things that changed the world of genre writing

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inspired by this quote from slate's cellphone horror piece - Andrew Klavan, who is writing the American remake of One Missed Call, says, "If I had to pick two things that have changed the world of genre writing, one would be the fall of the Berlin Wall, which eliminated a whole genre of fiction. And the other would be cell phones. The question everybody asks about crime stories is, 'Why don't they just call they police?' And now, with cell phones, you have to come up with a pretty good explanation."

― ,,, Thursday, 9 February 2006 14:57 (twenty years ago)

DNA fingerprinting must've had an impact, see Patricia Cornwell and her imitators - Forensic Medicine became a big deal some time round the mid-80s.

― Abu Hamster (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:04 (twenty years ago)

I was going to say "last number check". One cop show had the suspect ring the detective, and before the dude could use the feature, comedy sidekick rang in with a stoopid question, removing the ability...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:13 (twenty years ago)

But but but ... I have a little gadget wired into my phone that records the last 50 numbers to call me. At the office, all that data gets stored into a database for posterity - you'd think the cops would have something similar.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:15 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, mobile phones should provide fertile material for genre writers, and technological advances are good for killing off tired old plot memes.

― Abu Hamster (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:17 (twenty years ago)

I mean, what *has* the demise of the servile class, and the phasing out of Butlers done to the murder mystery genre? "The PA did it" just doesn't have the same ring.

― She's In Parties (kate), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:18 (twenty years ago)

Obsolescence of seamed stockings :(

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

how have harlequin novels coped with internets dating?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:20 (twenty years ago)

Don't worry, the British Film Industry will be re-living the heady days of domestic servitude and entrenched class bigotry for the forseeable future.

― Abu Hamster (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:20 (twenty years ago)

Science fiction has never really been the same since people realised that radiation doesn't cause ants to grow really huge.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:24 (twenty years ago)

organic webshooters!!!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:25 (twenty years ago)

What about the influence of Feminism on Chick Lit? Oh, hang on...

― Abu Hamster (noodle vague), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:27 (twenty years ago)

Everyone getting a home PC and internet access. Suddenly, no-one can get easy access to data anymore.

Ach what do I know, I hardly see films thesedays. They might still be talking to computers, and tapping the phone going "Hello... Operator Operator" for all I know.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:30 (twenty years ago)

Improvements in cryptography *should* have changed things but oh no, the hero never needs a supercomputer and several decades to decypher protected passwords etc.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:36 (twenty years ago)

Firewall, people!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

The death of the pulp novel and the increase in the average length of genre fiction from 50,000 in the fifties, to 70,000 words now. That made a hell of a lot of difference.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:46 (twenty years ago)

The rise of massmarket paperbacks (which is pretty much the same as above).

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 15:48 (twenty years ago)

the demonisation of cigarettes.

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:10 (twenty years ago)

The discovery that there was no alien life in the Solar System had a pretty big effect on Sci-Fi.

― chap who would dare to be completely sober on the internet (chap), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

No it didn't.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:23 (twenty years ago)

It just meant that instead of being called something like INVASION FROM MARS, alien stories are called INVASION FROM OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

It's a cosmetic change, but it's still a change. Dammit.

― chap who would dare to be completely sober on the internet (chap), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:27 (twenty years ago)

Also, extra-solar system aliens don't have the metaphoric weight of Martians, who are RIGHT! NEXT! DOOR!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Or the symbolic weight, seeing as mars is the god of war *creaking noises of a point being stretched*

― chap who would dare to be completely sober on the internet (chap), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

And don't forget that it's the RED Planet!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:33 (twenty years ago)

And it shares its name with a yummy chocolate bar!

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:36 (twenty years ago)

And its former Warlord, went on to father the 39th President of the USA.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Living in the future kind of ruins sci-fi.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:42 (twenty years ago)

And having computers smaller than a room and which aren't covered in big ugly tape reels.

― chap who would dare to be completely sober on the internet (chap), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:43 (twenty years ago)

AIDS and safe sex -- got to work in those condoms somehow (so to speak).

― Surfer_Stone_Rosalita (Surfer_Stone_Rosalita), Thursday, 9 February 2006 16:47 (twenty years ago)

i just read this article!

another phone-related thing... the death of the answering machine, which makes overhearing a message being left for somebody else or some such similar situation much more difficult

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 February 2006 18:36 (twenty years ago)

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