Writing scenes set in the 1970s Page 3

Quote: Dolly Dagger @ October 23 2008, 2:29 PM BST

There was a big difference, culturally, between 1970 and 1979.

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I think this is one of the best bits of advice you've had so far (among other good bits of advice). There's nothing more annoying to someone who grew up in the seventies than some TV programme dropping anachronisms in cos "it's all the seventies innit?"
So, work out which bit of the 70s you absolutely need this to be in and research that.
I think The Rotters Club by Jonathan Coe is a good starting point as it spans quite a bit of the era (and is a jolly good read too).

I wasn't alive (the world didn't exist) The 70s and before is just something made up by the media.

Football was a proper game (even if it did mean being stabbed en route to the ground). Ipswich beat Arsenal in the FA cup final and I couldn't go. Apart from that:

Flares, fluffy dice and Bay city rollers, listening to the top 20 with genuine interest, Gary Glitter was erm... Michael Jackson was black, the Ford Capri, lager arrived as Tuborg, Vincent Price was almost scary, and oh yes, we all knew we were about to die any second when the Russians pressed the red button but there was a chance of survival if we got an old door for a barricade and hid under the kitchen table when armageddon came knocking.

In the early 70s the only computers were big mainframes in data centres or university computing centres and Mini-Computers PDP11s etc (about as big as a small wardrobe) in laboratories.

The were no mobile phones! Possibly the REALLY BIG clunky ones wired into cars appeared in the late 70s. Digital watches were just coming in, but were LED type where you pushed a button to make the red numerals light up. Hence you had to find a phone-box to call home and blue police-boxes existed (Tardis). Almost all motorists carried an AA or RAC phone-box key.

Pocket calculators were new, again they were LED or green florescent digit ones (I still have and regularly use the one I bought around 1975).

Micro computers arrived in the late 70s but were only known of & used by electronic enthusiasts; you could buy them as a kit, but you had to solder all the bits onto the motherboard yourself.
Apple ][ arrived late in the 70s as far as I recall.

Thanks for all of your comments, some very helpful.

Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ December 1 2008, 11:44 AM GMT

Thanks for all of your comments, some very helpful.

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Nevermind that, how about an update on the girl you went on a few dates with, who then froze you out? How's that going?

Quote: chipolata @ December 1 2008, 12:14 PM GMT

Nevermind that, how about an update on the girl you went on a few dates with, who then froze you out? How's that going?

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No news to report I'm afraid. We haven't spoken about the situation for the last two weeks, things have been friendly, I can't be bothered to be any other way to be honest. We spoke last Thursday and during our conversation she did mention that she'd had a rubbish two weeks (which incidentally is the amount of time since she failed to get back to me about my offer of a fourth date) but I'd be a fool to think that her rubbish two weeks had anything to do with me, and her wanting us to continue dating. She seems so relaxed about everything, if someone told her I'd been hit by a bus I'm not sure it would faze her.

I've recently been back in touch with an ex girlfriend though, I have no attraction for her whatsoever, but am thinking of trying my luck just to get this other girl off my mind.

Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ December 1 2008, 12:55 PM GMT

I've recently been back in touch with an ex girlfriend though, I have no attraction for her whatsoever, but am thinking of trying my luck just to get this other girl off my mind.

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This new age man thing just kinda passed you by I am guessing?

What do you mean Marc P?

Well would it not be better 'trying your luck' with someone you did have some attraction to... or did you mean that you held no attraction for her???

Well cause she's an ex I obviously feel something for her, but the only person I have a genuine attraction for at the moment is the girl who is seemingly not interested in me. If she was interested, surely I would know.

Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ December 1 2008, 1:07 PM GMT

Well cause she's an ex I obviously feel something for her, but the only person I have a genuine attraction for at the moment is the girl who is seemingly not interested in me. If she was interested, surely I would know.

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Not at all Mike.

But there is one way to find out. And it's better you find out now than catch her in the broom cupboard with the water dispenser guy at the Christmas party!

Quote: Deferenz @ October 23 2008, 3:45 PM BST

I'm not sure if it was just poor people.

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Not just the poor and not just the 70's......i am a modern "man from the pru" and used to work (a few years ago) with guys that were doing this in the 80's still with pretty normal families.

Quote: Marc P @ December 1 2008, 1:10 PM GMT

Not at all Mike.

But there is one way to find out. And it's better you find out now than catch her in the broom cupboard with the water dispenser guy at the Christmas party!

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I wouldn't mind betting that she's meeting blokes when she goes out at the weekend, it's just natural I guess, what annoys me is I know she isn't thinking about me anywhere near as much as I do about her, my feelings for her seemed to cool about a week ago and I was fine, but now they have surfaced again. I'm not sure why!!!!

Quote: Mike Dan-Carter @ December 1 2008, 1:28 PM GMT

I wouldn't mind betting that she's meeting blokes when she goes out at the weekend, it's just natural I guess, what annoys me is I know she isn't thinking about me anywhere near as much as I do about her, my feelings for her seemed to cool about a week ago and I was fine, but now they have surfaced again. I'm not sure why!!!!

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Maybe it's her outfit today?