This tactic tends to work best when the story you're writing is about the online world. If texting is just something that happens while your characters race to the plot, then this advice probably won't work for you.

Just my two cents. Now back to watching American Dad 🤓

The online world is basically intangible. While it's technically a space where ppl engage, any experience of it is strictly internal - we read things in our heads, rarely utilize our body, etc. To represent it accurately, we kind of have to let go of the literal and move into metaphorical territory.

This is why Stephen King is so successful. He takes the intangible (such as anger issues and the fear of abusing your own children) and makes it tangible through fantastical creatures or settings (the hotel itself is antagonistic to Jack Torrance's family).

Could the same thing be accomplished with an actual phone? Sure, but that lacks any flavour. Anyone can write a story about phone addiction with a phone. Instead, why not create a story that feels relatable, but adds in otherworldly elements to make tangible what's often intangible?

Many of us, when lonely, resort to watching others through our screen - whether that's tiktoks, movies, YT videos, etc. Francine is doing the same thing, except replace the phone with a motel. In this way, we get to watch her be active as she experiences the typical beats of screen addiction.

A perfect example is S20 E13 of American Dad. After feeling disconnected from her family, Francine begins spying on strangers in a motel. She craves intimacy and when she can't get it, she begins watching people from afar. This is a perfect 'phone addiction' story but redressed with fantasy elements

But it's hard not to write about the online world. There's so much conflict there. So, as writers, how do you make online activity engaging? How do you use it to tell a deeper story?

Personally, I replace screens with fantasy elements that allow me to tell the same story in an engaging way.

Thank you! 😊