Subtext: There's Something Else in There Under the Words

After you've got your fast draft down, it's time to start thinking of adding subtext to your story.

So what exactly is it?

Subtext is craft under-the-craft. It's what you, the author, consciously does to manipulate your story to keep your reader excited about your story. It's tension above and beyond what you are creating with your plot.

Subtext is a little complicated, but also a lot of fun. It's the little things we do with our words to keep our reader in a constant state of questioning, of wanting more of our story and our characters.

It's kind of what keeps our reader in suspense, a little off kilter...

(freefoto.com, image #14-19-53,)

Here goes...

I'm not really sure when I learned what subtext is. Like most things, you might read about something but not really "get" it until much later.

I'm still not sure I've "got it," but I think I'm starting to understand it better.

It takes a lot of experience to master subtext, because it requires a lot of conscious manipulating of the text to keep the reader asking questions, wondering what's going to happen next, etc.

Elizabeth Lyon, in her book Writing Subtext, says "Teachers, agents, and editors often tell writers that every story should be about 'the thing and the other thing.' Two sources of tension and suspense:  from plot and from subtext. What is overt and what is covert. If there are multiple things happening between the lines, then you have that many more sources of tension, subterranean focus, thematic possibilities, and character motivations."

So subtext is another level of meaning the operates under the plot. It's multiple layers of meaning under the words. According to Wikipedia, it's (and this is paraphrased) "content that's not announced explicitly."

Subtext takes thought, planning, and revision on the part of the author to consciously place it there, under the events that are going on in the story. Lyon likens it to being an illusionist, who does things with one hand while surprising you with something happening in the other.

Subtext plays a big part in foreshadowing what might happen next in the story. It takes the form of  subtle hints keep your readers on their toes and keep them turning pages.

Here are some examples:


--Using subtext to develop character by creating hidden agendas and motives. A man may bring coffee every morning to his grandmother. Neighbors think he's the best grandson ever. But maybe he's not. Maybe what he's really doing is trying to catch the attention of Gran's hot next door neighbor. Or casing out her house so he can rob it when she's on vacation. The subtle clues you drop through this character's point of view that hint to one reason or the other--that's subtext.

--Nature--e.g., a downpour erupts at the black moment. Okay, that is pretty cliche. Let's try another:  hero is driving through the hot, dry, dead-looking desert, desert reflects the barrenness in his life. You've used nature to reflect a feeling going on inside the character.

--Discordant details. When a detail is introduced that is discordant to all the others, it can signal something. One tiny green sprout in the middle of that cracked dry landscape might signal hope.

--Sexual attraction:  Two characters may "hate" each other but they may do subtle things that give away their attraction for one another. For example, one makes an embarrassing Freudian slip. Blurts out something unexpected. Your heroine may get caught checking out the hero's backside. These things create an undercurrent of sexual tension beneath their protests that they hate one another. Your reader knows they don't really hate one another--and bigger things are coming.

--Subtext foreshadowing danger. Creepy things a villain might say can foreshadow menace to your character. An unease your character might feel might lead you to believe something bad is going to happen to him/her. A change in the weather for the worse can reflect the dangerous story mood.

--When the reader knows something the character doesn't. This leads us to keep reading to find out  when the character is going to find out, will he or she be okay, etc.

--Symbols can be used in all kinds of ways to reinforce theme. I've mentioned weather above. Cutting a rope can symbolize freedom. An old Victorian house that my heroine loves and is associated with strong memories of her youth can symbolize her dreams and wishes for happiness and a real home. An old necklace a heroine wears intentionally to remind herself of an awful past can remind her she is never, ever going back there. (There are many ways to use symbols throughout your story to support theme, this is just a tiny taste.)

 --Subtext in dialogue. Two characters are talking about one thing, when they are really talking about something else. In a romance novel, this undercurrent can be sexual.

This dialogue example is from my current manuscript. Hero and heroine were hight school sweethearts. It's now ten years later and they have lots of reasons not to get along. The hero has come to the heroine's place to make amends and has just run into her father leaving. This is dialogue between the hero and heroine right after her dad leaves:

Brad threw his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I come bearing coffee. And I came to apologize for being so…”

“Judgmental?”

He exhaled. “Yes. Judgmental. I’m sorry.”

His quirked-up smile looked sexy, not sorry. “Then what’s so funny?”

"I just find it hard to believe your father still wants to kill me after all these years.”

“He senses what you did to me way back then.” 

“Take you to prom?” Brad asked innocently.

Olivia's cheeks flushed. “As I recall, we did a little more than just go to prom together.” They stood in the doorway. She was blocking Brad’s way into the house,  and she wasn't sure if she should move. The conversation seemed headed into dangerous territory.

He stepped closer. She could smell his soap and the lingering scent of menthol shaving cream. 

“Let’s see, I believe you’re right,” he said, pretending to scratch his chin thoughtfully. “We also attended senior picnic and the canoe trip. The canoe trip was especially fun.”

“We got lost and ended up alone in the rapids.”

“See what I mean? Once we navigated the rapids, it was just me, you, and that canoe. Especially fun.” Brad waggled his eyebrows.

“As I recall, riding the rapids wasn’t the biggest thrill that day.”  

“No, Sweetness, they weren't.” His gaze traveled slowly up and down her body, sending prickles of awareness pinging at the back of her neck.

In this example, I imply but never explicitly state what happened on that long-ago field trip, but you get a good idea from what is not said.

--The most important use of subtext is to reinforce the theme of your story. The objects, colors, weather and seasons, repeated words or phrases, many of these special details you specifically choose, should all contribute to the underlying meaning you wish to convey. If your theme is about forgiveness, the hero jumping into a clear, cold stream and feeling revived and alive can support this theme. Or in reverse, the heroine's hair getting caught on an unforgiving branch can be a subtle hint about theme in reverse.

Told you that was a little complex, but worth it trying to understand that there is so much more to writing a story than what's going on in the plot.

Off the top of your head, can you think of any examples of subtext from something you've just read?

(If you know of any books that address subtext, please feel free to suggest! The one below is a booklet.)

Source:  Writing Subtext:  How to craft subtext that develops characters, boosts suspense, and reinforces theme, by Elizabeth Lyon, 2013.

Donald Maass: Tension, Tension Everywhere

I heard famed writing craft author and literary agent Donald Maass speak at a one-day workshop back in January. It was revelatory.

So I went back to my copy of Maass's The Fire in Fiction and reread Chapter 8, Tension All the Time.

How do you create the type of tension that keeps a reader reading every blessed page of your novel?
A page-turner. Can't put it down. Kept me up all night.

How? How? Well, Maass says, it's not by creating a big plot with a big question that will keep the reader turning the pages to find out who-done-it. Even if it's high-stakes. Really high stakes.

It's not setting each scene up carefully with a goal your character goes after, as we are taught to do.

It's not incessant action, sanppy dialogue, or reading about what is going on deep in your point-of-view character's mind.

Not saying that any of that stuff is not important. IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH.

Maass says that an instinct for tension is the best predictability he has for which writers will go on to become career novelists.

This tension has nothing to do with the set-up of the book and all the other things I've just mentioned.

Rather it is about permeating your novel with constant tension that arises from CONFLICTING EMOTIONS, not from outer action going on but from your character's INNER CONFLICT.

No one will give a rat's arse about your beautiful passages of description, your careful backstory hidden in dialogue, your contemplative sequel where your character mulls over what just happened, your carefully choreographed sex scene, or ANY emotion your character feels UNLESS you infuse every single bit of it with MICROTENSION, which Maass defines as "the moment-by-moment tension that keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense over what will happen, not in the story but IN THE NEXT FEW SECONDS." (Boldface mine.)

I am going to sticky-note that last part to the corner of my computer screen.

As Lori Wilde has said in her writing classes, it's all about EMOTION. That's why readers read.

Maass says tension comes from INNER CONFLICT, FEELINGS IN CONFLICT WITH ONE ANOTHER, not from the outer actions we put on the page.

If you are intrigued, read Maass's book. This chapter that I'm talking about has tons of examples and "Practical Tools" section that helps you workshop your own trouble spots so you can up the tension stakes in your own writing and create your own best-selling, page-turning blockbuster of a novel.

Creating Unforgettable Characters: James Scott Bell

Writers' Digest hosted a free webinar this past week given by suspense author and writing teacher James Scott Bell.

Bell has written several books on writing (see his website). The one I have on my shelf (and maybe you do, too) is Plot and Structure.

He has a new book soon to be released called Revision and Self Editing for Publication. The webinar was designed to showcase ths book and was all about revision. It was great!

I wanted to highlight just one brief tidbit of Bell's webinar--how to craft unforgettable characters. It's short, sweet, but very powerful.

So here is Bell's list of traits to give unforgettable characters. Keep them close by and use them to analyze your latest hero or heroine, to see whether you've created characters that jump off the page.

So, are your characters...

UNPREDICTABLE

WOUNDED

YEARNING

PASSIONATE--They have their blood boiling about something.

COMPLEX--inner conflict--This means emotional. Remember, readers aren't analyzing their way through your story, they're FEELING. So give them something to feel about!

RESOURCEFUL

GUTSY WHEN THEY'E CHALLENGED

Isn't this a great list?

Do you have any other traits to add?

For more on James Scott Bell, visit jamesscottbell.com.

Top 3 Harlequin STYYCW Finalists Announced

Despite lots of mischief from Sandy, the Harlequin editors have named the top three finalists in the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write competition. Congrats to:

Jennifer Drogell            The Divorce Party
Mel Sterling                 Grand Theft, Auto
Amber Whitford           In Defense of the Past   


You can read their fabulous first chapters here

Public voting begins again from November 16-27 to choose the ovrall winner.

This has been a really fun competition. I read all 28 of the finalists' entries. So many different and creative ideas! It's also been great fun chatting and getting to know the other finalists.

It's not too late to read the chapters, join in on the fun, and chat with the community on Twitter @sytycwglobal, #sytycw2012.

And if you are targeting Harlequin, there are many learning opportunities here to learn how to hone your ms!

Cheers!



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Learn to Pitch Better by Watching Lisa Kleypas Chat About Rainshadow Road

Is pitching your worst nightmare? Do you quake in your shoes just thinking about it? Are you a fearful public speaker who would rather have all your teeth pulled (at once) than have to sit across from an agent or editor and pitch? If you are, read on!

I adore Lisa Kleypas. Not only is she a hugely talented author, she's a savvy businesswoman, too. Lisa is far beyond the pitching stage of selling books. But the following is a YouTube video I found on her Facebook author page that she did to promote the release earlier this year of her book Rainshadow Road. I think it's very instructional for those of us who are in the process of pitching their manuscripts to editors and agents.

I studied it carefully before I pitched my manuscript this past weekend at the fabulous New Jersey Put Your Heart in a Book Conference. 

Watch the video and see how she does it.

What I learned from watching this:

--Lisa speaks in a very conversational style, i.e., she's not looking clutching an index card with white knuckles and reading her pitch. She's informally telling you about her book, as if you were sitting across the table from her (yet it is carefully worded and the information is carefully planned).

--You leave excited about her book. Why? Because she's excited about it!

--She speaks about her characters like they are real people.

--She is confident in the story. She's not cringing or embarassed or chuckling nervously. She believes in her story--she's proud of it!

--She uses her hands for expression.

--She smiles and looks directly at the camera.

--She keeps it short.

--Now look at your pitch. Have you spent so much time getting it to be under 50 words or to 3 sentences that you've neglected to check for how conversational it sounds? Try reading it out loud, then changing the verbs to sound more like conversation--more informal. 

--My worst fear in the world is fear of blanking out when I pitch (well, okay, maybe not my worst fear but it seems like it at the time!).  I am an index-card clutcher and I suffer greatly. But this fear can be overcome. I know because I did it!

--The key for me was practice. Even if you have to write out a conversational-sounding pitch and memorize it by saying it over and over--DO IT. Make yourself practice in front of someone who loves you. FORCE YOURSELF. When I pitched to an editor and an agent this weekend, I was able for the first time to do it without index cards (although I did bring them with me just in case). But it took a ton of practice. Some people may not have to deal with this kind of stress but those of you who do...you know who you are! And if I can do it, you can too! 

--Remember, most editors/agents you pitch to will request pages from you. And guess what I heard at the conference from Bob Mayer? 90% of people who are asked for submissions at pitch sessions don't even send them? So don't be in that majority!  

--A pitch is a marketing tool. It's the first impression the agent or editor gets--of you and your book. Work hard to make it a good one. If all else fails, remember, it's only eight minutes. Anyone can survive that! If I did, you can too!