Writing - Tech stuff

 One of the factors that may ‘age’ your work is the technology you refer to in your work. It may be made more obvious when stories are transferred to screens. Even reading can pick up old tech, which may jar in the mind of your customer.

 

If you are writing an historical story, then the technology becomes secondary, but if you are writing about recent history, say the 1980s, then objects such as phones are very different from what we see today. There were no smartphones and the mobiles were the size of bricks and prohibitively expensive.

Cars may also be time-sensitive.  Even if you are writing in the present time, stay up-to-date. When I was writing Steele , as part of my preparation, I researched vehicles and weaponry and kept that document for the whole series of books, updating as was necessary. The exercise highlighted the capability of the weapons, which provided relevant background for the narrative. Similarly, vehicle performance and tech can provide an interesting  background that will appeal to some sections of your readership. 

This may seem unimportant but it is inclusive for some, and for those less driven by details, may skip a paragraph. The bones of your story are important because it demonstrates to the reader that you care enough to look after the details. 

Similarly, empathising with the action you are describing can introduce accurate realism, thus clothing the bones and giving your audience information on which to pin their own knowledge and imagination. The example I often use is the magazine capacity of handguns. When I began writing Steele, the biggest magazines only held 12 – 15 cartridges. By the time I finished the last book, there was a Glock with a magazine for many more bullets. 

If I were writing about nowadays, there would have to be an electric vehicle in there somewhere, and obviously AI, but updated in comparison to ‘Hal’ in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

In fact, writing the tech stuff I enjoyed greatly. Each to their own.

 

God bless