Make a Scene Revised and Expanded Edition by Jordan Rosenfeld

Author:Jordan Rosenfeld
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Subtext

Once you have your physical world in place, you can begin to think about your subtext. Subtext, as discussed in chapter nine, foreshadows aspects of your plot through the strategic placement of thematic imagery, subtle character behavior, or parallel actions in the background of the scene. Not all genres need much subtext. Action-driven narratives such as thrillers and mysteries, for example, often bypass the subtle for action, while literary fiction—a genre characterized by lyrical language, slow pacing, and rich character development—tends to rely more heavily upon subtext.

Harking back to the excerpt from The Night Sisters, the subtle subtext about Amy’s mother, Rose, and her aunt Sylvie in the first scene foreshadows the later focus of the plot. In the photo that Amy looks at, Amy’s mother is “dark and unkempt” and her aunt Sylvie is “radiant” and “movie-star perfect.” This subtext of inequality (and competition) between the sisters will play a key role in the main plot of the story.

With the subtext of your first scene, you want to develop a mood, foreshadow your protagonist’s plot direction, and plant thematic images in the reader’s mind.

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