Writing Subtext: What Lies Beneath

by Linda Seger

Partly a how-to book, partly an exploration of this important topic, Writing Subtext explores all the underlying meanings that lie beneath the words, images, and actions in film, which are also applicable to any kind of fiction writing. Replete with examples from films, as well as examples from real life, Writing Subtext helps the writer figure out how to find and write subtext.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film

180 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Dr. Linda Seger has a Th.D. in Drama and Theology, and created her script consulting business based on her dissertation project about the elements needed to make a script work. She explored the integration of Drama and Spirituality during her five years in seminary. She holds three M.A. degrees: Drama from Northwestern University, Religion and the Arts from Pacific School of Religion, and Feminist Theology from Immaculate Heart College Center.
She has a broad religious background. She grew up Lutheran and did several years of spiritual seeking in her 20s. She became a Born-Again Christian and then joined the Quakers (Society of Friends) and is a member of The Colorado Springs Friends Meeting. Throughout the years, she has meditated at a Zen Buddhist center, attended New Age conferences, has done the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignacious, and has read and taken classes in the religions of the world.
Dr. Seger's thoughts about how spirituality influences her work:

“Many readers are surprised and even confused when they see I’m the most prolific writer in the area of screenwriting, an international screenwriting consultant and a screenwriting teacher. Yet, I also do theology/spiritual books. Some of this comes from having an M.A. In Drama, 2 M.A.s in theology and a ThD in Theology and Drama. They seem to be separate, but they are actually integrated.

Drama shines a light on the human condition. It explores the conflicts, struggles, doubts, uncertainties, and possibilities for transformation and redemption. Even secular drama deals with hope and goodness and the struggle for authenticity and love.

When I consult on scripts, I am trying to help the writer reach deeper into the truth about who we are as humans and what are our possibilities. When I write books on spirituality, I am doing the same thing – digging deeply into our experiences and struggles, and then shining the light of Scripture and theology on making some sense out of what we see and feel. I am trying to get at The Truth and to dig deep into our experiences. So, I never look for easy answers, and I don’t try to pigeonhole either our stories or our spirituality.”

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book, and the clarity makes it ideal for someone who has pretty much never heard of subtext. Rather than adult writers, I'd recommend it as excellent for high school or entry-level college students: the ones who have no idea that anything is going on beneath the surface in books, plays, and films. Every student I've ever met would benefit from this book. Each chapter is followed by a list of prompts or interrogations for addressing your own writing, so you could use this as a class text.

This is very readable, with great examples of subtext in films from classic to contemporary, in all kinds of genres, from Remains of the Day to Avatar, Casablanca to Airplane (a personal fave). Seger breaks the subtext down fully and clearly, supported by the script and director's notes, and shows the reader how (and why) to pay attention to the choice of language or action.

[Hosius Mr · Rating 4 out of 5]

زیر متن تقریبا در همه جا وجود داره، از گفتار عادی ما گرفته تا لایه های پیچیده در یک فیلمنامه! زیر متن به عمق کلام و فضا اضافه میکنه و میشه گفت به اندازه متن اهمیت داره، اما چجوری به متن خودمون زیر متن اضافه کنیم بدون اینکه خیلی آشکار نباشه و در اصطلاح از کار بیرون نزنه؟
.
کتاب به توضیح زیر متن در انواع موقعیت ها و سبگ ها پرداخته و برای روشن شدن بیشتر موضوع از فیلم ها کمک میگیره، به این صورت که یک صحنه از فیلم رو بازگو میکنه و سپس به توضیح زیرمتن در اون صحنه میپردازه و علائم و نشانه ها رو بطور کامل توضیح میده، در پایان هر فصل تمرین هایی برای تقویت در ک زیرمتن وجود داره که جالبه
.
شاید نشه کتاب رو زیاد تخصصی در نظر گرفت، اما به عنوان مکمل در کنار آثار دیگه جالبه و ارزش مطالعه داره (البته در داخل کتاب هم به این موضوع اشاره شده)

[Paula Berinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book that gets me thinking, and this one really does. I've known what subtext is forever, but I didn't realize how critical it is to the texture of a work, and how important for actors.

Seger explains that subtext drives a story, and now that I think about it I see why. Subtext grows out of a character's motivation. It *is* motivation. The character may not tell you what she wants, but her goals and desires underlie and manifest themselves in everything she does. So it's the writer's job to show us what she's really after in symbolic and oblique ways. Brilliant!

While the book is extremely useful, I couldn't grasp it in one reading. There's just too much to think about. So after I've pondered it a while, I will return to it again. Some of that pondering will involve looking at my own work and assessing how much subtext I've inserted without realizing it, because that hasn't been something I've consciously thought about. Whether or not I've done it well up to now you can bet I'll be working on it in the future.

Another great book for writers from the industry's first script consultant. (Great for novelists too!)

[Paula Cappa · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is quite a lot in this book in helping writers to understand the mechanics of subtext (not just the meanings beneath the words but what informs the text i.e. the implicit meaning), most of this book focuses on subtext from films: Double Indemnity, The Big Short, Cheers, Ordinary People, etc. So if you are a screen writer or playwright, I think you’ll be happy to learn about the uses and methods on how subtext motivates, communicates, and can present scene conflict and tension. I’m a writer of novels and short stories so I was disappointed, expecting this book to also address novel writing. It doesn’t. But there is a lot here to get you thinking and examining about character motivation and plot driven stories. Seger says, “subtext makes us ask why.” I did like how she explains the psychology beneath subtext, what’s true, what’s evasive, certainty vs. uncertainty, conscious and subconscious subtext. Very helpful.

[Eren Buğlalılar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Başarısız bir kitap.

Yazar 20-30 sayfada açıklanabilecek bir fikri, şişire şişire 180 sayfaya çıkarmış. Güzel bir başlık bulmuş, piyasaya vermiş. Hollywood'un ünlü senaryo danışmanlarından biri olduğu için çok satacağını düşünmüş olabilir. Güle güle harcasın.

Yazarın alt-metin sınıflandırmaları dağınık, özensiz. Verdiği örnekler özlü bir biçimde ifade edilmemiş. Freud'dan başka bir teorik altyapısı yok gibi bir şey. Kitabın başlığında "yazmak" var, ama yazarlıktan ziyade, yazılmış senaryoların basit çözümlemesinden ibaret. Bu kadar sığ kitapları sevmiyorum. Ya da şöyle diyeyim: Giriş düzeyinde, temelin temeli bir kitap yazdıysan, bunu başlığında belirt: Bebeler için alt-metin filan de.

Yazarı kitabının yeteri kadar şişmediğine ikna olmuş ki, bir de sonuna bir meslektaşından berbat bir mektup ile, Avatar filminin alt-metinsel "çözümlemesini" eklemiş. Bakhtin ağladı.

[Alborz Taheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

به نسبت کتاب‌هایی که در حوزه‌ی فیلم‌نامه‌نویسی هستند کتاب تقریباً خوبی بود. بیش‌تر از این حیث که تمرکزش بر انواع زیرمتن بود و مثال‌های به نسبت متعدّدی داشت.

[Marusique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Достаточно простая и информативная книга о подтексте. Если выполнить упражнения в конце каждой
главы, можно хорошо углубиться в тему. Читалась легко.
Моментами было слишком банально, стереотипно и поверхностно. Смутили слова вроде «гомосексуалист». Возможно, это тонкости перевода, но звучит неприятно и оскорбительно, особенно для издания 21-го года.

[Lumos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга интересная, очень маленькая, но без практики. То есть если вы хотите научиться добавлять скрытые смыслы, то такого в книге вы не найдете. Здесь автор приводит только примеры из разных известных фильмов, довольно интересно. Объем маленький, прочитаете за час.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Много интересных наблюдений о том, что такое подтекст.
Однако часто автор (или переводчик?) бросается на сходство некоторых слов как на указание подтекста. Но меня не убеждает, например, что "сбросить тарелки со стола" так уж явно указывает на "отбросить" чужие чувства. Пусть даже в оригинале фраза звучит более гладко, сам принцип осмысления подтекста вызывает вопросы.

[Muath Aziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book to read by Linda. A smooth read as you expect from her. (So smooth that I actually finished two books today, I've never even been able to finish a book in one day not to mention two!). I was especially eager for this one and gladly I wasn't disappointed for subtexting is a skill I lack.

The understanding of subtext can, not only be used in writing scripts, but also in real life when interacting with others and trying to understand them. Of course movies/novels are all about human interaction; Agatha Christie is a genius in the field of human social relationships I always believed.

Text is just the tip of the iceberg of meaning. The way the text is said and the way it is delivered by voice and gestures (this applies to movies but not novels).

- Do you think this dress look nice?
- yeah, it's fine. (You look fat in it)

Pauses can translate into subtext too
- Are you okay?
- yeah.... I'm fine. (I'm not okay)

Subtext can be told visually to tell character's backstory. From what the character is wearing we can tell what's her job and education. You can tell she is a nurse without the need for text. You can tell he has a bad past from the cuts in his face, without telling that explicitly.

Not to mention of course rain and lightning in horror movies, upbeat music in comedies, cliche sunset-beach-walk in romance. Also genres have their own subtext. If a house burns in a comedy you laugh, because he was so stupid and forget to turn off the oven.

[Yurii Samusenko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ця книга поклала край моїм вивченням сценарного мистецтва, а якщо сказати точніше – відбила бажання читати більше літератури на цю тему. Сегер, звісно, пише доступно про підтекст, але через сторінок 20 здається, що дійшла до примітиву. Є хороший аналіз "Аватара" та "Звичайних людей". Головна цінність, щоправда, полягає у післямові сценариста Елвіна Сардженат ("Людина-павук 2", "Паперовий місяць"). Він там рекомендує початківцям класти болт на підтекст при написанні сценарію, адже додатковий сенс неодмінно виникне, якщо помістити персонажа в непередбачувану ситуацію. А такі трапляються мало не в кожному фільмі. Та і взагалі поради по підтексту не мають сенсу, адже він з'являється раптово всюди. Таким чином, післямова нівелює всю працю Лінди Сегер і робить книжку малоінформативним чтивом на дві години у метро. Кумедно, що на обкладинці сам Сарджент рекомендує ознайомитися із цією книгою. Краще знайти собі щось якісніше.

[Manuel Palacios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imprescindible para aquellos que quieran mejorar su nivel de narrativa.

[Maff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful information on writing subtext. The writing was a tad dry; difficult to pinpoint the issue, but I wasn't so "drawn in" to the subject as with other, more engaging, books on similar subjects. Still, the learning is there to be had, and it's still a "recommend".

I thought the best chapters were the first one ("Subtext: What is it? How do you find it?"), the second-to-last ("The super-objective"), and the very brief Afterword (which, though short, packed a decent punch). The two aforementioned chapters dug deep into the details, providing real insight. Elsewhere the chapters often felt a tad superficial. Pretty good overall though.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that there's a nice, slim book all about writing subtext. It has a lot of examples and explanation of its concepts, which could be useful to someone unfamiliar with subtext and symbolism. Unfortunately, basically everything said was something I knew on some level, and it wasn't helpful to me. Also, despite its brevity, I think it's still stretching to reach a page count. It did not need to be this long.

[Amin369 · Rating 4 out of 5]

زیرمتن همون حرفاییه که گفتی بدون اینکه به زبون اورده باشی. اینکه گفتی حالم خوبه ولی حالت خوب نیست. یک محور مهم در نوشتن. زیرمتن رو همه بلدیم چون همه تو زندگیامون ازش استفاده کردیم. نکته جالب کتاب اینه کافیه سرفصل یه بخشی رو بخونی تا دقیق بفهمی چی میخواد بگه. انگار خودت این موضوع رو میدونی فقط متن کتاب یادت انداخته یا برات شکافتش که بهتر درکش کنی یا بتونی استفاده کنی خیلی جالب بود. کتاب خوبیه پیشنهادش میکنم.
مراقب هم باشیم و از پیش هم نریم.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Book About Subtext

A very on-the-nose book about subtext. My largest complaint is that the writer merges subtext in film with subtext in writing. While writing screenplays and writing novels are similar (e.g. the writing), the author really should write two different books. Lots of this book was useless information to me.

[Charity Shehtanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so helpful in helping me understand and use subtext. One great benefit was a specific example she used that clarifies a revision to the first chapter of my work-in-progress. People have questioned if I started in the right spot, but with the theme and first paragraph I've been struggling over, it is the perfect spot.

[Люба Балашова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Небезинтересно, но некоторые примеры казались простыми и банальными (хотя они наверное нужны как интро).

Не все кейсы одинаково интересные, если читаешь книжку по фану, а не как практический учебник

[Varina Denman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be reading this book again and again! And praying I can learn all these techniques. #fingerscrossed

[Katya Korolyova]

It is like a retell of something you clearly know and see and at the same time keep forgetting. This book feels like watching a movie for the second time, noticing something you have already seen but haven’t quite understood. Worth it or not, some good exercises may be of some use to those who are writing a movie. Though in the end, it is written, (not verbatim, but close), as long as you don’t care about the subtext - it comes out good, while caring - it starts to sag and be floppy.

[Josie Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and helpful.

[Enma Martínez-Cornó · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is subtext in itself.

[popsin · Rating 3 out of 5]

realmente, más que un estudio del subtexto es una especie de guía para no escribir diálogos on-the-nose. puede que a veces resulte un poco obvio, pero está bien para tener claras las bases

[Shalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! I love writing advise books that give many examples from movies/books. A lot of this is very familiar but I still love a reminder that explores how this is done well in other books/movies

[James Pitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

With so many books available covering the basics of writing, e.g. structure, plot, characterisation, etc, I was surprised to learn how few authoritative publications there were on the use of subtext as a means to create emotional impact. In fact, at the time of writing this review, I noticed just four dedicated books on Amazon attributed to the subject. Of course, there are other retail outlets, but I didn't notice any further options there, either.

After a long and exhaustive search and having read some positive reviews, I eventually settled on Writing Subtext: What Lies Beneath, by Linda Seger. It was worth the wait (and the frustration). One of the things which quickly became apparent to me when I began reading the book was the many different forms of subtext, some of which I never new existed. Or, perhaps I did, but had simply not thought of them as being subtext. Dialogue – sure, description and gestures – maybe, but subtext in images, metaphors and genre? Okay, maybe that explains my Amazon sales figures. But, seriously, next time you watch a great movie or TV show and try to analyse the source of those layers of meaning, chances are they have been created using some form of subtext. I realise many writers are probably already well-versed on the value of this subject, but, for the uninitiated like me, the contents of this book were a big deal.

Chapter one begins with a definition and exploration of subtext, with subsequent chapters discussing the many techniques of expression highlighted earlier. There are helpful excerpts of successful scripts the author uses to emphasise a point as well as exercises and tips for discussion at the end of each chapter, just in case the reader hadn't been paying attention.

This is a genuinely good book, packed full with helpful advice and tips for writers of every discipline. It's perfect for anyone looking for guidance on ways to create more insight and depth to their work.

[Олена Кіготь · Rating 4 out of 5]

Гарна стаття на тему з багатьма різноманітними прикладами. Я люблю підтекст, люблю друге-третє дно. Втім, треба ще його вміти розпізнати, бо іноді воно настільки тонке, що прокліпаєш і нічого не вловиш.
Нагадує, як я в школі читала Маленького принца і сприймала все буквально. Нічого не зрозуміла, не сподобався мені він і до цього часу осадом згадується той неприємний досвід. Ну бо не по віку було.
Це як раз до книги — підтекст ще треба показати, щоб його вловили ті, кому він адресований. Книга не вчить, як це робити. Вона показує багато прикладів і пояснює їх. З деякими я не погоджувалася, проте книга сама в якийсь момент ставить питання: а чи взагалі був підтекст?

[Fulmenius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Читать довольно интересно, но раздражают периодические ссылки на психоанализ, в частности, о псевдонаучной концепции подавленных воспоминаний говорится как о реальном факте. Кроме того, при рассуждениях о том, как подтекст проявляется в реальной жизни, автор совершенно забывает про нулевую гипотезу (совпадение между ожиданиями от "подтекста" и реальностью случайны). Переводчик допустил некоторое количество лексических ошибок.

[Mahyarey · Rating 2 out of 5]

اسم کتاب خیلی زیاد وسوسه‌کننده‌ست.
همون‌طور که ابتدای کتاب گفته می‌شه درباره زیرمتن در فیلمنامه کتاب و منبع آنچنانی ترجمه نشده.اما این کتاب برعکس اسم جذابش به زیرمتن نمی‌پردازه بلکه مثال‌هایی از زیرمتن میاره و این پروسه اونقدر تکرار می‌شه که میشه گفت کل کتاب مثال‌هایی از فیلم‌هایی هستند که توی فیلم‌نامه‌هاشون زیرمتن اهمیت زیادی داشته.

[Shervin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very superficial look at the subject, with a few good examples mixed in with many mediocre ones. Very little of genuine value here, though it is marginally superior to Elizabeth Lyon's book on the subject.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is focused on screenplays, but it's still useful for writers of any kind of fiction. Has a lot of good advice on different types of subtext and how to incorporate it into your work.