How to Create Subtext In Your Story | Writing Tips

I was looking for this subject recently, thanks so much!

Thank you for this helpful video, Shaelin! I like how you explained that subtext should be used like seasoning, like that "Je ne sais quoi". :D

This is great advice. I hadn't thought of some of these before.

I agree with all of this. The big Qs I have had as I write are 1) 'Is there enough in subtext? Or is what I have in this scene too on-the-nose?', and 2) 'Is there too much subtext here for the reader to find clarity in this scene?'

And it's really vexing when both Qs come up about the same scene moment!

I imagine a spectrum, with fully on-the-nose at one extreme and fully subtextual at the other extreme. Somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot, the optimum place on the spectrum, and it differs per scene.

If I imagine it that way, it cuts the problem down to size. Rather than fretting about the entire spectrum, all I really have to do is make a judgment call on whether I should nudge things a little bit one way, or a little bit the other.

It does seem that successive revisions eventually reveal if I have too much or too little, allowing me to tweak things toward the positive. It also seems to work well when I can express both subtext as well as non-subtext in the same scene about the same issue.

And this is a part of the classic dilemma that faces us as writers: our subjective view vs. the reader's objective view, which is very difficult to deal with. I find that constantly trying to place myself in the reader's shoes is the best way to handle this.

Thanks for the writing tips, Shaelin. I hope you'll consider doing a Live show soon?

I feel like I only make it half way through these videos because I think:
"Oh yeah, great insight. I should go make those changes now."

The video I've been waiting for 😄 tysm for always giving such invaluable craft advice ❤

Also: I miss your line editing videos... any chance we could get one in the near future? 👀

Some of the tips you use I wish my teacher could use some of them

As iron sharpens iron, so is Shaelin to writers :) Great tips on subtext

Saw the massive B and E and X and T in the thumbnail and thought Shaelin was about to give us their opinions on Brexit!

But SUBTEXT is cool, too, I guess? 😂😂😂😂

Tips to create subtext ... but don't focus on subtext, or you'll kill subtext. LOL.
You're right though, first drafts are terrible when it comes to subtext. I would rather let the characters' thoughts occur naturally the way you're describing, then add subtextual things here and there during the revisions. Contradictions are ALSO a natural strength when taking a character through an arc, because people are complicated. Other techniques would depend on what a specific story needs.
By the way I like your cowlick. It's stylish.

Subtext sells.

Sells the emotions, the characters, the themes. And therefore sells the book to publishers.

So helpful. Thank you!

Wow, these are good tips. It must've been a brain workout to figure them all out. I think I'd have only come up with the first two. Using actions is a favorite of mine. I like that you always point out that often being overt isn't a bad thing too. In some cases, it does work. For me it's also the story and with each book, that I often adjust everything I do. Not all stories are the same. So I judge a lot of what I do based on each individual story, and even that current time of where I'm at as a writer. Years down the road, I may favor a different version. Why I love writing. It's not just individualistic, but it's never boring. So many different things we can do, to have a different way a reader takes the story in. Endless fun for me.

I'm in a writing workshop. Even though we use a book to guide our discussions and writing pieces, I ALWAYS come back to Shaelin's vids for awesome additional content.

Hey why does your hair suck, is it like a queer thing?

Thank you for dealing with such a subtle topic.

Shaelin, I wanted to say thank you for your dedication to teaching us what you know. Before I write, I like to watch a few of your videos to put me in the mindset and to welcome new ideas into my craft. You have an authenticity about you that keeps me watching. Blessings to you!

I look forward to reading that treehouse story next

Good work. Subtext can also be external, IE the social or physical environment in which the story takes place that the MC has no control over. Think love story during WWII. The war hovers over everything but it is not a war story per se. The war is an obstacle or even functions as the protag but that is laced together in layers of subtext.

Anyone else ever feel like the, “Have your characters talk about nothing” strategy actually makes their writing more on-the-nose? I feel like it’s a genuinely good writing tip, but I can never seem to do it right.

For example, let’s say I was writing the tree house building scene with the fighting couple. For the sake of this example, the couple’s previous argument before the tree house scene would be about how much freedom they should allow their child to have. I would probably end up writing something like this:

Partner 1 (holding up a wooden plank): Well, what if this plank of wood wants to see the world? It can’t stay here forever.

Partner 2: But it’s a dangerous place out there. The plank of wood could get broken.

Yikes…see what I mean? I’m not sure how to use this advice without it seeming like I’m screaming, “HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT I’M USING SUBTEXT!”

Just the tips I needed to pull together what I've been trying to do. Thank you.

Can we talk about how we can't focus on the content of the video because too we're too fascinated by Shaelin's sweater?

Your skin looks amazing!

This is wonderful! Also, some of these tips work really well for screenwriting/TV writing, especially the first two tips. So many of us love those scenes in TV shows or movies where two characters are doing a thing and they’re talking about something else, but they’re really talking about their relationship with each other. Just something I was thinking about as I was watching your video since I write TV drama pilots, short stories, novellas, and novels! 💜

As soon as I finished your video, I applied subtext to my book. It adds an interesting element to my story. Thank you. Kind regards, Corey

Shaelin, I have read your story How to Slaughter three times now, and in all of my years of reading, there have only been three other works that emotionally provoked me and captivated me this much. I loved everything about it. I loved how there was so much red, coppery, auburny imagery. The whole story felt like the week before Halloween when I was a child and Halloween still thrilled me. And it was so tender. Often I find myself remembering little details like how Ruth kept the leaf in her hair until it fell off or how she traced the crease that Florence’s thumb had made on her paper. Those details are so incredibly subtle but say so much, which is something I hope to improve in my own works when writing romances, instead of being so painfully overt. Phenomenal job, I’m so happy I came across you and your work.

None of my characters care to be subtle!
Before writing a scene, I make notes of what they are actually saying out loud, what they were trying to say, and what they refuse to say...
Almost every time, everything comes out as Marie characters refused to keep their needs and motivations hidden.
Maybe someday I'll write less tense situations or more subtle or even strategic characters, instead of 'let's blurt it all out' types,

Loved this video, you always have such helpful tips that make sense. Unrelated but your skin is glowing!

Such a fountain of knowledge you are! Excellent!

subtext can essentially be thought of as the montage section of a movie.

Even in cinema the plot isn't limited to being conveyed through scenes, and dialog.

Anything dialog of fiction can be converted to a subtext format. In creative fiction well written dialog can be exploited to boost word count. However if the dialog is of mediocre quality, or if the author is experiencing repetitive creative grooves where there isn't much variety to writing it could be worth writing condensed dialog as a subtext format which is writing the story in summary instead of detail which could boost word count yet be generic

Can you do a video on research as a pantser

I love watching a video and learning im good on what im doing so far

Great usage of the phrase "je ne sais quoi."

Example from Stephen King's It: The Losers Club's first bonding experience is building a dam in The Barrens. After which, Bill is compelled to disclose a secret- a monster that lives in Derry's sewers killed his brother.

thank you <3

Out of all the authortube authors i follow, you are the most genuine, helpful, and nuanced. ❤

Hi! I love this video! You are definitely giving me some ideas as far as how to create underlying tension between my characters.

I have a very shallow question lolol how do you format a character’s thoughts? For example, I don’t want to write “thinks Anna” after every one of Anna’s thoughts in my book so I’ve just been italicizing the character’s thoughts with no quotes. The problem is that I’m concerned that’s not super clear to the reader. Help!

I just re-watched Game of Thrones (all 8 seasons). This time, I watched with the closed captions on (which really helps a writer to see how the scenes were "written" because you can SEE the words). I was struck by how many times a character asked another character "What do you want?". This is clearly an attempt to find out what their goas are, which will help the asking character manipulate the responding character (i.e. play the Game); but it is also a great way for the audience to understand what the responding character's goals are. However ... the added complexity is that often the 'responding character' would not answer, or would answer untruthfully, or would respond by asking their own question, and often asking what the original 'asking character' wants. It was fascinating to see the many ways that this simple question was responded to and how the subtext emerged during these scenes.

Excellent video

Someone count how many times "subtext" is said in this video. The answer is ironic.

Unlistenable. I'm sorry. The content is probably useful, but a different voice as narrator, please. Not everyone who can buy a microphone SHOULD use it for this purpose. Young women tend to pitch WAY too high and that detracts from credibility like 'upspeaking' does. I'm a speech coach and it's a 'thing' right now. Try practicing at pitching it lower and rerecord.

I struggle with conveying things that are left unspoken. In film, this is conveyed through actors' body language, long pauses, sideways glances, sighs, etc. But I've noticed that I use these behaviors too much in my writing and it comes across as repetitive. There's only so many raised eyebrows you can use before it becomes obnoxious. The problem is that my main character is naturally stoic and guarded.