In today's digitalized world, how do you prevent characters from using phones or the Internet, and what are the key points to keep in mind?

In mystery and thriller stories, characters are often isolated to enhance mystery and fear. However, with the spread of mobile phones and the development of Internet lines, it is difficult to create a situation in which a character is completely cut off from the outside world in a story set in modern times. Writer and editor Laura McCluskey explains ideas for isolating characters in the modern information society and the important points to keep in mind when doing so.

Laura McCluskey ‹ CrimeReads

https://crimereads.com/author/lauramccluskey/

In mystery fiction, a story that progresses when, for some reason, it is impossible to travel to other locations is called a closed circle . In old closed circle stories, the tension increases when actions are restricted, such as when an incident occurs but the police cannot be contacted, or when important information cannot be found because the protagonist cannot leave the location.

On the other hand, even if you prepare a place that is isolated from the outside world in modern society, most people always have a smartphone on them. Also, even islands that are called 'isolated islands' often have Internet access unless they are completely uninhabited. If you are setting your story in the present day and have modern means of communication, you need to think about how to make your characters lonely and how to prevent them from getting information through Google searches.

McCluskey divides the commonly used methods of placing characters in a closed circle, even in modern-day settings, into three patterns:

1. Block characters from accessing technology
It is possible to recreate the isolation of the old days by somehow cutting off phone and internet coverage, but McCluskey points out that 'in this day and age when you can Zoom with astronauts on the International Space Station, being on Earth with no means of communication at all is a difficult situation for readers to accept.'

There are other ways to block access to technology besides physically disabling it. For example, in situations where people are under strict surveillance, they may avoid using smartphones for fear of information being leaked through eavesdropping or hacking. In addition, because we live in a society overflowing with information, there may be limited situations where a character who hates smartphones is featured, or an incident occurs while someone is putting their smartphone away for a digital detox.

2: Consider setting up your own quarantine
While a 'remote island' or 'locked building' are classic closed circle locations, another way to isolate characters from the outside world is to have them travel rather than in a specific location. On a cruise ship, plane, or submarine, they may have communication capabilities and be able to call for help, but it's difficult for help to catch up with the vehicle in time to resolve the problem.

Also, although different from a closed circle, being confined to a small space is sometimes used as a way to isolate characters from the outside world. People in a confined state cannot enjoy the benefits of the digital world.

3: Psychological and social isolation
A tricky but effective way to create isolation is to isolate the characters psychologically and socially. When the characters are confused about who is their friend and who is their foe, they are clearly isolated even in places where they have smartphones and access to the internet. In A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window , a woman who witnesses a murder in her next door neighbour's house calls the police, but because she is taking medication that can cause hallucinations, she is socially isolated because no one will listen to her story.

Taking the three types of isolation methods into consideration, McCluskey said, 'Whatever reason you use, it's important to make it meaningful.' In modern times, some special circumstances must be set up to justify the isolation situation, but the point is not whether it can be isolated, but whether the reader will accept it. Although an isolated situation can be justified for the simple reason that 'this character doesn't like smartphones,' McCluskey points out that modern young readers are so familiar with smartphones that they don't know when they don't have a phone, so it may be difficult to accept.