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Complications Ensue
Feb. 9th, 2010 10:06 pmI read the 'Complications Ensue' blog because I've got both his books and they're full of useful, and often so are his posts. Today I'd like to disagree, but the dratty thing won't let me post a comment.
"No one loses a notebook anymore because everyone keeps their notes on their computer."
His class assumptions are showing. Also assumptions about age and education. 'Everyone' rich enough to own 'their' computer, educated to know how to use them, and young enough not to consider notepads morally superior and/or less scary.
Plus people who worry about hacking either get smart at encryption or just don't put important stuff on a computer. (If the notes in question are your password list? yeah, we're not supposed to, but many have one.)
These are not hypothetical people, these are people I know, and I don't know many people.
Also I personally can barely handwrite and own both desktop and laptop, but my pocket notebook is the paper sort, and if I lost it there'd be all sorts of fallout.
And then there's the heaps and heaps of writer notebooks, which I rather wish were on a computer but which keep on piling up on paper regardless. Writer process doesn't like the blinky cursor until I actually know what I want it to say.
And anything to do with library books ends up on paper because the library computers are always full and I can't leave my laptop on a table while I browse. Anything about my actual I own these books? It's in the margins. Isn't that what the margins are for? And in both cases I await the day I can ebook everything, but, well, really not.
So there's a lot of ways to lose written notes you've put serious time into.
Plus I'm just talking about the UK. Globally computer ownership is a whole lot less than 100%.
So 'everyone' probably translates as 'everyone you are thinking about writing about'.
"Sure, somebody could, as a character point, have a notebook. And not everyone has a cell phone. But if you hang a plot point on it, it stops being a character point and becomes a convenience."
I'd disagree. What's the point of character points that aren't going to turn into plot?
If Rupert Giles doesn't know from computers you know he's going to fight a demon on the internet one day. (And magic books are another one where there's strong tradition to support keeping them *away* from computers. Some 'verses have them blow stuff up, some have them come alive in there. Some just don't want them to crash or gradually rot your access as your computer programs stop talking to each other.)
You put words and time into establishing someone is an old-tech note taker, you can hang a plot on it.
It's only when you haven't done the foundations it comes off convenient.
... I realise I've only had one script get as far as rejected ever and this guy has TV shows made, but I can still have disagreeing. As long as I'm honest about that bit up front...
But I still agree with his last line.
"Try to come up with a plot point that can survive both characters having cameraphones and laptops that they regularly back up."
Because nothing is so annoying as the plot that can unravel with a single sentence in the right ear.
"No one loses a notebook anymore because everyone keeps their notes on their computer."
His class assumptions are showing. Also assumptions about age and education. 'Everyone' rich enough to own 'their' computer, educated to know how to use them, and young enough not to consider notepads morally superior and/or less scary.
Plus people who worry about hacking either get smart at encryption or just don't put important stuff on a computer. (If the notes in question are your password list? yeah, we're not supposed to, but many have one.)
These are not hypothetical people, these are people I know, and I don't know many people.
Also I personally can barely handwrite and own both desktop and laptop, but my pocket notebook is the paper sort, and if I lost it there'd be all sorts of fallout.
And then there's the heaps and heaps of writer notebooks, which I rather wish were on a computer but which keep on piling up on paper regardless. Writer process doesn't like the blinky cursor until I actually know what I want it to say.
And anything to do with library books ends up on paper because the library computers are always full and I can't leave my laptop on a table while I browse. Anything about my actual I own these books? It's in the margins. Isn't that what the margins are for? And in both cases I await the day I can ebook everything, but, well, really not.
So there's a lot of ways to lose written notes you've put serious time into.
Plus I'm just talking about the UK. Globally computer ownership is a whole lot less than 100%.
So 'everyone' probably translates as 'everyone you are thinking about writing about'.
"Sure, somebody could, as a character point, have a notebook. And not everyone has a cell phone. But if you hang a plot point on it, it stops being a character point and becomes a convenience."
I'd disagree. What's the point of character points that aren't going to turn into plot?
If Rupert Giles doesn't know from computers you know he's going to fight a demon on the internet one day. (And magic books are another one where there's strong tradition to support keeping them *away* from computers. Some 'verses have them blow stuff up, some have them come alive in there. Some just don't want them to crash or gradually rot your access as your computer programs stop talking to each other.)
You put words and time into establishing someone is an old-tech note taker, you can hang a plot on it.
It's only when you haven't done the foundations it comes off convenient.
... I realise I've only had one script get as far as rejected ever and this guy has TV shows made, but I can still have disagreeing. As long as I'm honest about that bit up front...
But I still agree with his last line.
"Try to come up with a plot point that can survive both characters having cameraphones and laptops that they regularly back up."
Because nothing is so annoying as the plot that can unravel with a single sentence in the right ear.