Scary Stats Support Scary Theories

by Ben Small



So I was sitting around wondering what to blog about today. I'm not in a good mood, so decided against something funny, and I'm feeling lazy, so I didn't want to work at being too creative. Long Weekend Syndrome. The Monday Blues.

And then I picked up the May edition of independent, the monthly of the Independent Publishers Association ("IDPA"). The lead article, "Diagnosis - Big Trouble: The Case For a Reader Creation and Development Board."

And I lost my appetite.

We're all aware that publishing is in trouble. Traditional channels are cutting back and closing; comic books are competing with our beloved thrillers and mysteries. The internet looks promising, as traditional publishing declines, but nobody's sure exactly how or when the internet will fill the gaps or take the lead. In the meantime, we're all blogging like banshees and attempting to cover all internet bases or opportunities.

But this article by David P. Leach focuses on a much more serious problem for all writers, not just mystery/thriller writers. Readers are dropping like flies.

The article provides statistics that are just plain scary:

- 42% of American adults can't read above eighth grade level;

- 1/3 of foreign born adults in the U.S. and 44% of Hispanic Americans, do not have a high school diploma;

- One in three young adults drops out of a U.S. high school every year.

- A 2007 Associated Press/Ipsos Public Affairs study found that 42% of Americans said they read five or fewer books per year, and more than half of this number read no books per year, and

- For the first time in history, America is graduating high school students less educated than their parents.

The article makes the point that these statistics show the problem facing authors is not so much how to get published and in what format, but rather, who's going to read the books? There's an overall decline in readers.

I'm not so worried about graphic novels. I read comic books when I was young. My parents had the view that comic books were reading, and reading, whatever form it took, was good. And of course, I graduated from comic books to bound books in due course. And while the comic books today are larger and have more plot, graphics and content, I think the paradigm still holds true, even if it might be delayed a bit.

But there is serious competition out there. Among those who don't read, you can expect to find serious television and video game addicts, who spend their time in front of a screen.

So what's the solution?

I don't think there is an easy one, because the problem appears to be part of a larger decline we're seeing all over our culture. Parents taking less responsibility for their children and their upbringing; two job families not having time for their children; a break down in adult supervision and discipline of children; an invasion of ill-educated illegal immigrants; larger school class sizes; shorter school sessions and terms; grade inflation; less focus on reading and writing in schools; burned out teachers; a lack or role models, and the rise of the hip-hop, gangsta culture, where reading is not cool.

The IDPA recognizes that waiting for schools or the government to make changes that will affect these statistics is a waste of time. But I'm not sure what benefits their proposed publisher-backed Reader Creation and Development Board will bring about, either. What's needed is for families to recognize the importance of reading, to instill in their young the burning desire to be better than their parents - the goals most of our parents burned into our minds. Too many kids today seem to feel entitled; they're willing to settle for a lifestyle that gets by, instead of striving to be better, to rise to the top. And they're distracted, by their peers, by all the entertainment options available to them. Somewhere in this mass of choices, the notion that reading is not just another form of entertainment, but something more serious, has been lost in the mix.

Strikes me, the only approach that will work to increase readership across the board, is the community approach, the local level, instilling in parents and teachers the need to push children to read. Writers can help, by making appearances at schools, but much of the responsibility must rest with parents.

And that's why I'm pessimistic. I'm not sure Baby Boomers have passed on the values we were taught.

What do you think?

Location, location, location

By Mark W. Danielson

Rather than selling real estate, I am suggesting using aerial maps to help create realistic scenes. As a reality-based novelist, I have found that visiting my settings is critical to accurately writing about them. In most cases, I’ve been physically able to walk the areas I’ve described, but there are times when I must resort to other means. One of those involves using satellite imagery through the Internet. Here, a variety of mapping web sites allow me to zoom in on specific locations using a full range of magnification. Other than actually visiting the site, there isn’t a better way to create or verify a potential scene.

Using this method is simple. Let’s say I want to find a hotel for a particular crime scene. First, I’ll do an Internet search to locate a hotel that’s closest to my desired location, then I’ll switch to the aerial view that’s normally provided on the hotel’s web site. If an aerial view isn’t available, then I’ll plug the address into a mapping web site. The large scale aerial view gives me a broad understanding on how everything can fit together. Then, if I plan on describing a route to or from this hotel, I’ll pan the map to follow specific roads, picking up details along the way. I always keep my descriptions brief, though. One picture may be worth a thousand words, but there’s no need to use that many.

Scaling a map is equally important, but even this space image of the San Francisco Bay Area shown above provides remarkable detail. If you’re familiar with this location, you can pick out Golden Gate Park even at this range. Once I understand the big picture, I’ll zoom in for clarity, such as in this image of Chicago’s Michigan Boulevard. (See photo below.) Of course, the value of satellite imagery is proportional to one’s familiarity with a location. If you know the area, then satellite images will stir memories that can be woven into your story. If you are unfamiliar and attempt to substitute these images for actually being there, then you are jeopardizing your credibility, for no matter how clear the image, these photos cannot even hint at the smells, sounds, or general condition, nor can they give a sense about the people who walk its streets.

I am a firm believer that reality-based fiction must be accurate in every detail. Since credibility is the essence of any suspense story, why create fictional cities when so much crime happens in existing ones? Remember that even though a small percentage of your readers may discover your error(s), your resulting loss of credibility can seriously damage your writing career. (I still remember some “big name” authors’ inaccuracies from years ago.)

Like everything, satellite imagery is one more gizmo in your tool chest, no different from taking photographs, making video recordings, or talking to street people. The key to being a solid writer is including the details in your scenes. Pay attention to the dust on the light bulbs, the background music, and most of all, have fun with it.

The Misinformation Highway

By Mark W. Danielson

“It’s a dangerous world we live in,” so everyone says. No doubt that’s true, but then name a time when it wasn’t. Just in my lifetime, the U.S. has been involved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, countless “conflicts” in Panama, Somalia, Granada, Kuwait, and now Iraq, and Afghanistan. Of course, there are plenty of slaughters and terrorist acts occurring in other countries that don’t involve U.S. troops. But with many of these problems stemming from centuries of discontent, why is it that today’s world seems so gloomy? Perhaps the answer lies in today’s instant Internet messaging, or as I prefer to call it, the Misinformation Highway (MH).

The MH can breed stories of biblical proportions with lies and half-truths, and most readers are gullible enough to believe them. Why is that? Simply put, it’s because these readers tend to take whatever is published at face value and rarely check the sources. The Internet offers a wealth of information, but every reader must sort the facts from fiction.

The Internet’s biggest problem is it has few filters. Unlike journalism where the newspaper or magazine is held accountable for their story’s accuracy, anyone can post an Internet article on any subject, and people will believe it. Case-in-point on gullibility, a national car magazine recently ran a story claiming that our president was taking action against NASCAR sponsorships. But rather than its readers’ enjoying the magazine’s annual April Fool’s prank, they sent vile letters attacking the White House. The White House was in the dark until someone found a copy of the magazine. Soon after, the magazine issued a retraction.

Of course, correspondents can be irresponsible, too. Such was the case when I witnessed a news reporter make up a ludicrous story to justify the cost of chartering the airplane. You see, after landing on bare dirt in the Sacramento Valley as they had requested, I watched in amazement as this reporter talked to the camera about being surrounded by survivalists. His dramatic lies continued for a few seconds before he added how we couldn’t see the gunmen because they were wearing camouflage. Of course there were no survivalists, rattlesnakes, or even a jack rabbit, but mike in hand, he was completely serious while giving his bogus report. At the same time, I’m sure he knew his story wouldn’t be used for it had no merit. That event happened twenty-seven years ago, and yet I can still picture it as clearly it as though it happened yesterday.

Too often, our daily news is filled with emotion and mistruths. I was particularly disturbed by comments in a Wall Street Journal story about the recent FedEx MD-11 crash that claimed two pilots. While investigators tirelessly worked to sort out information gathered from the Flight Data Recorder, Cockpit Voice Recorder, and physical evidence, journalists, hell-bent on getting their story, sought out pilots willing to make statements that implied they knew the cause. Regardless of the story, no one wins from misinformation or accusations, so take whatever you read with a bucket of salt, and whenever you write something, make sure that your sources are credible. Anything less will come back to haunt you.

Internet - prime source for research

By Chester Campbell

The Internet is a great source for research on a mystery novel. When I started working on The Surest Poison, my new book due out next month, I had the basic idea for a plot contributed by a friend who’s a PI in Nashville. She’d worked a case a few years back that involved the dumping of a large amount of the toxic chemical trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE.

My first step was to Google the chemical compound to see what it was like, how it was used, and what effects it would have on public health. I found both government and non-profit organization sites devoted to information on various pollutants, including TCE. I copied pages of details on the chemical and its health effects. I also found it was used as a degreaser in cleaning things like auto parts. All vital information for use in the novel.

I decided to locate my fictional chemical dump behind a small plant in a mostly rural county on the west side of Nashville. The other adjoining counties all had large populations and at least one moderate-sized city.

Back I went to the Internet to gather all the information available on Cheatham County. I found enough to steer me in the right direction when I made my first on-scene visit.

Since I put my protagonist, Sid Chance, in my home area of Madison, a northeastern suburb, I didn’t need the Internet or anything else to handle that area. However, I gave him a female sidekick who had inherited controlling interest in a lucrative chain of truck stops from her father, a French Canadian import.

I wanted Jasmine (Jaz) LeMieux to live in a French Colonial mansion in an affluent section on the other side of Nashville. I did a search on French Colonial houses and came up with one I used as a model. I also did a Mapquest search, both street and aerial views, to check out the Franklin Road area for a likely spot.

I also used Mapquest to look into several other areas, including the small town of Centerville, where I had them make a helicopter landing. It was also useful to figure how long it would take to drive from Jaz’s house to the location of a climactic event. And when I did the helicopter flight, I looked on the Bell Helicopter website to pick out the Jetranger III for the ride.

I set a few scenes in the fictional town of Lewisville, where Sid worked as chief of police until false accusations of bribery ended his career. I named it after explorer Meriwether Lewis, who died on the Natchez Trace near where I placed the town. I checked the Internet to be sure I had my facts correct on the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s chief.

I used the Internet in countless other ways to check out minor points. The common advice is to be careful of the facts you get off the web, as there is plenty of misinformation out there. If it was something I needed to be sure of, I always chose a reliable source, and on occasion checked another to confirm what I found.

Another use I made of the Internet was to ask questions on listserves or through emails to people like Dr. Doug Lyle, the forensic guru, or in one case, ex-policewoman Robin Burcell.

The Internet has made researching for a book as easy as sitting down at your computer. It can save hours of time and miles of travel. I recommend it highly.