Writing about technology in children’s books
Technology is part of our lives. It’s so much a part of our lives that it’s increasingly hard to imagine life without it. I get chills at the idea of running late and not being able to just tex t someone to let them know. I vaguely recall trying to memorise car journeys from maps before setting out, and then getting lost and having to stop by the side of the road to reroute.
And yet, it feels as if the children’s book world is only just catching up with this fact about our lives. And when I talk to other children’s writers, a lot of them want to find ways to avoid tech in stories.
The Problem with Technology
“What if technology ruins the story?”
A lot of writers worry that if their characters have mobile phones or access to the internet, they can easily get themselves out of trouble, and that would kill the conflict. No conflict, no story!
But that can’t be true, can it? Look at sci-fi. Sci-fi writers have had teleportation and video-calls and faster-than-light travel for decades already, and it hasn’t stopped them telling exciting stories. And what about fantasy? Fantasy authors are having to invent more and more amazing types of magic, because the tech we have now puts the magic of past ages to shame. Besides, our real lives haven’t become boring and conflict-free just because we have mobile phones. If anything, they cause as many problems as they solve!
“By the time it’s published, the technology will be out of date!”
I have no idea what the kids are using right now. Is it TikTok? Are they over TikTok? What happened to SnapChat, is that still a thing?
I get this. The details change constantly, and even the things that seem constant can go out of fashion overnight.
But the way people use technology, that stays the same. They use it to find community, discuss news and interests, to share their passions, to be creative, to have fun. And as for videogames… if you saw a screenshot of a game from twenty years ago versus a game from this year you could tell which was which instantly, because of the improved graphics. But you can’t see graphics quality when you’re reading a book – the images are all in your reader’s mind!
So if you’re a writer grappling with this thorny problem, here are some top tips….
Writing about videogames is hard – but not for the reason you think!
Games are stories. When I started writing a book with a videogame in it, I realised I was trying to tell two stories at once. How was I going to get my reader to invest in both? It took a lot of editing, but eventually I pared my game down to some easily-recognisable mechanics and key story elements that either created an intriguing and immersive world, or drew a parallel to something happening in real life.
Do u fink ppl txt lyk dis? UR rong!
Twenty years ago, when I first got a mobile phone, it had twelve buttons and you had to press them repeatedly to get the letter you wanted. Texts had a 160-character limit and each one cost 10p of precious credit. For all these reasons, our generation created a whole language of weird abbreviations. But none of those limits apply any more! The only people who still write like this are showing their age…
Try it for yourself
You don’t have to be good at tech or at gaming to have a go. I knew Fortnite wasn’t my sort of game, but I tried it anyway. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. My cat didn’t run away, my dinner didn’t burn, I didn’t even lose any friends, even though by letting me on their squad I cost them the game. At the very least you’ll learn something new, and you might even find something you enjoy…
These days everyone is a gamer – even my mum plays Scrabble on her phone!
Helen Harvey is the author of Emmy Levels Up, a novel for 8+ readers. Online, Emmy is a superstar gamer but at school she is bullied. She must use her gaming skills to beat her bullies once and for all. Emmy Levels Up will be released April 1st 2021 from Oxford University Press.
