The Freedom of Writing a World Without Screens
There’s something deeply satisfying about writing a story set in a time before computers, phones, tablets, and television. A world where written messages travel by hand, news spreads by word of mouth, and deep quietude is as present as sound. Without the constant hum of technology, the pace of life shifts, and storytelling must follow suit.
In a pre-digital world, characters rely on memory, intuition, handwritten letters, and physical presence. A meeting must be arranged in person, not with a text. A secret must be whispered, not encrypted. A lost person cannot be tracked with GPS but must be sought with footprints, inquiries, and instincts. Every piece of communication carries more weight—letters are precious, and the arrival of a messenger can change everything.
The absence of instant knowledge creates mystery. Today, any question can be answered in seconds, but in an earlier era, curiosity lingered. A character might hear a rumor in a candlelit tavern and have to travel miles to confirm it. Research happens in dusty libraries or through the recollections of elders, not in a quick Google search. Delay and uncertainty add texture to a story, making every revelation feel earned.
For authors, writing about a world without screens also forces a richer engagement with the physical environment. Characters must read faces instead of texts, interpret weather instead of forecasts, and navigate by landmarks rather than Internet maps. Sensory details expand—ink-stained fingers, the weight of a wax-sealed letter, the clatter of a horse-drawn carriage—bringing the setting to life in a way that feels immediate and immersive.
It’s not about rejecting modernity, but about embracing a different rhythm of storytelling—one where time and silence possess power, and where connection is built through presence or absence rather than pixels. Where, when catastrophic events occur—the explosions are all the more terrifying.
Have you written a book set long ago? Or read one? How did the lack of screens impact your reading or writing?
