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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45455
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> I suppose I can mention a year, but that would make the work dated the moment the year passes.

I don't think it's really possible to do it without making reference to some time period. I would've thought the conflict you made reference to as having ended would be good enough, but I guess not.

You said there are no technological changes - just using technology from this era will make your story dated, I'm afraid. If you read a story now where the richest, snobbiest kid in school brags about his iPhone 4, the _pinnacle_ of technology... well, you'd probably be able to identify around when it was written.

Your story will eventually be dated at _some_ point if it's set in the real world, but, that being said, I think the methods you could use depend on how the futuristic aspect impacts the story. Are the sociological changes important to the plot? You could try something like :

> It's been over two centuries since the segregation era, and waiters still seat my family at the far end of the restaurant, where prospective customers can't see us

That would set your story between ~2154 and ~2254, roughly. You could fit this to be about your characters and the conflict they're facing. You can make it even vaguer by saying :

> Ever since 2018, the border to USA has been too dangerous to consider crossing. But I have no choice.

This makes the setting vaguely after 2018. Could be 2020, could be 2064, depending on your context.

You can also do this with something like :

> "Oh, I'm staying home," said Milly. "Netflix has the 50th anniversary re-release of 'A New Hope' and I've wanted to watch it for ages!"

This sets your story vaguely after 2027 (ANH came out in 1977), but that depends on how familiar your readers are with Star Wars release dates. It does let you bypass references to political events, though.

I can't really see a way to do this without making reference to _something_, but maybe making that reference as vague as possible would help.

> When Anju was five, [Change] happened. Her father always said it was all Trump\*'s fault, and her mother would say that he was living in the past, that sometimes things just happen. Her elder brother would comfort her and they would watch 'Shrek 7 : The Musical'\*\*.

\*(some current politician)

\*\* (some future sequel of a well known franchise)

Obviously, the examples you use depend on the tone of your story, but this is about as vague as I can think of. A cheat I like to use is history books. Having current events in them is one way to future-ify your story, but it can feel shoehorned in very easily.

Original score: 6