The Subtle Art of Subtext

If you’ve ever acted passive-aggressively, you already understand the gist of subtext. Subtext is “show, don’t tell” with an agenda; it’s the meaning behind actions and words. Without it, your passive-aggressive behavior wouldn’t mean anything. Writing that lacks subtext often also lacks tension and has shallow and predictable characters whose actions and words can be taken at face value.

Subtext in writing

Use subtext to show true feelings, such as love or jealousy, or to heighten the tension of a scene by adding layers of complexity. For example, a scene where a woman asks her boyfriend to move in with her is more tense when the readers know the boyfriend is carrying a breakup letter in his pocket.

Using characters’ behavior and speech to establish societal norms and values is another value of subtext. Think of Tom Robinson’s trial in To Kill a Mockingbird; the reader can make inferences about the morals of the townspeople through the arguments Atticus Finch chooses to make in court. The reader does not have to be told that Finch is risking his and his family’s safety by defending Robinson.

Establishing subtext

Subtlety is the key to subtext. If you’re too obvious about it, readers may resent the heavy-handed explanation. If you try too hard to establish subtext indirectly, you may end up with clumsy metaphors or glaring symbolism. On the other hand, if you are too vague, readers may miss important details.

How do you strike the right balance? Leave situations unresolved so they are always lingering over future decisions and interactions. Layer dialogue with dual meaning. However you do it, the goal is to create situations where the reader can infer more than what is written.

Subtext prompts

A simple tweak to some common writing prompts can turn them into exercises in subtext and also illustrates how subtext can change how you write or think about a scene.

1. Normal: Describe a man sitting on a bench waiting for a bus.

   With subtext: Describe a man sitting on a bench waiting for a bus hours after learning that his wife died in a car accident. Don’t mention the wife or the accident.

2. Normal: Write a conversation between a man and a police officer waiting next to each other in line to buy coffee.

   With subtext: Write a conversation between a man and a police officer waiting next to each other in line to buy coffee, but this time the man has a large amount of cocaine on him. (Obviously, you don’t want to mention the cocaine since this is dialogue.)

3. Describe the bedroom of a character. What should the reader know about this character from the items you choose to describe?

What are some examples of subtext in your favorite stories? Have you used subtext to get across a point in your real life? If so, share it in the comments section!