Keeping Our Books Current

August 29, 2014 / Business of Writing, Uncategorized / 42 COMMENTS


by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigclip

My thirteen year old daughter uses an iPod device for most of her communications (which only works when on wi-fi) but also has a basic phone for when she’s away from wi-fi or needs to make calls. But she rarely uses the phone.

She discovered recently that she had voice mails on it.  But she was having a hard time accessing them.

Sadly, I was doing something else every single time she brought this up over a period of several days.  This is something I try hard to avoid as a parent.  My goal is to be 100% focused on my children as they are speaking with me.  But on these occasions I was either driving on an interstate highway in heavy traffic,  cooking something rather complicated, or doing some sort of multitasking (poorly, I’m sure) during these conversations.

Finally, on the fourth or fifth occasion of her mentioning that she couldn’t access her voice mails, I sat down with her.

“Show me exactly what you’re doing,” I said.

“So, the voice mailbox asks me to enter my password and then hit ‘pound’,” she said.  “And I’m positive I’m putting in the right password, but it keeps telling me I’m wrong.”

“Show me,” I said.

She then proceeded to hit the asterisk on her keyboard.”

“Whoa, whoa!” I said, “That’s not the pound key!”

She frowned at me.  “It’s not? Which one is pound?”

I pointed to it.

That one? But that’s the hashtag.”

I stared at her.  So…this generation doesn’t even know what a pound symbol is?

“It is a hashtag.  But it used to be called ‘pound,” I explained. “It’s also called a number sign.”

“Well, why wouldn’t they call it a hashtag?  That’s what it is!” she said in complete frustration.

It reminded me again about the huge gulf between generations.  It feels like it’s constantly widening with the quickly changing technology. And there are only 30 years between my daughter and myself.

This made me think…again…about my books and keeping them current.

Although my strategy may eventually change, I’m now making very few references in my books that could potentially date them.

The times when I do make references (usually to technology, but now I’m even leery about mentioning Saturday mail delivery, etc.) I make note of them in a separate document.

There will be a time when I won’t mind that my books are charmingly dated.  But that time might honestly be after I’m dead.  Right now, I’m finding the appeal in making my Myrtle stories as timeless as I possibly can.

One thing about digital publishing is that we can always go back in and tinker with it. I guess that’s a blessing and a curse.

This is not to say that I don’t read books that act as period pieces because I do and I love them.  I’m just not at the point that I want my books to be that way.  If I know I’m reading a book first published in the 70s, a reference to a pay phone or a rotary phone isn’t a bit jarring. But it could be distracting to a reader who wasn’t immediately aware they were reading an older book….and digital books don’t yellow like mass market paperbacks.

Right now, I wouldn’t want a reader to hit a wall with my story the way my daughter did with the pound symbol.

At some point I suppose I’ll let go of this, although I’m not sure when that will be. Heck, maybe I won’t….maybe I’ll include eccentric provisions in my will instructing my poor executor to make regular updates to my books.  Complete with a list of all questionable references that might require updating.

Technology is so integrated into our daily lives that we can’t not talk about it.  But my references are fairly general.  How do you feel about dated books?  Do you deliberately avoid mentioning Twitter or LinkedIn in your stories?  Would you ever consider updating your books…or are you already updating them?

 

  1. Very relevant post, Elizabeth. In a book I read recently, and enjoyed, I felt the attitudes of the characters were somewhat dated until I discovered, well into the reading, that it was set in the seventies. I would like to have known that at the beginning but I hadn’t read the publication date. As it was a digital book I would have had to make a conscious effort to page back and find that information before starting – tho I do always look at the cover first.

    1. Irene–Yes! I’m totally with you….I like to know in advance the time period the book is set in, especially if it’s relevant to the mindset of the characters. Or maybe I need to understand that it’s set in an age before cell phones so that the fact that a character is stranded somewhere in a car won’t seem like a plot device. I’ve gotten so I do check the pub date.

  2. Hi Elizabeth .. on occasions I’ve got irritated with something that to me is wrong .. but what you’re saying about digital books makes sense – and if a book is moved over as Irene mentions above … it’d be easy to add in a note at the beginning.

    Fascinating to hear your daughter’s frustration … I was thinking exactly the same!

    Great point and post .. thanks – Happy Labor Day Weekend … Hilary

    1. Hilary– A note at the beginning would definitely help make things better, if the author didn’t want to update the content.

      Oh, yes, totally archaic to my daughter, the pound reference. :) These phone companies will have to start using the word hashtag or these kids won’t put up with it..ha!

      Thanks so much! Looking forward to the weekend.

  3. I try to avoid brand names wherever possible, though I do make reference to “social media” and smart phones in general. It’s strange to look at how little things we don’t really pay attention to change over time, and how these can trip people up.

    1. Paul–Brand names….good one. I use only the biggest (Coke, etc.) in my books. Oh, and landmarks in cities….I avoid those now, too. Even if they seem permanent, who knows? It’s absolutely startling (chilling) to see shots of the Twin Towers in old movies. Which isn’t what the producers/directors intended when they shot the films, that’s for sure. Distracting.

  4. Hi, Elizabeth. I agree with your post. When I read a book that mentions specific brand names, current technology or people, I think that the book will eventually be dated because what is current or available now may not be in the future.

    1. Susanne–That is *exactly* what I think when I’m reading. But I always wonder if I’m thinking it only because I’m a writer. Still–readers will be thinking it if they’re reading the book 20 years from now and see a reference to President Obama or whatever.

      The thing is that now our books have no limited shelf life. They can be published for forever. New challenges for writers!

  5. Good point. And it’s changing so fast. I don’t have to worry about it writing science fiction, but I do see things in books that no longer exist or have changed.
    She didn’t know the pound symbol? Whoa…

  6. Elizabeth – You bring up such an important topic here. Keeping stories current , but not limited by today’s technology, is tricky. And it can work the other way too. I use hashtags a lot from being on Twitter and Instagram, so I mentioned the term to my husband not long ago. He said, ‘What’s a hashtag?’
    ‘It’s a pound sign.’
    ‘Well, why don’t they call it a pound sign then? That’s what it is!’

    Same issue from the other direction.
    If we want to attract readers from more than one age group, I think it is important to think about the world we portray. I honestly don’t know what the solution is, but I do know we need to think about it.

    1. Margot–It’s very tricky! And that’s interesting about your husband’s comment…I think many people our age would say the same thing. For me, it represents a problem because I write for older readers–maybe they *won’t* get the hashtag reference. So at what point does it need to be changed…at what point does it enter standard English usage in a way that 90% of the readers can understand? Food for thought, for sure.

  7. That reminds me of one of those funny Twitter/Facebook post lists I’ve seen… somebody posted “Just found a phone from the 90s with a hashtag on it! Why would they need a hashtag when Twitter wasn’t even invented yet?” I made sure I told my 7-year-old the three names for the symbol (number/pound/hashtag) right then and there! LOL

    I think of pop culture references the same way as a reader/aspiring writer. I can’t help but wonder whether they’ll feel dated and when. I read a modern retelling of Northanger Abbey recently which was excellent but made repeated references to Facebook. What will people think of that in ten years or however long it takes for Facebook to be obsolete? What does everyone think of when an author takes something like Facebook and fictionalizes it (calls it Friendzone or something but you can tell it’s supposed to be a stand-in for Facebook?)

    1. Megan–I *especially* wonder about the Facebook references. Nothing against Facebook. But I’ve noticed that it’s clearly falling out of favor with the young people. I think they’re all Snapchatting now and Instagramming and whatever. So its longevity certainly isn’t guaranteed and it’s not quite the huge brand name of a Coke or something.

      You were so smart to fill in your 7 year old! I could have prevented this entire saga if I’d done so.

  8. Elizabeth, you make some very good points here. It’s funny because last night we were watching TV when a commercial displayed a hashtag. My husband (who doesn’t do computers) ask me if that was what was called a hashtag, I said yes and we discussed how symbol meanings have changed. I can understand wanting to keep your writing current and that it must be difficult to incorporate technology without dating it. I guess I’m getting at that age where I enjoy reading books that remind me of my youth – the rotary phone, 8 tracks, no cellphones and such. But I want to know the era the book is set in when I start reading. References early in the first chapter do help.

    1. Mason–It’s changed in *such* a short period of time, hasn’t it?

      I’m with you..it’s fun to read period piece books. But only if I know in advance that that’s what I’m reading.

  9. Oh yeah, I worry about this all the time. An older draft of my first book had all the teens using flip phones–the next draft, I had to change it to smart phones. I reference general things like texting and email, because I think those will be with us a long time. But not specifics, like Facebook. Facebook will go the way of MySpace someday, and wow, our books will be dated. I read a book where the author referred to some music that was popular at the tie he wrote it. But owing to the year delay in publishing, those songs were already off the radio. I was so embarrassed for him.

    1. Kessie–Flip phones! Yes!

      I also use texting and email but avoid mentioning (usually) social media platforms. Or I make note of it if I do. I never use song titles in my works, either…just too easy to date the story.

      If you’re writing YA, this has got to be even more of an issue, I’d imagine. Those kids would expect everything to sound super-current.

  10. LOL! I wonder if she knows what a swung-dash is?

    I tried to keep technology to a minimum in my series, just casually mentioning computers, email, and cell phones. Some things come and go so fast. MySpace was barely around when I started writing them and now it’s pretty much dead. Glad I didn’t include it at some point.

    1. Diane–She’d have no idea! She even flipped out when she saw a film negative when I was doing my photo organizing project recently. :(

      Yeah, MySpace would totally date a book!

  11. Interesting post and legitimate concern! But I think that in our digital age, it’s not really a problem, it’s so easy to update a book – I’ve done it several times and I’m quite ready to do it again, if needed. But IMO, something else happens: when you’ve got a lot of books out (and if they’re not all in a single series but several series), then, for some reason that I can’t quite fathom, there comes a time when you the author no longer cares. The first trilogy I published probably could be updated – I’ve updated it once and I’m damned if I do it another time…Let it be dated! It will become dated overtime anyway (I don’t think I’m Shakespeare!!!LOL!)

    1. Claude–Oh, I know…so easy to update the books we put out ourselves. I need to let it go and not be so Type A over the content. But it’s hard!

      And my trad-published books are sadly dated already, I think. But I can’t do anything about those!

  12. This is a finger-in-the-dike challenge. At what point should one stop referring to “pencils” and switch to “stylus” ? Should references to “a brand new Saturn sedan” be eliminated? Is MySpace dead, in a coma, or just napping? Napster?

    Elizabeth, consider this from a reader’s perspective. When you were reading A Long, Hard Look did you notice, even once, that I was all over the map when it came to anachronisms, misplaced specificity, all that stuff?

    My guess, my hope, at least, is that you were so wrapped up in the story you didn’t stop to wonder “They have video on a computer, but nobody’s using cell phones?” and stuff like that.

    When you’re watching Ace Spader break into the enemy science lab and plug his laptop and USB drive in to steal the Rambodrive code, I’ll bet you don’t stop to ponder the supreme impossibility of such computer shenanigans. And the people who do aren’t enjoying the movie, they’re dissecting it to see what color its liver is.

    Readers and viewers who dissect are a particularly dissatisfying fanbase. I say ignore them, actively nudge them toward the door, in fact. (The one review of A Long, Hard Look which mentions the difficulty determining place and time begins with a short list of technical errors in the book. This is not a fan I want. It just isn’t.)

        1. The phrase “feeling Kindle’s shorts” would probably put this blog out beyond a G rating.

          I’ll probably change the Rambodrive” to something less Rambo. But Ace Spader sounds like a great guy.

    1. Joel–I absolutely did *not* notice any anachronisms, etc. I was wrapped up in the story. You’re so right.

      But…it’s hard for me to let it go. There is definitely a finger in the dike aspect to it, though.

      MySpace–deader than a door-nail! But I still have a fondness for Napster. :)

      1. Napster got me buying more music than anything that’s happened in my life.

        As you stress about them gremlins, ask yourself who benefits from the extra effort. I suspect the answer is “no one.”

  13. Interesting post, and I’m also interested to hear the different approaches you and others use to create a “timeless” feel. I was startled by some outdated references even when reading Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch… right after publication!

    I’ve been searching for more general language for tech references like “sent a message” or “looked through the photos” instead of referring to the specific media or using the term specific to current tech.

    Any other practical ideas or phrasings?

    1. Rebecca–It’s that jarring feeling that I’m not crazy about. Just don’t want any readers to feel that when reading through *my* book!

      Photos could be images, maybe. Images should cover all digital media, although it’s sort of vague if printed photos are intended. You could use “wrote” or “contacted” for sending a message, which might work, depending on the context. Or, if you’re pursuing self-pub, you could use “email” and “photos” and just change the copy later (it’s not to hard to do it, even for a professionally formatted file. I’ve done it quite a few times without having to contact my formatter again).

  14. I think use of “pound” is pretty much a N American thing. Everywhere else in the world, we call it a “hash” symbol. It caused no end of trouble when, as an Australian, I joined my first international teleconference. “Press the pound sign…” Eek! There’s a British currency symbol on my telephone keypad???!1! Couldn’t join the meeting until a colleague told me that Americans call a “hash” a “pound”. Still trips me up every now and then.

    1. Kaz–Oh, I can only imagine! As I was writing this post, I was thinking, “Of course, in the UK, they’re thinking the pound sign is: £ . :)

      I’m thinking we *all* call it a number sign when it prefixes a numeral…right?

      Of course, I’m thinking we’ll ditch calling it a pound here–especially with this upcoming generation not knowing what the heck it is!

  15. Elizabeth, I often have to depend on my son (17) and daughter (23) to set me wise about tech gadgets like cellphones, laptops, and computers. I don’t know how they do it but thanks to their superior knowledge we have been currently watching all seasons of “Becker” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” on our television screen via YouTube routed through my son’s playstation. I still haven’t figured it out. I was so content with my Smith-Corona typewriter.

    1. Prashant–Ha! I love it. I thought I was fancy when I had a Brother typewriter with 1 line of memory. :)

      I’m okay on Netflix and Amazon Prime, but when my husband hooks up TV through the Xbox….I’m lost. Sounds like you and I are in the same boat with the game consoles!

  16. Oh my gosh, that cracks me up! I wonder if my teens know what the pound symbol is? I recently watched Pretty Woman, and got a big kick out of the giant cell phones.

    As a writer of YA novels, I try to be aware of the quick changes in social media. I don’t want to mention Facebook by name, because what if it goes the way of MySpace? Better to keep it neutral or make up a name (in my opinion).

  17. Elizabeth– I’m as late to this party as I am out of touch with the technology you describe. In my Brenda Contay mystery series, I’ve tried to finesse the whole tech thing by making my central character a Luddite like me–but I’m aware of skating on fictional thin ice. The character is too much younger than I am to be rolling her eyes at tablets, smart phones, etc. Once again, your post proves what I’ve been saying for some time: you better live with children or have easy, daily access to them. That is, if you’re not young, and setting your stories in the present.

    1. Barry–I think that’s the perfect approach. Since I write about quilting in one of my series but am not a quilter, I do the same–I have a beginning quilter as the protagonist.

      I think living with kids really, really helps with teen dialogue. With the technology, it helps me know what’s current (SnapChat, Instagram is hotter than Facebook for that crowd). So…it definitely shows me where I’m getting dated. It happens quickly!

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