Writing About Telepathy
My wife and I play a fun game about once a week. We have a bunch of favorite restaurants, and when it is time to choose, we both think about which one we want to go to. Eventually, one of us will have an idea, and they will challenge the other to guess what they are thinking. I swear that 80% of the time, we succeed in guessing. One could call this telepathic communication.
Of course, the people reading this article are intuitive and see what is going on. “A bunch of restaurants” translates to about five, so the odds of successful “telepathy” are pretty good. Plus, we can eliminate some we have been to recently. Thus, we are not telepathic at all but instead “good at making educated guesses because we know each other.”
Still, it would be interesting to have this ability. The problem is that there are four methods of transmitting data without physical contact: light, sound, magnetics, and radio. The human body can make visual expressions and sounds, but it does not produce radio waves. While they can generate magnetism, it is minuscule. The definition of telepathy is communicating without visual or auditory cues. Meaning that telepaths, if they existed, would mentally generate and receive something like radio, but not radio. Thus, telepathy is impossible.
Well, what if this were not the case? Authors and screenwriters have been playing in this space for many years. One person thinks to another, “How’s it going?” “Just fine,” the other person thinks back. It’s that easy! Or is it?
In my most recent book, Pushed to the Edge of Existence, I took a deep dive into exploring telepathy and a telepathic society. I began by solving a big writing problem. In dialogue, we write, “Hello,” but there is no telepathic communication key on our keyboards. Without this identifier, the writing becomes confusing. So, I used the <> keys. Bill thought to Sally, <It’s fun to communicate with you mentally.>
Then I had to consider emotions. Let’s make a little action scene. James punched Steve and said with a snarl, “I bet you didn’t expect that!” That “snarl” was the emotional part. Well, how does emotion work with telepathy?
Our daily spoken words convey a wide range of emotions, from yelling to sweet-talking. Plus, we smile or wave our hands to communicate our feelings further. Emotion is a huge part of the human condition, which means that I needed something. So, I decided that transmitted thoughts had emotions attached to them.
Thus, for the same action scene: <I bet you didn’t expect that!> Steve thought with anger. That works great, except for a big problem. In writing, it is always best to show emotion rather than tell it. Steve said with a harsh glare. Sally said with a big smile. Simply writing “angry” does not sit well with readers.
To get around this problem, I slowly introduced telepathy to the two main characters. As their skills improve, they can understand the emotions attached to the mentally transmitted words. Later, they learn how to suppress transmitted emotions to keep things normal. I feel this gradual introduction helped bridge the gap of directly telling the reader how the characters felt.
Of course, this is a book, and I had to make things interesting. Humans have all kinds of random thoughts, but we keep them to ourselves to prevent bad interactions. Telepathy would open the floodgates to all kinds of thought escapes we desperately want to keep private.
In one scene, the lead female is telling her husband (the lead male) about her family’s cancer history. He absently thinks, “Cool, I can start dating again.” She is justified in being hurt by these insensitive thoughts, and he profusely apologizes.
Is an apology necessary? As a husband myself, I would certainly say yes, but taking a high-level view, I am not so sure. Telepathy is entirely new ground that no human has had or will have any experience with. Still, because it is make-believe, I can invent any rule I want. Just like Bugs Bunny walking out over a cliff, turning around and walking back without falling because he did not look down; perfectly normal cartoon physics.
So, the two talk about the incident and agree that this cancer thought was part of the mental noise we all have. Of course, I am an author, so you bet this came up later in the story. And this is where my telepathic characters grow. They begin controlling their random thoughts and are more forgiving of them. Of course, I could not leave it there.
Yes, I am talking about what occurs in the bedroom. During intimate interactions, the feelings humans experience are extremely intense. So, sharing them would be a lot of fun. Yet there would be significant mental confusion, as person A would be thinking about person B’s thoughts while experiencing their own intense feelings. Plus, person B would be doing the same, leading to thinking about the thinking. This multistage feedback would make it difficult to maintain an enjoyable rhythm.
You bet I could not let it go with that. Yes, they have a daughter who is also telepathic, and she is curious about their love life. This led to many awkward moments, forcing an uncomfortable discussion at a far younger age than usual.
Once I had a baseline of what it was like for two (plus a child) telepath humans to live together on Earth, I made them travel to a planet of telepaths. This was an entire society that mentally communicated, which meant they had significant differences from Earth.
Yet I did not want to fall into the science-fiction trap of a perfect society. This planet had many problems, and telepathy was one of them. Of course, life finds a way, and they learned how to function. The result was rules, taboos, laws, and unspoken rules to guide everybody.
In one scene, a powerful individual was so used to being telepathic that he did not realize he was daydreaming, and these side thoughts got him into trouble. This leads to a big difference in a telepathic society. They cannot lie, and lying is a big part of our existence. For example, our entertainment is full of lies. Ever met Darth Vader? We even have a name for this bold lying: fiction.
An example would be a comedian telling jokes. In a room full of telepaths, the comedian would think something funny, but the audience would know they are not feeling funny. Hence, the society I created had radically different entertainment that focused on simpler concepts.
This made their society more grounded than on Earth, which meant they needed more. So, they imported entertainment from many planets. They found Earth shows and movies quirky and confusing, which gave them their charm.
Another invention was something I called a “Kebo,” a technology similar to a Star Trek holodeck, except that the user felt and saw what the creator intended. Essentially, they experienced the entertainer’s body (the five senses plus thoughts). And this makes sense for a telepathic society because they are used to “feeling” what the other person is thinking. Thus, Kebo’s were valuable, were stolen, and were abused.
A big downside to a telepathic society is that there would be nothing new, since there would be no secrets, which is what defines their main quality. I made them timid because the people I know who are ultra-honest tend to be timid. In contrast, the macho people I know are overcompensating (lying) for their insecurity.
Another area I dove into was their government. One of the political analysts I follow is William Spaniel, and he is famous for saying, “Look at what leaders do, not what they say.” That would not work in a telepathic society where people would know the real intentions. To get around this issue, a monarchy ruled my fictional planet. This eliminated voting because it requires trickery (advertising and political promises).
Another area was telepathic conflict. Yes, it was possible to use one’s mind to injure another, and I explained how incredibly devastating this could be. In a non-telepathic conflict, there is a lead-up (the reason for the anger), a threat, a threat back, and then the punching begins. The important part is that along this destructive path, there is an opportunity (time) to stop the conflict.
In a telepathic confrontation, both minds would instantly understand how their offensive and defensive capabilities compared. The superior telepath would know they were stronger and would instantly attack, knowing they would win. Meaning, de-escalation cannot occur.
Finally, I had to get around that little problem of telepathy being physically impossible. I explained that it worked through quantum entanglement, a popular physics buzzword related to quantum computing.
The lead male character is bright and realizes that quantum entanglement is not possible in the human brain. He comes to understand that his knowledge of physics is several generations behind. I would call this a “loosely plausible explanation,” which is far better than technobabble, not knowing, or an explanation that readers can easily prove wrong.
That was all I could pack into one book, but I plan another in the series with more interactions. How about a telepathic date? I am sure you are aware how important a first impression is, but imagine getting that first impression directly (without lies or withholding) from the other person? This encounter would be incredibly brutal or incredibly satisfying.
How about a court case, <Did you commit the crime?> <Of course. Whoops.> And let’s say a person’s appearance is not great. How awful would that feel when every person passing that person had undignified thoughts? Or the flip side would be people being jealous of an attractive person.
A normal person has many attributes that we consider attractive, such as their voice. But what would an attractive/unattractive thought be like? I have to work that one out. And how would a telepath ever be a doctor or dentist? Directly feeling tooth pain all day long? Yikes! And imagine the human resources department’s complaints and rules. All a person would have to do is walk by the work restroom with an open mind. They would be fired in a millisecond.
How could you ever take a test in a classroom? A fake compliment to cheer up a friend? Used car salesman? Knowing your past lover is very happy without you. Feeling an entire room full of people upset with you. There is a lot of space to explore.
Writing about telepathy has been interesting and taught me a lot about myself. Yet there is an open question. Would I want to be telepathic? Before I became an author, the answer was a resounding yes, but now I’m not sure. Instead, I will write what I want you to read and keep the rest of my bonkers thoughts to myself.
You’re the best -Bill
April 22, 2026
Of course, the people reading this article are intuitive and see what is going on. “A bunch of restaurants” translates to about five, so the odds of successful “telepathy” are pretty good. Plus, we can eliminate some we have been to recently. Thus, we are not telepathic at all but instead “good at making educated guesses because we know each other.”
Still, it would be interesting to have this ability. The problem is that there are four methods of transmitting data without physical contact: light, sound, magnetics, and radio. The human body can make visual expressions and sounds, but it does not produce radio waves. While they can generate magnetism, it is minuscule. The definition of telepathy is communicating without visual or auditory cues. Meaning that telepaths, if they existed, would mentally generate and receive something like radio, but not radio. Thus, telepathy is impossible.
Well, what if this were not the case? Authors and screenwriters have been playing in this space for many years. One person thinks to another, “How’s it going?” “Just fine,” the other person thinks back. It’s that easy! Or is it?
In my most recent book, Pushed to the Edge of Existence, I took a deep dive into exploring telepathy and a telepathic society. I began by solving a big writing problem. In dialogue, we write, “Hello,” but there is no telepathic communication key on our keyboards. Without this identifier, the writing becomes confusing. So, I used the <> keys. Bill thought to Sally, <It’s fun to communicate with you mentally.>
Then I had to consider emotions. Let’s make a little action scene. James punched Steve and said with a snarl, “I bet you didn’t expect that!” That “snarl” was the emotional part. Well, how does emotion work with telepathy?
Our daily spoken words convey a wide range of emotions, from yelling to sweet-talking. Plus, we smile or wave our hands to communicate our feelings further. Emotion is a huge part of the human condition, which means that I needed something. So, I decided that transmitted thoughts had emotions attached to them.
Thus, for the same action scene: <I bet you didn’t expect that!> Steve thought with anger. That works great, except for a big problem. In writing, it is always best to show emotion rather than tell it. Steve said with a harsh glare. Sally said with a big smile. Simply writing “angry” does not sit well with readers.
To get around this problem, I slowly introduced telepathy to the two main characters. As their skills improve, they can understand the emotions attached to the mentally transmitted words. Later, they learn how to suppress transmitted emotions to keep things normal. I feel this gradual introduction helped bridge the gap of directly telling the reader how the characters felt.
Of course, this is a book, and I had to make things interesting. Humans have all kinds of random thoughts, but we keep them to ourselves to prevent bad interactions. Telepathy would open the floodgates to all kinds of thought escapes we desperately want to keep private.
In one scene, the lead female is telling her husband (the lead male) about her family’s cancer history. He absently thinks, “Cool, I can start dating again.” She is justified in being hurt by these insensitive thoughts, and he profusely apologizes.
Is an apology necessary? As a husband myself, I would certainly say yes, but taking a high-level view, I am not so sure. Telepathy is entirely new ground that no human has had or will have any experience with. Still, because it is make-believe, I can invent any rule I want. Just like Bugs Bunny walking out over a cliff, turning around and walking back without falling because he did not look down; perfectly normal cartoon physics.
So, the two talk about the incident and agree that this cancer thought was part of the mental noise we all have. Of course, I am an author, so you bet this came up later in the story. And this is where my telepathic characters grow. They begin controlling their random thoughts and are more forgiving of them. Of course, I could not leave it there.
Yes, I am talking about what occurs in the bedroom. During intimate interactions, the feelings humans experience are extremely intense. So, sharing them would be a lot of fun. Yet there would be significant mental confusion, as person A would be thinking about person B’s thoughts while experiencing their own intense feelings. Plus, person B would be doing the same, leading to thinking about the thinking. This multistage feedback would make it difficult to maintain an enjoyable rhythm.
You bet I could not let it go with that. Yes, they have a daughter who is also telepathic, and she is curious about their love life. This led to many awkward moments, forcing an uncomfortable discussion at a far younger age than usual.
Once I had a baseline of what it was like for two (plus a child) telepath humans to live together on Earth, I made them travel to a planet of telepaths. This was an entire society that mentally communicated, which meant they had significant differences from Earth.
Yet I did not want to fall into the science-fiction trap of a perfect society. This planet had many problems, and telepathy was one of them. Of course, life finds a way, and they learned how to function. The result was rules, taboos, laws, and unspoken rules to guide everybody.
In one scene, a powerful individual was so used to being telepathic that he did not realize he was daydreaming, and these side thoughts got him into trouble. This leads to a big difference in a telepathic society. They cannot lie, and lying is a big part of our existence. For example, our entertainment is full of lies. Ever met Darth Vader? We even have a name for this bold lying: fiction.
An example would be a comedian telling jokes. In a room full of telepaths, the comedian would think something funny, but the audience would know they are not feeling funny. Hence, the society I created had radically different entertainment that focused on simpler concepts.
This made their society more grounded than on Earth, which meant they needed more. So, they imported entertainment from many planets. They found Earth shows and movies quirky and confusing, which gave them their charm.
Another invention was something I called a “Kebo,” a technology similar to a Star Trek holodeck, except that the user felt and saw what the creator intended. Essentially, they experienced the entertainer’s body (the five senses plus thoughts). And this makes sense for a telepathic society because they are used to “feeling” what the other person is thinking. Thus, Kebo’s were valuable, were stolen, and were abused.
A big downside to a telepathic society is that there would be nothing new, since there would be no secrets, which is what defines their main quality. I made them timid because the people I know who are ultra-honest tend to be timid. In contrast, the macho people I know are overcompensating (lying) for their insecurity.
Another area I dove into was their government. One of the political analysts I follow is William Spaniel, and he is famous for saying, “Look at what leaders do, not what they say.” That would not work in a telepathic society where people would know the real intentions. To get around this issue, a monarchy ruled my fictional planet. This eliminated voting because it requires trickery (advertising and political promises).
Another area was telepathic conflict. Yes, it was possible to use one’s mind to injure another, and I explained how incredibly devastating this could be. In a non-telepathic conflict, there is a lead-up (the reason for the anger), a threat, a threat back, and then the punching begins. The important part is that along this destructive path, there is an opportunity (time) to stop the conflict.
In a telepathic confrontation, both minds would instantly understand how their offensive and defensive capabilities compared. The superior telepath would know they were stronger and would instantly attack, knowing they would win. Meaning, de-escalation cannot occur.
Finally, I had to get around that little problem of telepathy being physically impossible. I explained that it worked through quantum entanglement, a popular physics buzzword related to quantum computing.
The lead male character is bright and realizes that quantum entanglement is not possible in the human brain. He comes to understand that his knowledge of physics is several generations behind. I would call this a “loosely plausible explanation,” which is far better than technobabble, not knowing, or an explanation that readers can easily prove wrong.
That was all I could pack into one book, but I plan another in the series with more interactions. How about a telepathic date? I am sure you are aware how important a first impression is, but imagine getting that first impression directly (without lies or withholding) from the other person? This encounter would be incredibly brutal or incredibly satisfying.
How about a court case, <Did you commit the crime?> <Of course. Whoops.> And let’s say a person’s appearance is not great. How awful would that feel when every person passing that person had undignified thoughts? Or the flip side would be people being jealous of an attractive person.
A normal person has many attributes that we consider attractive, such as their voice. But what would an attractive/unattractive thought be like? I have to work that one out. And how would a telepath ever be a doctor or dentist? Directly feeling tooth pain all day long? Yikes! And imagine the human resources department’s complaints and rules. All a person would have to do is walk by the work restroom with an open mind. They would be fired in a millisecond.
How could you ever take a test in a classroom? A fake compliment to cheer up a friend? Used car salesman? Knowing your past lover is very happy without you. Feeling an entire room full of people upset with you. There is a lot of space to explore.
Writing about telepathy has been interesting and taught me a lot about myself. Yet there is an open question. Would I want to be telepathic? Before I became an author, the answer was a resounding yes, but now I’m not sure. Instead, I will write what I want you to read and keep the rest of my bonkers thoughts to myself.
You’re the best -Bill
April 22, 2026
