Keeping Current

The minute you step on a BART train, walk down the street, or go to the mall, you’re bound to see someone on a cell phone, probably several people, in fact. People seem unable to wait for the doctor or stand in line at the post office without tapping away on a handheld device while they stare at the tiny screen. Cell phones are as much a part of our society as cars.

And yet, in the first draft of my book, my main character had no cell phone and I didn’t even notice until someone pointed it out. This probably stems from the fact that I use my cell phone once a month at most, sometimes less than that. But I’m in the minority here, so if I want to stay current, I need to bring my protagonist into the twenty-first century, gadgets and all, something I have to constantly remind myself to do.

I used to envy Sue Grafton as Kinsey Millhone went about her detecting, home computers but a glimmer on the horizon. Now, so much research can be done by Googling or using an app. How boring. But then I got to thinking, is sitting at a computer really so different than when Millhone goes to the hall of records and sits at a table? And she still types up her reports, albeit on a good old-fashioned typewriter rather than a laptop. Turns out the art of being a detective hasn’t changed all that much. Sure, we have slick iPhones that can tell us the current temperature, where traffic is backed up, and which restaurants have slow service, but the device can’t tell us where a suspect was at eight o’clock the night of a murder. Well, unless he posted his location on his Facebook page. Or twittered about it. But you get the idea.

Even with all the latest gadgets, detectives still have to go out and talk to people, investigate the crime scene, and use their intuition to figure out who’s lying. The basics never change, even when technology does.

Comments

[Camille Minichino]

Very good point, Staci. Until robots are a little more developed, we still have the lock on thinking!

[Mysti Berry]

And if you really don't like cellphones, that can be your detective's little quirk :)

I crush my protag's cellphone in the first third of the book (and her beloved car!)...lazy or creative, who knows :)