Changed Rules

Thirty years ago there were rules about how big tile should be in a given area. If you had a standard bathtub surround, generally the recommendation was no larger than a 6” x 6” tile. When I asked about the old rule, the sales woman laughed. “Sure, you could do that. But you’d have a brand new 1980s bathroom. If you want 1980s retro, fine.” Ah, no thanks. I bought 9” x 12” tile for that space. The rules have changed.

Not long after that conversation, I read a book with a twenty-something character. It was set in present day, but somehow the young woman liked all the old songs like someone who was fifty or older, like the author, would enjoy. The author had created a brand-new 1970s retro twenty-something, out of time and pace with her peers. She hadn’t clothed her in bell-bottoms, thank goodness.   

Four of my new WIP’s characters are in their twenties, two women and two men. With Valentine’s Day celebrated this week, I’ve started to observe twenty-something love for character and relationship authenticity, taking note of how they talk, react and interact. What do I know about it? I remember it, but the rules have changed. My generation changed the rules. I’m looking at the results that were not apparent to me while in its midst so as not to make my characters feel like retro people.

School procedures and values have changed since the enactment of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. I’ve made a few observations. Most of the changes I see concern women. Funding of women’s sports has been in part a catalyst of change. The young women I know are more competitive than in my generation. My son’s Little League baseball team (the Leagues’ real name had “Boys’” in its title) had a female member. Girls now, too, compete for sports scholarships.

Young women unfortunately still succumb to dressing in fashion, although outside of Hollywood pictures few wear micro-minis. That detriment aside, young women seem more self-determined, make their own choices rather than defer, are more aggressive than meek and expect men to listen and respect them, which wasn’t a given thirty years ago. I’ve seen very few doormats in today’s women. I like it.

What differences have you observed in young people today than from generations before? Have you tried to incorporate those differences into your characters so as not to create a retro person?