When does contemporary romance become historical?
There's a trap for older authors aged roughly 40 plus (ahem, I'm one of them), when writing contemporary romance with characters aged in their 20s. The pop culture references authors unintentionally make can be quite outdated. The characters, if they were real, would probably have been born around the time Buffy the Vampire Slayer was made, or they may have been toddlers. They may never have seen this TV series beloved of Generation X, unless their mothers were fans. Am I blowing your mind yet?
But the big problem I've seen with a few recent contemporary romances is the lack of realistic technology or online communications.
Keep in mind your twenty-something characters would not:
- remember a time before ubiquitous internet access
- have any trouble using a computer or online apps
- use paper maps to get around a new city
- communicate with friends by landline phone calls
- remember a time before everyone owned a mobile/cell phone.
Your younger characters would:
- have a cell phone on them at all times (except if they lost it, which could be disaster!)
- use text messages and/or instant messages on various online apps
- have played online multi player video games as teenagers and probably made friends online
- watch YouTube or streaming services instead of TV, or be 'multi screening' using apps on a phone while watching a movie
- have tried online dating or met someone special online.
Twenty-something characters wouldn't use email as a communications method of choice except at work, or when contacting their parents (or grandparents). They’d have certain groups of friends contactable mainly by social media, maybe around the world from where they live. They would buy clothes online, use Uber or other apps to get around, get into ‘flame wars’ on topics they're passionate about on social media, or may have dealt with online bullies.
I think I'm pretty up to date with technology and social media, having worked in online communications including years at a university. But I’m now in my early 40s and I don't have the natural duck-to-water affinity for it my kids are already displaying. I think before sending a text message or Facebook Messenger direct message, not shoot them off at random at all times of the day like younger people. I don't use Snapchat or some of the other instant messaging apps that I know are springing up constantly. So I know I need to do my research.
Examples of contemporary romance traps
A couple of years ago I read a category romance that left me confused and shaking my head less than half way through. The 20-something heroine in a big city started her own business in events management. She was apparently poor or at least didn't have much capital to throw at advertising. Guess what she did? She grabbed her laptop (she didn't seem to have a cell phone) and designed and printed hundreds of brochures to hand deliver and letter-drop to local businesses.
Can you spot the plot hole yet? Where was her social media? If she had an online network, she could have shared her business information instantly with thousands of people. Brochures would cost a few hundred dollars whereas a social campaign would cost virtually nothing. Where was her website? Did she have an Instagram account with photos of her previous events? Where was her Patreon or GoFundMe account to raise money?
Another women's fiction book I read a few months back made me laugh for all the wrong reasons. A famous man was hiding out in a seaside town in the off-season, which meant that he'd dropped off the face of the earth. No one could find him, no one in town recognised him or took a photo on their phone to post online. Someone had to run to the post office to send a letter before it closed for the day instead of sending an email or text message. A couple of chapters in, I realised the book had been originally published in the 1990s. The plot simply didn't make sense anymore, in a world where anyone could Google the famous man and communications are almost instant.
New social trends to watch
I watch social media trends and it's the odd, new things that catch my attention. A journalist I follow recently started a Twitter thread about her health issues. She was in pain and was having trouble getting treatment. By the end of the day, she'd used her online network to reach tens of thousands of people, including health professionals. She crowdsourced her diagnosis and had word-of-mouth referrals to several specialists!I'd strongly recommend that writers keep an eye on younger people, online and out in the world— maybe go hang out on a university campus for a while, or in a major city at lunchtime. Grab your kids or nieces and nephews and question them about what they'd do if they wanted to meet someone, or if they wanted to find a new restaurant, for example.
I can't explain exactly what's wrong with some contemporary romances, except to say they're not really contemporary but quite nostalgic. As a reader I have trouble understanding a supposedly modern heroine who doesn't know how to use a computer, or who doesn't own a phone. It's incongruous and weird. SMH (shake my head).
BTW (by the way) all of the above is irrelevant if your characters are Amish or lost in a remote jungle somewhere! If that's the case, happy low-tech writing to you. :)
About Cassandra O'Leary
**Winner of the global We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK. Nominated for BEST NEW AUTHOR in AusRomToday 2016 Reader's Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction**
Cassandra O’Leary is a romance and women’s fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things. Her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016.
Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she’s also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting ‘research’ trips, that would be splendiferous.
Read more or sign-up for Cassandra's newsletter at cassandraolearyauthor.com
6 comments:
Great Post Cassandra! I'm editing my next book and will make sure I include the year in which it takes place (2003) to help people see that the lack of social media and everyone having a cell phone is not a research error on my part. Having been one of the more technologically advanced people in my circle of friends and acquaintances back then (I had a cell phone, lap top, desk top, fax all in my home office). I still have friends who either do not have a cell phone or never have it turned on unless they want to make a call. I've moved to the 'no landline' camp.
The reality is by the time we write truly contemporary (taking place in the now) but the time it's published (especially if by a traditional publisher) the landscape of technology could have totally changed. However, we do need to keep up if we want our stories to be relevant.
Quite an interesting blog post. I agree with Judith, as long as the author puts the date at the beginning of the chapter I'll accept the lack of 'now-a-days' technology.
You make a lot of good points. As a technology person myself for more than 40 years, I do have a problem being so tied to my devices that they are practically plugged into my cerebral cortex to help me function. A SF book that was published in 2011 had at least one reviewer commenting that the future I depicted would never have people typing on a keyboard (even though I thought the keyboard was cool being displayed on a desk instead of actual keys). I did have voice commands for when the protagonist was walking about, but when she was at her desk she typed. She was right, I was translating MY way of communicating (my fingers and keyboard together are what translate my words into sentences) to the future which is more likely to do everything by voice commands --assuming we aren't actually plugged in and the computer can read our thoughts before we voice them--but that would be a very boring book.
I also agree that anyone 30 and younger grew up in a time where they were connected to the web through a variety of devices. However, I disagree that all characters in the book in that age range should also be that way.
I have met teens and 20 somethings at book signings who choose not to be connected so much. Part of it is that is the way they've chosen to rebel against the "norm" and part of it is they've had bad experiences with those kind of connections and choose not to use it all the time. These young people tend to be creatives, avid readers (though they do read e-books on tablets or Kindles or Nooks or their phone), and are more sure of who they are and comfortable with their "difference" from others in terms of not being so connected to the web all the time.
I think your point about characterization is key here, and reminds us to make a conscious choice about choosing to write with a lot of technology or not in a contemporary romance. That is if the person is not tied to a device at all times, we need to make sure the reader knows why by putting them in situations where they consciously choose not to use devices or find out something online (e.g., not to date with online apps). OR us older folks choose to write books that appeal to an older audience and don't worry about it so much. I've learned that my books appeal to an audience who is 45-86+ (86 is the oldest reader I know of), even though I do have younger characters. My characters don't think much about fashion, technology, or fitting in to society as a whole. Interestingly, I didn't think much about that either when I was growing up either and I still don't.
In the end it comes down to that old adage "Write what you know." And if you don't then do your research.
THanks for making me think!
Some excellent points there Cassandra! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comments everyone. I should have noted that the category romance I mentioned was only published a couple of years ago and the character was meant to be in her 20s, so it was jarring to me as a reader. I've started re-watching a few TV shows such as Seinfeld and the lack of cell/mobile phones is really odd...so much has changed in daily communications. I'm kind of inundated with techology as part of being a writer and communications specialist so I do notice when this stuff is completely missing from a current book.
Another thought, I'm in my 70's and started with a "bag phone" in the 80's but until a few years ago, I wasn't always connected to it because I had a land line. While a younger person might read a book set during the U.S's 911 terrorist attack and wonder why Everyone in the story didn't have a cell phone. What's true is during that time period there were several years where people had both cell and land line phones and really only used their cell phone when they traveled.
It's important to understand how cell phones became so popular. Here's my order: 1) I didn't have to go looking for a pay phone when I was out on a call and my pager went off 2) Safety - I could call for help if stranded or in a dangerous neighborhood or situation - which I did and used that scenario in "Sophia." 3) Free Long Distance! I had/have several friends who live a distance away.
When I got my first "smart phone" I had my email, internet, etc. on it. Not any more. I don't even have notifications turned on. And, I turn my phone off at 9 p.m. and sometimes forget to turn it back on when I first get up - so it could be off 10 - 12 hours. There are times when I complain that the least responsive task that contraption is good for is an actual phone call. But with my ear piece (had a head set with my land line), that is vastly improved.
Thanks again for a thoughtful post, Cassandra!
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