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Writerly Ways
Mar. 11th, 2012 02:13 pmFirst off, let me direct you a final time to some flash fiction I did for a challenge, based off last year’s nano. If you liked it, you might like these. click me to see the flash fiction If you do like them, please follow the link saying I’m #87 and click like there for me. Thanks!
Secondly consider this your warning. I plan on posting my Big Bang today. I apologize NOW for the spam.
The topic for today is plotlines that no longer work in the 21st century and how to jigger them to make them work if possible. Call it another side effect of watching Murder, She Wrote lately.
1. cutting the phone lines. That was even on Criminal Minds the other week. Does this still even work? Don’t most of us have cell phones? I know tons of people who no longer even have a land line. So how do we get around the loss of dramatic tension when the lines are cut? I guess we have the coincidental but at least believable escapes of a) battery is dead or b) no signal. Of course the latter would need to be set up in advance and wouldn’t really work so well in city settings. I believe you can buy jammers. I would have to research that before thinking to use it but that could add some suspense.
2. I’m your long lost relative. Unless you were trying to pass this off in a short time frame, I just don’t see this one working any more. Usually they show up to claim part of a will or get back in the good graces of a sickly elderly person. DNA testing is relatively cheap and easy to do. I don’t see a millionaire with money to be had just taking someone’s word for it. Researching the family would no longer be enough. I’m not sure I see an escape for this plot unless you want to go with the person is so happy to see said long lost relative that they refuse to ask for a DNA test.
3. several different types of crime, especially rape would be much harder to get away with IF there is DNA evidence. It would be harder to frame someone as well. Of course, the escape on this is easy. There is no DNA (and it does still happen even when there is DNA when you have crime labs that lie or prosecutors/judges who refuse to reopen cases. I’m seeing far too many of these in real life for comfort.
Can we think of any more?
I am still working frantically on the Scarred Soldier story (Kept Tears) which may be too long for the anthology and might have to be marketed as a novella. I need to check Storm Moon Press on that one. I don’t think I’ll have time to finish this and edit a vampire short story and do the geeklove one. Sigh. I had some links I wanted to share but I’ll be damned if I can remember where they are.
Yearly count –
15160 / 75000 words. 20% done!
Geeklove
3580 / 10000 words. 36% done!
Scarred Soldier
9412 / 10000 words. 94% done!
Machiavelli Moon – did nothing
Splinters of Silver and Cold Iron- did nothing. Hey who asked to see this? I think![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cala_jane did.
Until the Ice Breaks – edited chapter three and got it to the writers group
Riding with Strangers – diddly. Sigh.
Secondly consider this your warning. I plan on posting my Big Bang today. I apologize NOW for the spam.
The topic for today is plotlines that no longer work in the 21st century and how to jigger them to make them work if possible. Call it another side effect of watching Murder, She Wrote lately.
1. cutting the phone lines. That was even on Criminal Minds the other week. Does this still even work? Don’t most of us have cell phones? I know tons of people who no longer even have a land line. So how do we get around the loss of dramatic tension when the lines are cut? I guess we have the coincidental but at least believable escapes of a) battery is dead or b) no signal. Of course the latter would need to be set up in advance and wouldn’t really work so well in city settings. I believe you can buy jammers. I would have to research that before thinking to use it but that could add some suspense.
2. I’m your long lost relative. Unless you were trying to pass this off in a short time frame, I just don’t see this one working any more. Usually they show up to claim part of a will or get back in the good graces of a sickly elderly person. DNA testing is relatively cheap and easy to do. I don’t see a millionaire with money to be had just taking someone’s word for it. Researching the family would no longer be enough. I’m not sure I see an escape for this plot unless you want to go with the person is so happy to see said long lost relative that they refuse to ask for a DNA test.
3. several different types of crime, especially rape would be much harder to get away with IF there is DNA evidence. It would be harder to frame someone as well. Of course, the escape on this is easy. There is no DNA (and it does still happen even when there is DNA when you have crime labs that lie or prosecutors/judges who refuse to reopen cases. I’m seeing far too many of these in real life for comfort.
Can we think of any more?
I am still working frantically on the Scarred Soldier story (Kept Tears) which may be too long for the anthology and might have to be marketed as a novella. I need to check Storm Moon Press on that one. I don’t think I’ll have time to finish this and edit a vampire short story and do the geeklove one. Sigh. I had some links I wanted to share but I’ll be damned if I can remember where they are.
Yearly count –
Geeklove
Scarred Soldier
Machiavelli Moon – did nothing
Splinters of Silver and Cold Iron- did nothing. Hey who asked to see this? I think
cala_jane did.Until the Ice Breaks – edited chapter three and got it to the writers group
Riding with Strangers – diddly. Sigh.
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