This week: Mystery Dates Edited by: Carol St.Ann  
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| Technology had altered the face of everything we do. And we, writers, had better make sure our characters keep up. But we must never forget the way things used to be. |
| ASIN: B085272J6B |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 9.99
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The question was put on the newsfeed and called to my attention by a respondent:
"Has 'crime-proofing technology' affected your writing? If so, in what way(s)?
For instance, has the classic image of someone standing in the shadows and picking the lock on someone's back door been made a less believable element now that there are cell-phone connected door-cams, elaborate lighting and alarm systems, and such literally *everywhere*."
My answer can only be: You bet it does! How could it not?
That would be a yes.
My current story takes place in 1998, so I need to pay attention to what technology was NOT in mainstream use by then. That takes some pondering, too. Just the other day, in conversation with a friend, I reminisced about an event when we were stranded for a few hours, and for a second wondered why we hadn't simply used our cellphones to call for assistance. Had we both left home without them? Seems hard to believe... maybe we were out of range? Well, then it hit us; duh! There weren't any cell phones to be had yet. (Goodness! How did we manage our day-to-day?
In current writing there’s no way to avoid the surveillance options both inside and outside of commercial establishments, offices, homes, even parks and recreation, not to mention drones and satellites.
Then there is the reality that our TVs and phones monitor our every word and move. Why, even our cars are driving themselves these days. And we really must make sure the stranger we meet on the street isn't a hologram.
It might be fun to create a mastermind who can easily fool these devices, or better yet, a hero who flat out avoids technology, but has a superior comprehension of it or, because he has such keen knowledge and comprehension.
Think Snowden. (This is not, I repeat NOT political; it's just an idea for a character.) Here's a guy who knows that mucky-mucks at APPLE and MICROSOFT disable parts of their computers and cell phones (especially cameras).
Regular folk like me wouldn't know how to do that. Further, I couldn't be bothered to, uh, bother. Why? Well, because I have nothing to hide, right?
The possibilities in this arena are legion. And with technology blasting its way through space and time, our characters have no choice but to do the same. And those characters (like me) who don't are fodder for some really great stories!
Happy writing until we meet again!
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One Last Thing!
Remember to nominate great mysteries!
Thank yous to: Humble Poet PNG and Amethyst Snow Angel |
If you’ve got a mystery in your head:
Flesh out your mystery story here:
or here:
Sone great reads involving technology:
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| What's your technology story? Yea or Nay? |
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Mystery: October 02, 2024 Issue [#12768]
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