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On November 9, 2024, Kasie and Rex took on subtext. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

Subtext for the win

Agenda

• Quick Catch Up
• What is subtext?
• How to successfully use subtext

Segment 1

Some of the best scenes on stage or on film are ones where the subtext bleeds through. You know what they’re saying without them actually saying it. But how and when does that happen in a book? “Subtext occurs when the words don’t match with the actions, and we all know that actions speak louder than words(link).”

Really clever writers can say more by saying less. Let’s take a look at some types of subtext (from here):

• Revelation – over time throughout the story, we are being given clues about what’s really happening, or what the character really feels. Severus Snape never really hated Harry, that was the disguise he used to protect Harry.
• Promise – this is the author committing to specific outcomes for the audience. They may be letting one character bully another, but laving subtext indicating the bully will get theirs in the end; authors must follow through on these subtext promises or the reader will feel let down.
• Questions – when readers have questions about the story or the characters themselves are carried through the tale with their own curiosity, the author has created a subtext that has mystery in it, something to be solved. Not in the obvious way like a mystery novel, but in that hints-of-something-else way.

Subtext is what Hemingway referred to as “the iceberg” where what is shared with the audience in specific language is only a small portion of what is actually happening in the scene.

When and where would you use it? Is it one of those sometimes but not always things?

What do writers have that filmmakers, theatrical, and TV directors turn into visuals? – body language, blocking, facial expressions, tone of voice.

“You might enjoy watching this short lecture on Hitchcock’s use of subtext in the movie Rear Window (link).”

Segment 2

When should you use subtext? Use this link’s list. – when the character has too much to lose by being direct, when you want the reader to interpret the events of the scene and become an active participant.

These types (The Write Practice blog):

• Double meaning
• Change the subject
• Get physical (body language)
• Contrast the dialogue with action – what is th character doing versus what they’re saying
• Say it without saying it – twist the language or use hyperbole
• Mask the emotion
• Answer a question with a question

Segment 3

You can build subtext in to dialogue in a number of ways. Here are some examples from writeandco.com:

• When a character deliberately conceals what he means/thinks/feels
• When a character subconsciously embeds some truth in his dialogue
• When a character’s silence conveys meaning

How well do you know your characters? This can help you figure out what they would reveal and what they would obscure or hide.

Find the tension in the scene. What should be happening? What’s actually happening? Where’s the urgency? Who is pushing and in what direction?

How can you make it harder for characters to say or do what they really mean or want? What barriers to full disclosure can you erect? Som possibilities from writeandco.com:

• They might be embarrassed or afraid to admit some truth…
• Or concerned about their image…
• Withholding information to try to manipulate the situation…
• Or withholding in defiance of another character…
• They might be trying to protect someone’s feelings, needs, or reputation…
• Or deluding themselves and unwilling to admit the truth…
• They might be unsure about something and don’t want to speak too hastily…
• Or they might just be trying to buy time…
• Or they might have a secret about themselves or about the events of the story that they want or need to keep.

Here are some other examples from ThoughtCo

Segment 4

So how do you do it?