What’s Not Being Said

Talk to Me: Writing Dialogue That Works.

Photo by Waranya Mooldee on Unsplash

Welcome back to Talk to Me: Writing Dialogue That Works. That sounds very “podcasty,” doesn’t it?

Anyway, here’s my recap:

In our first post, we talked about what dialogue should do.

In our second post, we talked about giving characters distinct voices.

Today, we’re digging into one of the coolest parts of dialogue the subtext, that part that simmers just below the surface.

Subtext is what a character means but doesn’t say outright. It’s the hidden fear, the unspoken attraction, the buried resentment. And it’s what makes dialogue feel rich, real, and emotionally charged.

So, let’s get started.

For those of you who can’t go beyond the paywall, here’s a fun thing about subtext that I made a bit ago and I’m sort of putting it out here because I feel so much guilt about paywalls. But there is other info below that paywall that’s dialogue specific.

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Note to those of you who can’t go beyond the paywall.

The paid content is below this line and that’s because I need to make a living, too.

I put a lot of content out for free and I’m supposed to value my own worth and blah-blah-blah-stuff.

If you think all the content I write over the year is worth $5 a month and you can afford to send that along? That is super awesome and kind. Thank you. If not, no worries! Just stay around and read the free posts, okay? And try not to resent me for the paid ones.

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