In your writing, accounting for modern technology in your plots.

[Voyeurkenneth]

Smartphones. Smartwatches. Doorbell cameras. Etc. Modern gadgets and the internet can negate some plot conflicts that would've otherwise existed a decade or two ago.

Assuming you're writing a current-day story in a setting with the infrastructure...

- How do you account (or not account) for internet-connected devices in your plots?

- Do you feel you have to address the existence of gadgets, or waste words writing them off, to preserve certain aspects in a story? (Example: I feel like it's pretty common in movies today to see a character have to look at their phone and basically convey that there's no reception).

- On the other hand, does the relatively older Lit readership mean that no one is really asking, "Well, a Ring camera in this day and age would've solved that issue! Unrealistic!" Or, "Why didn't the MC just Google the guy? Unforgivable!"

- Is there a fine line between plausible and implausible?

 

[crookedletter]

It's a fun exercise to imagine some famous old plot conflicts with the introduction of modern technology, and how they'd immediately be "fixed."

There's obviously always the potential shortcut to just place your story in some bygone era.

But I would also raise the question/challenge: is lack of communication/access necessary for your conflict, or does it just make it easier? I often find it frustrating when the central tension in a story is the general lack of communication between characters. They're hiding things from each other for no reason, or the story depends overmuch on their ignorance.

Rather than finding a way to eliminate the technology that allows characters to easily communicate, I think it can be more interesting to challenge yourself and your story: give yourself those wrinkles and those hurdles, eliminate the easy out of character ignorance, and see what alternative conflicts you can drum up in the age of constant communication and access.

 

[AG31]

Smartphones. Smartwatches. Doorbell cameras. Etc. Modern gadgets and the internet can negate some plot conflicts that would've otherwise existed a decade or two ago.

Assuming you're writing a current-day story in a setting with the infrastructure...

- How do you account (or not account) for internet-connected devices in your plots?

- Do you feel you have to address the existence of gadgets, or waste words writing them off, to preserve certain aspects in a story? (Example: I feel like it's pretty common in movies today to see a character have to look at their phone and basically convey that there's no reception).

- On the other hand, does the relatively older Lit readership mean that no one is really asking, "Well, a Ring camera in this day and age would've solved that issue! Unrealistic!" Or, "Why didn't the MC just Google the guy? Unforgivable!"

- Is there a fine line between plausible and implausible?

I think this may account for what seems to me to be an increase of stories and TV dramas that are set 30 or 40 years ago.

 

[AG31]

It's a fun exercise to imagine some famous old plot conflicts with the introduction of modern technology, and how they'd immediately be "fixed."

I'd like to see some examples. Does it require a new thread?

 

[NuclearFairy]

Well I did have this line in a recent wip;

I had a brief thought of wishing I had his cell number but as far as I knew, the bakery phone was the only phone he owned.

But even if she'd had his cell phone number, I don't think it would've changed things much. I don't think I've written a modern, or near future(Cause most of my urban fantasy is near future at least in my mind) story that I had to handicap modern technology to make the plot work.

 

[yowser]

This is certainly a huge challenge, one that causes many mainstream writers, esp older ones, all manner of headaches.

The solutions are often awkward (oh, I left my phone behind/didn't charge it, etc) but sometimes work. Front door security camera malfunctioned. Probably best to roll with it all, and not offer contrived explanations. It's a shame you have to deal with it, as your focus really ought to be on the other aspects of the tale.

 

[EmilyMiller]

In your writing, accounting for modern technology in your plots.​

My stories tend to involve people with phones using message apps. I don’t reallly do period pieces, except ones set in Heaven or Hell millennia ago. I mentioned a doorbell camera in a recent story. Characters often Google or look up Wikipedia entries. Maybe it’s an age thing.

 

[iwatchus]

I had the opposite problem with one story, which was mostly set in 1983. I wanted to exchange cell phone numbers and the like and had to say, oh yeah, not om 1983. But a single landline had the effect of making personal calls public to the family, which leads to its own interesting plot elements, which I did use. I think each technology destroys some plot devices and creates some new ones. Some one who had to drive their car home in the nude thinks they can get away with sprinting from the driveway to the front door, but the neighbors Ring catches it.

 

[TheLobster]

Text messages are timeless, pretty much everyone can send and receive them, so I prefer those over actual messaging apps. Especially if the story doesn’t otherwise involve much of the other kinds of technology.

The existence of Google Maps means you can pick and choose how much driving you portray. Previously, you’d need to explain how a character got to a particularly obscure or secluded place; now, all they need is the address. You can therefore use driving time as time for plot-relevant conversations exclusively.

Front door cameras aren’t exactly universal things, so I don’t think you need to account for them every time. Different story if your characters are breaking into an affluent mansion, of course.

On the other hand, in my recent story I came up with an idea of phone-activated front gate locks, which very likely are a thing but I didn’t bother to check for sure. The whole piece was already using and mentioning some typical modern technology (phone camera, webcam, iPad, email), so I felt it was a perfectly valid contrivance to add for the amount of plot value it provided.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Oh right, I did write one where I had to have a technology fail. When a guy got lost hiking in the woods. He had no signal for that, otherwise he would've been able to call for help. But even if I hadn't brought attention to it, I don't think anyone would've questioned it.

 

[iwatchus]

Oh right, I did write one where I had to have a technology fail. When a guy got lost hiking in the woods. He had no signal for that, otherwise he would've been able to call for help. But even if I hadn't brought attention to it, I don't think anyone would've questioned it.

In your story, lots of people don't want to call for help. If nothing else, they charge for rescues.

And some newer phones now include emergency satellite calls, so you can always call for help, anywhere on the planet (if you have access to the sky).

 

[StillStunned]

Despite the prevalence of tech, not everyone uses it. And even then it can be iffy. We had a video doorbell for a bit, for instance, but it never worked properly.

 

[CalBishForNow]

This seems like one of those "kids these days" things that's wildly overblown. People have complained about technology ruining stories for decades, and I guess it's true that it can ruin specific stories, but there are a lot of stories out there.

"Romeo and Juliet could have faked her death easily and the whole plot would be ruined if they had smartphones!" Well, they wouldn't have had that specific miscommunication, but... really? For one thing, they had a messenger and he just didn't make it in time, the kind of problem that can happen with any technology. For another, the plot depends on a poison that harmlessly puts someone in suspended animation, which doesn't actually exist in real life. If the messenger didn't fail, the poison could. For a third thing, the whole point of the story is that they're idiots, immature children, and Shakespeare didn't want them to have a happily ever after.

"The Seinfeld episode in the parking lot wouldn't work if they had smartphones!" Maybe that one wouldn't, but plenty more would. The episode with the menage doesn't depend on miscommunication, or the one where George is trying to get fired.

"People don't have misunderstandings about their plans or feelings because they can reach anyone anytime!" Have you talked to any person in the past 20 years? Talking about feelings isn't hard because you can't find people on the spur of the moment, it's hard because people lie to each other and themselves all the time.

And is it really that hard to believe that there could be problems with cell phones or other new gadgets? I actually am compulsive about keeping the battery charged, but plenty of people aren't. My cell phone is getting old and the battery won't hold a charge that long and I probably won't get around to replacing it for months. Sometimes my phone tries to connect to a wifi network I don't have the password for and refuses to do anything until I get it. Sometimes I'm in the basement and don't have reception; my office was in one for five years. Plenty of offices don't allow cell phones for various reasons. I have a doorbell camera, but I don't want to pay a subscription to the service indefinitely, so I only actually make sure it's working and set to record when I'm out of town for several days and clear out the local storage manually. Which of those strikes someone as implausible?

 

[Paul_Chance]

Technology or the lack of it doesn’t play any role in my stories. It’s simply irrelevant. I think that if technology does play a role then you have to make sure you handle it right. It’s just not something I do.

 

[iwatchus]

This seems like one of those "kids these days" things that's wildly overblown. People have complained about technology ruining stories for decades, and I guess it's true that it can ruin specific stories, but there are a lot of stories out there.

"Romeo and Juliet could have faked her death easily and the whole plot would be ruined if they had smartphones!" Well, they wouldn't have had that specific miscommunication, but... really? For one thing, they had a messenger and he just didn't make it in time, the kind of problem that can happen with any technology. For another, the plot depends on a poison that harmlessly puts someone in suspended animation, which doesn't actually exist in real life. If the messenger didn't fail, the poison could. For a third thing, the whole point of the story is that they're idiots, immature children, and Shakespeare didn't want them to have a happily ever after.

"The Seinfeld episode in the parking lot wouldn't work if they had smartphones!" Maybe that one wouldn't, but plenty more would. The episode with the menage doesn't depend on miscommunication, or the one where George is trying to get fired.

"People don't have misunderstandings about their plans or feelings because they can reach anyone anytime!" Have you talked to any person in the past 20 years? Talking about feelings isn't hard because you can't find people on the spur of the moment, it's hard because people lie to each other and themselves all the time.

And is it really that hard to believe that there could be problems with cell phones or other new gadgets? I actually am compulsive about keeping the battery charged, but plenty of people aren't. My cell phone is getting old and the battery won't hold a charge that long and I probably won't get around to replacing it for months. Sometimes my phone tries to connect to a wifi network I don't have the password for and refuses to do anything until I get it. Sometimes I'm in the basement and don't have reception; my office was in one for five years. Plenty of offices don't allow cell phones for various reasons. I have a doorbell camera, but I don't want to pay a subscription to the service indefinitely, so I only actually make sure it's working and set to record when I'm out of town for several days and clear out the local storage manually. Which of those strikes someone as implausible?

There are ways to write around the tech. I had a story where a customer and a clerk get locked in the vault at the jewelry store during a robbery. But they both explained why they didn't have there phones. He had his out when he got hit on the head and she (the clerk) was required by store rules to keep hers in the back room, not on the floor. Problem solved. And there are still lots of dead spots for reception (including deep in many underground parking garages Every technology gives opportunities and limitations, most of which can be worked around.

 

[iwatchus]

One more plot introduced by modern tech -- autocorrect. There has to be many opportunities to exploit the miscommunications created by it. The plot bunnies are reproducing in front of me like, well, rabbits.

 

[onehitwanda]

People assume tech solves problems. Honestly, as a tech worker, tech creates more problems than it solves.

In my town, it is impossible to pay for parking via the required apps between 11am and 3pm because there are just too many cellphones in the area for the local 4g network. So you do the dance of trying to get into a shop and onto their wifi before your grace period in the parking lot runs out.

Has this this morning. Think I scared an old biddy with some of the words I was screeching at my phone.

Modern technology works when you're on the happy path. Anywhere else ( 5 miles offshore in fog, behind a hill, in a forest during a cloudburst etc) and suddenly your little bleepy talky thing is a paperweight.

It's not hard to use that.

 

[PennyThompson]

autocorrect. There has to be many opportunities to exploit the miscommunications created by it.

why have I never thought of that!!

 

[iwatchus]

why have I never thought of that!!

You're welcome.

 

[Statius]

I only bring it up if there's no realistic way around it. I've had a character have pics taken with phones, and 1 on a dating app, cell phone calls or texting because it fit the scene, character, and scenario. No smart watches or doorbell cameras.

 

[MrPixel]

My characters have their noses in their phones every once in a while. MMC texts fairly often. Main setting (MMC's house) has a pre-Ring CCTV guarding the front door, and fiber internet. Super Bowl party had multiple large screens in the house. Some FaceTime sex.

Don't lean on tech too much, just useful action or dialog points in the story. Several characters are coders or tech-adjacent, so there are opportunities to weave their work into the plot.

The suggestion of Ring doorbells is appreciated. A couple of the characters in my main story line are given to running around naked outside, so neighbors with Ring doorbells and the MMC's friendship with the chief of police should make for some fun dialog.

 

[Soixenta]

My latest work in progress, which is Urban Fantasy, not only has small portable crystal balls that can be connected to a phone, but also this:

I was just about to top up my glass – well, refill it actually – when an alarm chimed on my phone. The Messenger had arrived. Hastily I cleared away the scattered papers on the coffee table, made sure my e-reader was in the right place, and pressed “Invite in” on my phone. A red light began to blink in the corner of the screen.

The air above the e-reader shimmered. A careful pattern was inlaid in the table’s wooden surface. To the uninitiated eye, it looked like an abstract flower. Someone trained in sorcery or magecraft would pick out the pattern that made it a safe place for manifestations. Safe for both parties.

Lady Ghiana’s official Messenger – the one she used for Circle business – had the traditional grey owlish appearance. It fluttered its wings as it solidified, and twisted its head around until it saw me. Then it turned to face me properly. “Message from the Inner Circle to Master Theodora Tremayne. Do you accept?”

“I accept.” The formalities were old-fashioned and tedious. Still, official business and all.

“Downloading. Download complete. Please acknowledge receipt at your earliest convenience.” And the Messenger flickered and vanished. On my phone the red light stopped blinking.

 

[alohadave]

People assume tech solves problems. Honestly, as a tech worker, tech creates more problems than it solves.

In my town, it is impossible to pay for parking via the required apps between 11am and 3pm because there are just too many cellphones in the area for the local 4g network. So you do the dance of trying to get into a shop and onto their wifi before your grace period in the parking lot runs out.

Related to this, big sporting events used to swamp networks before they figured out how to handle the traffic. It wasn't unusual to not be able to get a signal with everyone packed into a stadium.

Also, and on a somber side, disasters will cause outages. 9/11 caused infrastructure outages and millions of people were trying to call in and out of New York all at the same time. You don't need to be in the disaster to be affected.

 

[iwatchus]

@Soixenta example reminded of a tech interference(to one reader) in a fantasy series. There is an old mansion where you can pay a fee and they open up a portal to a fantasy (both in the sexual fantasy sense and in the SF&F sense) world tuned for the customer. I had a reader object that they took ApplePay. I liked the tech/magic crossover. They did have to leave all their tech behind when they entered the fantasy world, though.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Most of my stories happen in a slightly-science fictional world with tech just barely ahead of ours (but that is only the focus of one story). They're plotted to assume modern tech, so it never interferes.

--Annie