On my 20th Century Stories blog I post true-to-life short stories in the same vein as the Analog Age blog, but with more creative license and personal reflection. Stuff that may well have happened, taking place mostly in the 1960s-1980s.
My current project is a serialized story called "Magnificent Melanie," taking place in 1978, about a teenage girl who is torn between wanting to fit in with her peers and wanting to be her own unique self. It's a concept I've had for years, going back to about 1978 but only now it's coming together into something good. I immersed myself in music, commercials and radio airchecks from 1978 via YouTube to put myself back in that era.
It's still a work in progress, so many ideas including pop cultural references from the time have been coming to me that I've decided to post it in the form of "episodes." I have two such episodes posted so far, and I think it's one of my more cool stories. I've decided to make it light-hearted and funny, a little less cynical than most of my stories, more of a fun read, but still accurately reflecting the much different world we lived in in the last quarter of the 20th Century.
Some of the nostalgic references that come up include Pizza Hut with checkered table cloths, teens driving bright orange vans, radio station remote broadcasts, Casual Corner, Woolworth, student smoking areas behind high schools, and other stuff, and in episode 2 we find out why the title character is called "Magnificent Melanie." Episode 3 and further episodes will come once I've figured them out, although I kind of know where I want to go with it.
Take a look, get a few laughs and be entertained.
