--- title: "How to Play Exquisite Corpse: Writing Game Rules | Rhyma" description: "Simple rules for playing Exquisite Corpse with words, plus a paper setup, an original poem example, useful variations, and ways to play online." image: "https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game/exquisite-corpse-writing-game-og.webp" --- GuideSeptember 17, 2026 # How to play Exquisite Corpse as a writing game Simple rules for playing Exquisite Corpse with words, plus a paper setup, an original poem example, useful variations, and ways to play online. A sheet of paper travels around the table. You write one line, fold it out of sight, and pass it on. Nobody reads the whole thing until the paper is full. That is Exquisite Corpse in its simplest writing form. The game needs a few people, a pen, and one rule: earlier contributions stay hidden. The finished poem may be eerie, funny, unexpectedly clear, or a complete mess. All four outcomes count. ## Exquisite Corpse rules in one minute 1. Gather three or more players and take a sheet of paper. 2. Agree on what each person will add: one word, one sentence, or one line of poetry. 3. The first player writes, folds the paper to hide the contribution, and passes it on. 4. Each new player writes without reading the hidden parts. 5. When the page is full, unfold it and read the result aloud. Before the first turn, decide whether the next writer sees nothing, the final word, or the final line. The fully hidden version is closest to the classic word game. Showing one small clue produces a more connected poem. ![A folded sheet passes between two hands while each hidden panel collects a line](/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game/exquisite-corpse-writing-game.svg) ## What is Exquisite Corpse? Exquisite Corpse, or *cadavre exquis*, is a collaborative game associated with the Parisian Surrealists. The [National Gallery of Art](https://www.nga.gov/stories/articles/exquisite-corpse-kerry-james-marshall-and-friends) dates André Breton’s text version to 1925 and notes that the drawing game came later. The odd name came from one of the early sentences assembled by the method. The [Academy of American Poets](https://poets.org/text/play-exquisite-corpse) describes the writing version plainly: each participant adds a word, hides it by folding the paper, and passes the sheet along. A group may agree on a grammatical pattern first. What defines the game is that nobody knows what the others have written. Surrealists also adapted the method for drawings, with one person making a head, another a torso, and someone else the legs. MoMA describes both the poem and drawing forms as part of the same collaborative practice ([Museum of Modern Art](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/484)). ## Set up a paper round without making people wait One sheet passed around a large circle can move slowly. A better setup gives every player a sheet at the start. 1. Fold each page into four to eight panels, like a loose accordion, then open it again. 2. Everyone writes in the first panel of their own page. 3. Fold that panel backward so the words disappear. 4. Pass every page to the left at the same time. 5. Write in the next empty panel, fold, and pass again. 6. Stop when all panels are filled. Everyone opens the page in front of them. This produces several pieces in one round, and nobody spends five minutes watching one pen move around the table. If there are only two players, keep passing the same page back and forth. Set a small limit before starting. One line or about 15 words is enough. Long paragraphs make the waiting noticeable and leave less room for everyone else. ## Pick the kind of writing before you begin The hiding rule stays the same, but the size of each contribution changes the result. Version Each person writes What the next person sees What you get Word game One assigned part of speech Nothing A strange sentence Hidden poem One line Nothing The most accidental version Linked poem One line The latest word or line More continuity between images Story round One or two sentences The final sentence A wandering short story For a word game, write a pattern where everyone can see it: adjective, noun, verb, adjective, noun. Each person fills one slot without seeing the chosen words. You can add articles or adjust the verb afterward so the sentence can be read aloud. For a poem, a shared prompt is optional. A prompt such as “What wakes after midnight?” gives the lines a faint common direction even when they remain hidden. If you want maximum surprise, skip it. Need an opening idea? Pick one from these [50 collaborative poetry prompts](/articles/collaborative-poetry-prompts), then hide the paper after the first line. ## A made-up Exquisite Corpse example Suppose four people each write one line. They all receive the prompt “What wakes after midnight?”, but they cannot see any earlier line. > At midnight the library unbuttons its windows. > A bicycle waits beneath the floorboards. > Someone pours blue rain into a cup. > By morning, every map points home. This example was written for this guide. A real round is often less tidy. One line may change tense, another may introduce a goose, and the ending may refuse to behave like an ending. Read the result once before fixing anything. If the group wants to edit, save that for after the reveal. Correcting a missing article is different from sanding every odd turn into a normal poem. The gaps are part of what the game made. ## Three house rules that change the game ### Leave the last line visible Each player hides everything except the line they just wrote. The next person gets a handhold without seeing the whole poem. This sits somewhere between Exquisite Corpse and a chain poem, and it works well when the fully hidden version feels too random. ### Give each panel a job Label the folds before playing: place, movement, sound, interruption, ending. Writers still cannot see one another’s words, but each line has a loose purpose. For a sentence round, use parts of speech instead. ### Ban explanations Ask for things a reader can picture or hear. “A wet key under the sofa” gives the next writer more texture than “I feel confused.” This is a house rule, not a historical requirement. ## How to play Exquisite Corpse online The paper is useful because it hides the past. Any online version has to recreate that small inconvenience. The simplest method uses one coordinator and private messages. The coordinator sends the prompt to the first writer, collects the reply, then sends only the agreed clue to the next person. When everyone has written, the coordinator posts the full piece. This works in an ordinary group chat, though the coordinator does see everything. A shared document is less suitable unless one person manages permissions or copies each contribution into a private master file. Revision history and accidental scrolling make peeking far too easy. Rhyma uses a related hidden-line format. Each person sees the previous line, adds one line, and passes the poem on asynchronously. The full poem appears after the final contribution. You can write with people in World or invite your own group to a Circle. It is closer to the linked variation than to a completely hidden classic round. If you want to compare this game with renga, burime, chain poems, and other formats, read [7 collaborative poetry games and how people play them](/articles/collaborative-poetry-games). ## Small rules that prevent a bad round * Agree on what stays visible before the paper starts moving. * Set a length limit so one person does not write half the piece. * Choose a direction for passing and keep it for the whole round. * Decide whether spelling and grammar may be adjusted after the reveal. * Set content boundaries for the group. Do not share the finished text publicly without everyone’s permission. One person may still peek. A line may still make no sense. The game is sturdy enough to survive both. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Exquisite Corpse a writing game or a drawing game? Both. The Surrealist version documented from 1925 began with words and was later adapted to collaborative drawing. In the written game, people hide words or lines. In the drawing game, they hide sections of one figure. ### How many people do you need? Two can play by taking several turns, but three to eight keeps the paper moving and gives the reveal more voices. For a larger group, start several sheets at once. ### Does an Exquisite Corpse poem have to rhyme? No. Rhyme can be an extra rule, but the defining rule is hidden context. Free verse, prose sentences, and word-by-word patterns all work. ### What is the difference between Exquisite Corpse and a chain poem? A chain poem often lets each writer see the whole draft or at least the previous line. Classic Exquisite Corpse hides the earlier contributions. The last-line-visible variation sits between the two. ### Can you play at different times? Yes. Send turns through private messages, email, or a game built for limited context. Set a deadline for each turn so the poem does not vanish into someone’s notifications for a week. [Try the hidden-line variation in Rhyma on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.rhyma) ## Sources * [Academy of American Poets: Play Exquisite Corpse](https://poets.org/text/play-exquisite-corpse) * [National Gallery of Art: Exquisite Corpse with Kerry James Marshall (and friends!)](https://www.nga.gov/stories/articles/exquisite-corpse-kerry-james-marshall-and-friends) * [Museum of Modern Art: Let’s Make an Exquisite Corpse!](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/484) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game#article","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game#webpage"},"url":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game","headline":"How to play Exquisite Corpse as a writing game","description":"Simple rules for playing Exquisite Corpse with words, plus a paper setup, an original poem example, useful variations, and ways to play online.","articleSection":"Guide","image":["https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game/exquisite-corpse-writing-game-og.webp"],"datePublished":"2026-09-17T12:00:00+03:00","dateModified":"2026-09-17T12:00:00+03:00","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/#org","name":"Rhyma","url":"https://www.rhyma.app","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.rhyma.app/apple-touch-icon.png"}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/#org","name":"Rhyma","url":"https://www.rhyma.app","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.rhyma.app/apple-touch-icon.png"}},"isAccessibleForFree":true,"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game#webpage","url":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game","name":"How to play Exquisite Corpse as a writing game","description":"Simple rules for playing Exquisite Corpse with words, plus a paper setup, an original poem example, useful variations, and ways to play online.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-09-17T12:00:00+03:00","dateModified":"2026-09-17T12:00:00+03:00","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.rhyma.app/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to play Exquisite Corpse as a writing game","item":"https://www.rhyma.app/articles/exquisite-corpse-writing-game"}]}]} ```