Subtext

When I was a senior in college, I took a creative writing workshop. It was the first time I clicked with a textbook about writing. Before that, I thought that professors and their knowledge (along with trial and error) was the only way to learn about writing. 

That textbook had a chapter in it about subtext, and how you need to know the subtext of your writing.

My philosophy around subtext has evolved a little since then. Yes, knowing subtext is important. But that first draft that sucks doesn’t need subtext yet. That first draft has to have the building blocks of a story that makes sense. Then you can look for your subtext.

But when you look for that subtext, I always want to take it a step further. What’s the subtext, and how real is it? And I don’t mean real for your characters or their situation; I mean how real is it to you? 

It’s my belief that there’s nothing that is truly documentary or truly fiction in writing; In documentary, biases from the filmmaker or interviewees can shift the story. In fiction, characters or situations can stem from real events from the writer’s life. 

There’s something beautiful about it, in my opinion. I’m writing a story about prisoners with a supernatural element, and even though I have never been to prison, my main character has certain ‘-isms’ that are so similar to mine. These are basic, of course. They could (and probably should) be deeper than that. And I don’t always realize the first time it happens- it’s just subtext I find after that shitty first draft is written. 

It’s needed, in my opinion, to know what parts of yourself are reflected in your writing. I almost believe that stories that don’t have some element of yourself in it are soulless. Who wants to watch/read something that doesn’t breathe? Confront your subtext, and I think you’ll be much more satisfied with your stories. 

-Kait