Have you ever heard the word “subtext” in the context of a story? It’s one of those words people like to throw around when they’re talking about literature, but not everyone understands it the same way.
When I think of subtext, I think of it as an underlying message or theme—something that isn’t explicitly stated in the text or by the narrator, but that hovers around the edges as a potential conclusion based on the things that are explicitly stated.
There are lots of ways to include subtext in a narrative, but first I want to point out that some people see subtext whether it’s there or not. They are always drawing conclusions from things—even conclusions that you didn’t intend or disagree with!
This is fine! It’s part of the process of writing and reading. You write a story and bring your perspective into the creation. But when a reader consumes a story, they bring their perspective to the story as well. And sometimes this means reading into things in a way you didn’t intend.
But say you want to include subtext, and you want it to be pretty clear to the reader what you mean, even if you didn’t say it outright. How do you do that?
Focus on the gaps.
The empty parts of the story are key to subtext.
What does the character not say?
What does the narrator avoid mentioning?
What do you know about the story that the reader doesn’t?
There are a lot of specific techniques to achieve this. For example, symbolism. Maybe the color red (or any color) is frequently incorporated into the story. The character is constantly noticing red things—roses, shirts, barns, bricks. Red represents anger and passion. None of the characters or the narrator says it outright, but repetition a specific symbol can help direct the reader’s attention toward a concept that isn’t actually stated.
Use the setting.
People associate ideas, moods, and all kinds of things with the weather, making it a great way to add implicit ideas to your narrative.
For example, perhaps you have a cheerful, optimistic character, but the weather is always bad. Snow, rain, storms are constantly happening in every scene. This creates a contrast, that perhaps the cheerful optimism showed by the character are less true than the character thinks.
This is also a great way to...
Incorporate an unreliable narrator.
An unreliable narrator is a narrator who is lying or uninformed about the truth of what’s going on. Unreliable narrators can be extremely engaging for readers, who may notice inconsistencies or irregularities that the main character doesn’t notice or ignores. This is a tricky tactic, but when well done, can create an interesting and engaging story. Famous examples of unreliable narrators include American Psycho, Fight Club, and Lolita.
Let silence fall.
While there are many more ways to weave subtext into your narrative, the last one I am going to mention is silence.
In music, silence (or rests) is just as important as sound. It’s is the balance of emptiness and fullness that makes music—after all, no one likes to listen to incessant noise or endless nothing. It’s the same in storytelling: what is not said is just as important is what is said.
What aren’t your characters saying? What do they avoid thinking about? What is your narrator neglecting to mention?
If you want to use subtext in your tale, remember that you have to trust your reader to pick up on them. It’s okay if they don’t, but it’s important to not be too overt or obvious. Otherwise, it’d just be text, and not subtext. 😄
Sometimes, it’s better to leave things unsaid.
