The telephone is killing fiction. Phones have surpassed the state of accessory and become an Unavoidable Character.

I have been mind-drafting this post for awhile but was pushed to publish after watching The Happening. In this modern sci-fic a catastrophic Event is spreading across the Eastern Seaboard. Modern ubiquitous telecommunication ensures that the news unfolds to everyone everywhere in real time. Shyamalan uses phones to advance his plot; but he really had no choice. His only other option would have been to write-in an excuse for their failure, because Phones exist and can’t be ignored.

As a fiction writer I am stifled by phones. My choices are to write-in the technology, shift to a primitive era (like the 80’s) or relocate somewhere with bad reception (Shyamalan had to crutch this at one point). Eventually satellite technology will eliminate the third option, leaving us with increasingly hackneyed excuses and period pieces.

I just want to hang up.
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