Archive for October 14, 2014
WHITE NOISE IN LIFE AND WRITING
You, my readers, may be wondering what the title of this piece has to do with writing. So do I. Let’s see where it goes.
As a writer, I observe the world around me, comparing the present with what I have experienced in the past. And being a writer of science fiction, comparing the present and speculating on the future. We live in an age when the vast majority of us are constantly connected to the complex grid of modern-day communication essential to today’s way of life. We live in an age of tablets and smart phones, both smarter now than the computers of not so long ago. It’s predicted that soon we will live in ‘smart houses’ providing for our every need and perhaps reaching the point where the house will decide what is best for us. You know I’m of a story along those lines. This ‘smart house’ trend has already begun with locking and observing and adjusting temperatures from your phone. Here is where I will show my age. How much of life do we miss by being so consumed by devices that we no longer observe the life around us?
I remember a news report of a woman falling into water while using a phone, and we all know how dangerous it is to talk on a phone while driving, let alone texting, but so many of us are so plugged in that we tune out responsibilities which could have dire consequences. Of course, there are those who say that talking on the phone is no more dangerous than listening to the radio. I don’t know about you, but I don’t hold a conversation with my radio.
The point is: How does this electronic connection deprive us of appreciating the world around us? What do you think?
There is another point I want to make, as a writer, and may get me in trouble with some of my colleagues. But here goes. I feel self-publishing provides a great deal of white noise to the publishing industry. I recently read in Publishers Weekly that in 2013 there were a total of 458,564 self-published works to hit the market. I know each and every author thinks that their work is worthy of publication, but seriously. Who is to judge the value of each and every publication? That would be the public. But bombarded by such a massive amount to choose from, how do you separate the good from the bad and the ugly? The answer, that’s what the market place is all about. However, I feel the sheer volume is the white noise in publishing.
My next posting will further explore the white noise of self-publishing.
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