Dated

Confession: Somedays, it's a chore. Today, it's a chore.

Reading:

• "Pa's Darling" by Louis Auchincloss

Writing:

• Untitled Dark Fantasy Project

Revising:

• "Cora and the Sea"

Future Projects:

• Dairhenien's Library - Development
  
• Floorcraft - First rewrite of 1-5, first draft of 6-8
• Ferian Fetlock - Next chapter, "Ferian Fetlock Catches a Cold," followed by "Ferian Fetlock Takes a Wife."
  
• July 26th 24-hour Short Story
• "Motley" - Expansion
• "Fireworks and Earthworks" - 5% into first draft
  
• Untitled School Mistress Story

Unpublished Stories/Status

• "The Revenant" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "The Frost Fugling" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Leaves and Sunsets" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Motley" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Black Pudding" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "A Happy Ending" - 1st Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Illuminated" - 3rd Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "Pictures of the Old Port" - 5th Draft, Unsubmitted
  
• "What Price Stamps" - 3rd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "Ferian Fetlock Cures a Horse" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted
• "A Cup of Coffee" / "Morning Tea" - 2nd Draft, Unsubmitted

What does it mean for writing to sound "dated"? Here's an example.

The typical Cockney is often a brash little fellow.... Although the whine may be lacking in some dialect interpretations, there is always a slovenliness to the pronunciation.... Unlike his Russian cousin, Ivan, the Cockney Alf Higgins is nearly always optimistic.... On the whole, the Cockney is a truculent bloke who knows that what he knows is right and who says what he thinks is right.... When the Cockney is good, he is a funny little fellow; when he is bad, he is a rat.

This passage is from a dialect book written in 1943. My edition was printed in 1981, and I'm writing this in 2008. I think it's pretty clear that you would never read most of that in a dialect book written today. Not just because of political correctness, either.

Look at the language. Twice the phrase "little fellow" is used. This book was written by an American for a US audience; nowadays, we would consider the term antiquated, or at least British. Note the disregard for other cultures, with loaded words like "slovenliness" and "truculent," and the nickname of "Ivan" for anyone of Russian origin. And the condescension in the phrase "when the Cockney is good, he is a funny little fellow," as if that's the best such a person could ever aspire to be.

Of course, how do you avoid sounding dated? Most of these opinions were simply widely held stereotypes that were never even considered at the time, and it's impossible to notice every prejudice you have. If you were aware of them, they wouldn't be prejudices, would they?

Another element is the way language changes. A grammatical construction can have a perceived tone, but that's only because that association was made after the fact. "Funny little fellow" sounds arrogant because it has been used over the years by arrogant people. All it really means is "funny man," with a diminutive that is used in many languages to indicate intimacy, approval, fondness, or any number of other senses.

In other words, I'm saying that it's impossible to keep your language from sounding dated. I guess all you can do is to say what you mean to say, and be aware that no one will ever understand your meaning perfectly... those people not yet born least of all. Plus, if someone is reading what you wrote sixty-five years from now, you must have done something right.

Publication Status:

• Submitted: 2
• Accepted: 1
• Rejected: 1
• Pending: 0