On Writing: Subtext (and how to use it)! [ Tarantino | Thrones | Gatsby ]

POSTAL ADDRESS (if you're kind enough to send me a letter or something!)

Tim Hickson
PO Box 69062
Lincoln, 7608
Canterbury, New Zealand

Script by meeeeeeeee

0:00 Subtext is important
1:30 What is subtext?
5:30 I am sad (or stories without subtext)
11:45 Easier and Harder types of subtext to use
16:13 Specific Techniques
20:30 Thematic Subtext is hard
23:20 Summary!

The artist who design my cover photo:

Stay nerdy!
Tim

[zacharydechant]

“You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! THAT MAKES ME ANGRY!”

[jedjensen]

Here's my thoughts on your accent:

The accent you were going for was an upper-class Southern accent that you don't really hear all that often anymore. There used to be two variations of Southern accents (generally speaking, of course, as there were also countless regional variations), but these days they've slowed merged into one. Your accent was a decent imitation of an accent that would have been accurate for both the socioeconomic status and the time period--but not the region, as The Great Gatsby takes place in New York, not the American South.

That being said, it was still a much better job of that specific accent than I'll ever be able to do of a New Zealand accent!

[Thunderios]

I love it when characters are mature enough to discuss what is normally subtext in their conversations but then there's another layer of subtext underneath it.

[guicaldo]

Personally, I love writing characters who don’t really understand themselves. So oftentimes, they’ll talk directly about how they’re feeling in what I’m sure they believe is dialogue with no subtext whatsoever. But they’re coming at it from a flawed, subjective perspective. So while they _think_ they’re just spelling their feelings out, there’s still plenty of subtext in exposing their biases they may not even be aware of.

Because honestly, often that’s more realistic. People don’t always beat around the bush, some people like to just be direct and tell each other what’s up. I like people and characters like that. But just because they’re trying to be direct doesn’t mean you can’t put a lot of subtext in anyway.

[HAL-ojjb]

Now I know why my dialogue always sounds so heavy-handed. I'm hard at reading subtext in real life as well so I seem to leave it out in fiction too lol

[styrax]

7:20 As the robot devil put it: "You can't just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!"

[jasontankable]

If Daniel Craig suddenly dies, they can just cast you for the Knives Out sequel. ❤

[tinkergnomad]

I love this. Much better advice than "show; don't tell, " even though it boils down to the same thing.

[Sootielove]

One thing I'd add though, is that lack of emotional subtext can be subtext in itself. I've found that people who aren't used to being expressive or struggle with emotional honesty can end up using blunt or bland descriptors when trying to explain themselves to other people. They might not be entirely accurate with it, but it can show the first steps and struggle.

[PsychologyandChillwMichi]

Your American accent was interesting, it gave us a little tour of the country. This is super helpful, it's making me reevaluate what has been kind of irking me about my own writing and what I've been really enjoying with this current book I'm reading. Thanks again for another great video!

[DreamerAirazel]

Incredible voice acting, Tim.

Also, these last two videos have been directed attacks at me, and I adore it. These videos on dialogue and subtext have been some of the greatest pieces of help that you have given for me. I've already been watching the dialogue video at least once every other day so I can fully internalize everything in there. I will be doing the same for this, possibly even more often, due to how much help I need from it.

Though, I can say both from personal experience and observations, that many people DO just blurt out what they're feeling. Oftentimes, the people who do tend to be neurodivergent, but it does happen at a non-trivial frequency. Sometimes, a character who, themselves, lack subtext could make other characters exude more subtext in their responses. At least, that's what I theorize. I don't know how well that actually works in practice.

[FeebleAntelope]

20:46: I'd argue that they make subtext blatantly text for kids because adults infamously *assume* kids won't get it. But kids often get more than we realize, even if they aren't always the best at articulating it.

It's one reason why some children of the 80s *loved* cartoons like Robotech or Star Blazers when they were ported over from Japan. They didn't take the same ham-fisted approach to text vs subtext that American cartoons of the time often did.

[rottensquid]

I once collaborated with an aspiring writer on a project, and we reached an impasse about the use of subtext. I thought it was necessary, indeed the whole point of story. He saw it as a roadblock to the accessibility of the story. Why develop themes or characterization at all if not everyone reading the story will pick them up? But this really clarified for me the point of subtext. For my collaborator, the most important thing was absolute control, to ensure everything he wanted the story to be was shoveled into the head of the reader.

To me, subtext was the space you make for the reader. It turns a one-sided form of communication into a dialog. When the reader must puzzle together the unspoken truths of the story, it allows them not just to passively absorb, but actively participate. It turns out, audience participation is a crucial part of all art. Without it, it's not art, just attempted propaganda, trying to force the reader to think and feel a certain way by telling them what the story means. And most people rebel at that. No one wants to be told how to think.

In fact, I've noticed when a story that tries to spell out what it means, we tend to go looking for an alternate meaning that is hidden between the lines. And usually, we find one. Because even if it's unintended, subtext is always there. The purpose of a story is for the author to convey what they believe. And much of what we believe is unconscious. So an author's unconscious beliefs permeate their stories in ways they aren't even aware of. The harder an author tries to control the meaning of a story, the more naked those unconscious beliefs become, as readers instinctually focus on whatever is left unspoken. For those who dismiss subtext, like our friend Garth Marenghi, what they don't intend to reveal tells us far more than what they think they're trying to explain.

[Frostgnaw]

I have always been god-awful at finding the hidden meanings in books; whether it be symbolism, subtext, or whatever else you plan to make me work for. You make it so much more obvious and, although I had great English teachers for most of my school years, I wish I had someone like you. My first English teacher in college pretty much told us to write whatever we wanted. He didn't care about grammar or proper essays - he just wanted us to write papers that expressed what we wanted to express. That was by far my favorite English class. Let me write how I want to write! Let me have fun!

[olafmeiner]

Tim: "Readers are really damn smart. [...Authors] don't need to spell it out."
Me (struggling with understanding subtext): "I wish they would just spell it out more often!"

Honestly, there are books and stories out there who rely so heavily on subtext and implied messages that people like me have a really hard time keeping up. Enjoying such works? Not a chance.

[thomasbonatti]

I laughed pretty hard at "funded by Big Dialogue" 🤣

[onlyechos]

Missing out on subtext is the one thing I'm absolutely terrified of when it comes to my writing. Usually I just let my characters talk in their voices when I'm arranging dialog, but the need of adding subtext makes me feel like I have to be way more conscious than I'm. This video actually helped me to gain some confidence because I already did it naturally. However, I'll go back and get rid of all (or most) the clear statements about the emotions in play. Once again, thank you for a great video!

[Calebgoblin]

This advice makes me feel like I can actually sound clever when I write? Like as an author? And that just feels good

[JustLP]

"All three seasons are amazing!" - Thanks to your video I can now tell you exactly what kind of subtext this is, you did great teaching me! :D
Thanks for these videos on dialogue, they help me very much, all your videos do but with these I can really see how I can improve my writing with your advice! Also thank you for your accent, we have been blessed

[rodrigo]

This came at a perfect time. I just wrote a scene where a character says something like " I did X because i felt Y". Thanks for pointing it out.