Picking collective brains

[neadods]

This is probably cheating,* but I'm hung up and need the gestalt to help rattle me loose.

Am trying to write a story that hinges on a form of communication, although not necessarily *about* that form of communication. Just as Blink isn't about the messages on the DVD or the wallpaper so much as it's *about* having to communicate through time to defeat the angels.

Having failed utterly at taking the form of communication approach - "I have a brilliant idea about Navaho Codetalkers!" or something, I'm trying to take it from a different angle to see if inspiration strikes that way.

What major, life-impacting message could go astray, either through a bad connection in a game of "telephone" or letters lost or (best yet) letters/messages delivered, but not understood? "I'll marry you." "The British are coming"** "Get home, your father is dying." "You are the heir to..." I'm thinking of some sort of "for want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost... the battle was lost, and all for the want of a horseshoe nail" plotline.


*Nah, if muskratjohn can thank people for coming up for ideas for his games, I'm not going to apologize for taking whatever I can use for my pro pitches.

**Sorry UKers reading this, that's a bit woven into our culture. Blame Paul Revere, who didn't even make his famous ride.

Comments

[xwingace]

Message that could (very easily) be misinterpreted:

.... was wounded during ...

Actual message; implied but not mentioned: but survived.
Understood message; and died of his injuries.

Or of course the other way around

XWA
(Hope you don't mind me popping around... I'm wandering around, randomly checking other people's flists.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Hope you don't mind me popping around... I'm wandering around, randomly checking other people's flists

Not at all, the more the merrier around here!

[fyrdrakken]

I'm reminded of the family story about my grandfather getting shot down in WWII, smuggled to safety by the French Resistance, and sending a telegram to his mother to tell her he was okay. Which puzzled her mightily, since his message reached her before the war department notified her that he was MIA -- but she was able to reassure them when they got hold of her.