Update my story or not?

[Daisyqueen1]

Hi looking for advise. Starting writing book in 2005, never finished it til this year. However when editing realise theres no mention of smart phones, google maps, social media, which makes it sound dated. If i edit it and include these things it sort of messes with the plot as it makes things far easier for the main character. So i either somehow make it clear its set in say early 2000s and will this effect possibly an agent being interested, as its a modern story its just that technology has moved on so quickly in 15 years. Do i update it and shoehorn in modern tech which will change quite a lot regarding jepordy for character. Or maybe try and make the main character technology averse for some reason, might solve it. Any ideas?

One option is deliberately date it-set it in 2005 or even earlier.
Look at it this way, in 20 years time whatever technology you have used will probably sound dated to the readers anyway, so why not set it earlier?

I normally (in middle grade) try and have a way of removing phones unless I want to use them. In some ways it's easier at middle grade because they can't just go and buy another one.
Your main character could drop her phone down the toilet in the first scene and have a reason why she doesn't get a new one. Maybe she can't afford a new one so goes back to her old phone which isn't smart. Maybe someone laughs at her and says she'll never cope a week without a phone and she is determined to prove them wrong, maybe she's a disorganised type who keeps meaning to sit down and decide what phone to get next and never quite gets round to it, or maybe she takes it to Carphone warehouse because it's in guarantee and they need to send it off for repair and the phone they lend is a very basic one (happened to dd a few years ago)

Thanks for your advice! I suppose i could set it in 2005 or before, im just worried there's no plot reason for it to be set then and its not far enough away eg the 90s or 80s that its an era of interest in terms of possibly selling the book. Im thinking if an agent reads it and thinks why is this book set in 2005 or earlier, and the real reason is that its taken me 15 odd years to finish it!

So its sort of a crime novel, the main character shes searching for someone, a few different people, one part when where she gets lost, shes also kind of on the run from a detective so i could possibly have a reason there for her ditching her smartphone as she knows they can location track on new phones? Not sure if old phones pre smartphone could be tracked though but the character is quite paranoid so its possible i could have a reason for her not having a phone. I did start to say something about the character hating social media as a reason, but people still have smartphones for google maps and sat nav even if they dont have social media.

Youre right however that in 10 or so years even if i updated now it would sound dated too later on.

I think my options are have a reason like you said for no smartphone. Or somehow make it clear its set in say 2005 or earlier, i just think if i picked up a new book and found out it was set in say 2005 i'd want to know why, is there a reason, other than the woman writing it didnt get round to finishing it til 15 years later.

Personally even with contemporary fiction i much prefer no mention of technology.

Locate the period with music and news and make a feature of the early? noughties setting which doesn't need a reason. Good luck.