Modern writer resources vs 1920s resources

[nortonew]

I was thinking about how today we have a really massive advantage over writers from the the 1920s, and even over writers from the 1980s.

I don't know if anyone else tends to do much research into subject matter they are using, but I like to look around and find interesting tidbits from reality that I can tie into a story to add flavor. I find that the internet is an extremely useful tool for that sort of thing. Just doing a google search on a subject can lead to all sorts of little-known facts and theories about almost anything.

I can't imagine how someone in the pre-internet world could have come up with a lot of the material we have at our finger-tips now. A writer would have had to have had encyclopedic knowledge of ridiculous proportions. If they wanted to look up info in a library it would have taken hours and hours to locate what we can have in milliseconds.

These search engines are really amazing when you stop to think about it. Of course, they are especially useful when you are writing fiction. They tend to cough out all sorts of info of dubious origin, but with fiction it doesn't matter if the info as true, as long as its ideas are entertaining.

[JJ Burke]

this is true. not only does it make research easier, but the ability to just browse through information about anything actually gives me more story ideas than i start out with.

my dad's an old newspaper/mass media teacher, and he's in a constant state of being blown away by information technology. he says the internet is probably the most important advancement since writing.

i think it's pretty neat too, but i've spent my whole life around computers and stuff, building up expectations for newer faster bigger things.. the latest generation has no real frame of reference for why the internet is such a profound advantage

[Erich Zann]

I was thinking about how today we have a really massive advantage over writers from the the 1920s, and even over writers from the 1980s.

I don't know if anyone else tends to do much research into subject matter they are using, but I like to look around and find interesting tidbits from reality that I can tie into a story to add flavor. I find that the internet is an extremely useful tool for that sort of thing. Just doing a google search on a subject can lead to all sorts of little-known facts and theories about almost anything.

I can't imagine how someone in the pre-internet world could have come up with a lot of the material we have at our finger-tips now. A writer would have had to have had encyclopedic knowledge of ridiculous proportions. If they wanted to look up info in a library it would have taken hours and hours to locate what we can have in milliseconds.

These search engines are really amazing when you stop to think about it. Of course, they are especially useful when you are writing fiction. They tend to cough out all sorts of info of dubious origin, but with fiction it doesn't matter if the info as true, as long as its ideas are entertaining.

In the 1920s you really had to push the boundaries of your imagination and that my friend is what makes a world of difference between todays writers and the authors of the 1920s and before. The conveniences of modern technology can be a boon or bain in the literary world of fiction. Ya, all these tidbits of information will give one all sorts of ideas for a story, but if one relies on this info too heavily and lazes out on imaginitive rule breaking applications, then it's not such an advantage. It's an excuse to be lazy.

I appreciate the advances of modern technology as much as the next guy but I really don't like the easy ways out of conceiving art. You need the mystery of the obscure and inexplicable to tug at one's mind to really get it to move off into unheard of artistic direction.

[Jesus Prime]

Believe it or not, the entire idea for my "Dreams From Outer Spheres" story was based on an article I read on the ruined city of Ctesiphon.

[JJ Burke]

I appreciate the advances of modern technology as much as the next guy but I really don't like the easy ways out of conceiving art. You need the mystery of the obscure and inexplicable to tug at one's mind to really get it to move off into unheard of artistic direction.

well, yeah.. i hope it goes without saying that the internet doesn't replace creativity. i guess i can imagine the sort of web-harvested cheese you are talking about, but i don't think i've seen it happen.. unless i blocked out the memory

[The Lurking Fear]

The resources of today's world kinda take away the creativeness and open minded thinking of writers in the past in my opinion.

If you wanna write about a particular thing or whatever the hell it may be, you can look it up and research it on the internet until you've run it dry or you can take it and mix it up in your head and stretch the boundaries of ordinary thinking.

[E.A. Lovecraft]

I don't believe greater access to resources hobbles creative writing at all. Just because somebody from the 20s had to walk to the library or read the local rag for info doesn't mean he had an upper hand on creativity. If anything, I think modern resources simply enable more sub-par authors to be published.

[Adrian]

I don't think we have any advantages during the ages of writing over any other writer in a different age. It all goes by the 1/2 = 200/400 formula. In a time period you will always be limited by your ability to express your ideas so even if caveman were shown movies about LOTR or atomic explosions and they would have drawed that or made it into lore it would have been just a bunch of weird bullshit to other cavemen.

[Erich Zann]

Adrian,

You seem to be quite knowledgeable 'bout cavemen.

[JJ Burke]

did you ever see 'encino man'? they said that guy was from estonia

[Jesus Prime]

Adrian,

You seem to be quite knowledgeable 'bout cavemen.

He only recently discovered pudding. His eupohria's still wearing off.

[odin2]

Adrian, Have you been sleeping in a block of ice?