Does anyone else love it when you read something and it is set on the day that you are actually reading it? I was reading yesterday and the character mentioned that it was 1st May and it made me feel deliciously content that I was reading on the same day.
I also love when writers set something on a very specific day and I can remember exactly what I was doing at that moment. Anything that was set when the Twin Towers went down is one example of this. Everyone remembers where they were and what they did on that day and I like to remember my life running parallel to the characters that I’m reading about.
There is a book called One Day by David Nichols and it is set on 15th July every year for twenty years. Most years I can’t remember what I was doing on that day, but my son was born on 16th July so when the story reached that year I couldn’t help but remember that I was in labour as the characters were living through their own stories.
I have heard that people make pilgrimages to some of the key locations in that book, every 15th July. I love that the date is so special to so many people who love the book and every time it rolls around I do think about Emma and Dexter and their story.
Much Love
Rachel xx
Margot Kinberg
You know, I never thought about that, to be honest. But I 100% agree with you that it’s lovely to read a book that really resonates with you (e.g. reading a book in spring, that takes place in spring; or reading a book that takes place in, say, 1998, when you remember exactly what your life was like then). There’s a connection there I really enjoy.
Greg Dennison
Interesting. 🙂
Obviously, each episode of my story has a specific date in the title. I’ve wondered if maybe I should take a break for a few months so that my episodes are set in the same time of year as real life. But the reason I haven’t is because I don’t want to restrict my writing unnecessarily.