 | Underlying or implicit meaning creates subtext: secret desires, unverbalized fears, or buried insults hidden within the words on the page. Subtext constructs a treasure hunt for readers, drawing us more deeply into the story to discover what’s really going on. “Write just enough to give readers the information they need to keep reading; hint at the subtext and let them fill in the blanks. Withholding information creates space in the reader’s mind for the growth of questions and ideas. This work on the reader’s part is especially important in sustaining interest.” — MasterClass |
Dialogue is one way to convey subtext.
Robert McKee says, “Dialogue should imply, not explain, its subtext. . . . Adept dialogue delivers the sensation of insight, the sense of reading a character’s mind and knowing what she is really thinking, really feeling, really doing to the point of understanding her inner life better than the character herself.”
Robert McKee says, “Dialogue should imply, not explain, its subtext. . . . Adept dialogue delivers the sensation of insight, the sense of reading a character’s mind and knowing what she is really thinking, really feeling, really doing to the point of understanding her inner life better than the character herself.”
How to create hidden meaning in character talk? K.M. Weiland offers concrete steps for creating dialogue subtext:
- Identify the point of character conversations then try to convey the same information without saying it. Instead, imply through body language, description, or by characters saying something oblique or contradictory.
- Instead of answering direct questions, have the character dodge, deflect, respond with understatement or sarcasm, or refuse to answer.
Gotham Writers notes: “Subtext has the power to take an innocuous subject and open it up to profound meaning.” Miscommunication in particular “can add authenticity, create dramatic tension, and even reveal deeper truths.”
In The Art of Subtext, Charles Baxter offers several ways to convey miscommunication in dialogue:
And finally, the importance of silence: “The most emphatic point in the sentence may arrive not with the last word but with refusal to say a word, allowing accusatory silence to hang there.”
Additionally, Baxter describes crafting context through staging (characters getting into another’s personal space or turning away); detailed gestures or facial expressions, and character misbehavior. He says “bad behavior makes us visible, for good or ill.”
- Denial: “an unmethodical way of not hearing dangerous or intolerable information”
- Deflection: “a harmless subject is substituted for an inflammable one”
- Distraction: “listener indifference and inattentiveness . . . mishearing [or] selective listening” and even ignoring the speaker. “The great fallacy of most written dialogue in fiction of our time is that all the characters are listening.”
And finally, the importance of silence: “The most emphatic point in the sentence may arrive not with the last word but with refusal to say a word, allowing accusatory silence to hang there.”
Additionally, Baxter describes crafting context through staging (characters getting into another’s personal space or turning away); detailed gestures or facial expressions, and character misbehavior. He says “bad behavior makes us visible, for good or ill.”
 | There are times when characters speak directly, but miscommunication and other forms of subtext early in the narrative creates a more nuanced, fun, and interesting story. An example from my writing: In Sky God’s Warrior, the Greek hero Aietos initially believes the female main character, Ayda, is a beautiful young man—though he never directly states this. His misinterpretation of indigenous gender roles and Ayda’s misunderstanding of the subtext of his conversations creates a fun source of tension for the reader to enjoy until they decide to go swimming on a very hot day . . . |
All forms of subtext are driven by character fears, desires, and inner conflicts motivated by subconscious emotions and moral dilemmas. These are the same elements that create microtension to generate reader engagement and emotional resonance using indirect imagery.
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