The Game of Telephone as a Writing Tool

The game of telephone: a listening game that turns hilarious or awkward because we’re all such lousy listeners. That, and our enunciation is terrible. So why would you want to use the game of telephone as a writing tool? And, more importantly, how?

How to Use the Game of Telephone
as a Writing Tool

The answer to the first question: Why not? Turn whatever you want into a writing tool – whatever helps.

The answer to the second question? Well, that’s basically to apply misunderstandings in ways that create opportunities for plot complications or humor.

 1. Create a Misunderstanding

Think about how the message goes wrong in the game of telephone. Think about how the words change.

• Rhyming Words: You miss the consonant and guess the rhyming word instead. Or you don’t know the word said to you and come up with the closest approximation you can.
• Homophones: This one’s easy to do – the meaning is the only difference to the listener, after all.
• Missed Words: I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, “Articles are important!” There’s also little and under-emphasized when speaking. So they can be easy to miss. But so can other words. Especially if your attention span is short (or selective).
• Literal Interpretation: There are plenty of phrases in English that are either far better or far worse when interpreted literally. That can make a big change in the meaning.
• Word Substitution: What happens if you use a word the listener knows incorrectly? Then, that person uses a synonym (or so he thinks) when repeating the phrase but completely changes the meaning.

These methods become very powerful ways to create confusion, especially when combined. Whichever you choose, however, has to fit the character and background of the person who mis-hears it.

A really well-educated person with excellent hearing would be less likely to have a homophone or word substitution problem, right? I mean, unless there was an understandable reason for that misunderstanding.

2. Decide How to Use the Misunderstanding

These confusions can have dramatic effects on the plot or cause minor moments of humor. It’s all about how damaging the misinformation is and who hears it.

Here are some aspects to consider:

• The Message: Has it become better or worse? Does it improve the main character’s reputation or destroy it?
• The Character & Goodwill of the Original Recipient: Who hears it incorrectly? Someone who has it in for the person in question? An inveterate gossip? A wise person disinclined to spread rumors? It makes a big difference on the reaction to the message and how far it spreads.
• The Power & Number of Recipients: If a single person mis-hears but doesn’t pass it on, the effect of that miscommunication depends on that person’s influence over the main character and/or the conflict. The more people hear the changed message, the less power they need to have to influence the conflict.

3. Weave the Misunderstanding into the Plot

If you tend towards complicated plots, and the misunderstanding’s going to play a role in the conflict, you may need to re-plot a bit first to make the scenario work. There are questions you’ll need to answer.

• When does the audience / main character find out that the message was mis-understood?
• How much does the audience see how the message is passed around?
• How far does the message spread before the main character knows?

All the scenes that revolve around those answers can be as simple or as complicated as you need them to be. But to make it all work out smoothly, I’d recommend some forethought (not that I’m that kind of plotter).

With less-complicated scenarios (like a moment of humor, for instance), you can start writing and working on the dialogue and timing of the scene. How you reveal the mix-up makes a big difference when adding humor. So that’s what will take the most work.

Make sense? Understand why I’d recommend using the game of telephone in your writing now?

-Em