that era, chances are the setting will feel superfluous. But if there are moral, cultural, ethical, etc. ideas that were prevalent during that era, and you need though to tell the story you want to tell, and the themes aren't as poignant if set today, then you'd probably be fine with it.

No matter where or when you set a story, the setting should be more than just the backdrop the story takes place in. It's a great opportunity to add another layer to your story. Make it matter and the story will be better for it.

kellion92 · Oct 16, 2009

What Danthia said.

hmg · Oct 16, 2009

Okay why I want to set it the past:

-Atmosphere: A large portion of the book is focused on the local do-it-yourself music scene in a small New England town. Some books, Wikipedia, etc. have argued that this type of youth oriented local music scene doesn't exist anymore because of the Internet, the downfall of the local record label, zoning laws prohibiting basement and garage shows, etc. I don't think that's necessarily true but how this local music scene looks is certainly different today than it was twenty years ago. I've read books like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist where the music scene is set in actual clubs, etc. and that's not where I want to go with this particular book.

-Verisimilitude- A small subplot in the book involves a gay teen not really fitting into his band and the local scene. While it's sadly true that this still happens, I think a teen who was in this situation today would have a lot more options (join a queercore band or just a band more accepting of his sexuality).

I started off writing the book using a contemporary setting so I guess it can be done but it just didn't "feel" right to me.

Setting a YA in the recent past

hmg

wandergirl

~kirsten hubbard

charlotte49ers

let it snow

Tuuli

Research Addict

hmg

eyeblink

Barbara says hi

nayner

Needs more sleep.

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king

Danthia

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king

hmg