I've been blogging on how to write in a deeper, more literary way, no matter the genre. One way to do this is through dialogue that isn't just one-layered. This is often called text and subtext. It means your dialogue can be read beyond face value. It can deepen any piece of writing.
Face value dialogue is common and can do the job. One character asks a question, and another character answers. As long as it moves character, plot, or setting along, it works on some level. It's a good thing to observe actual conversation between people taking notes to see how they actually talk. However, a lot of actual human dialogue is filler, with empty greetings that demand an equally empty answer. Everything you actually write should move the story forward, especially dialogue. Usually, it works best when the two or more characters each have conflicting motivations, some of which may be implied instead of outright statements.
Once you start throwing in body language, you can make it clear the character doesn't even believe his/her own words. You start adding depth to the face value of the writing. Words can say one thing, say, because the characters know someone is listening. ("Nah, we can't do that.") Meanwhile, the same character is shaking his head and making a gesture to make it clear the words can't be taken at face value. The same thing can be achieved through dialogue.
If you can write "a second conversation hidden beneath the surface-level dialogue" that works on two levels, it shows a mastery of the craft. As I was watching "Smallville" (about Superman as a teenager) recently, I noticed a lot of text and context dialogue going on and started to mentally categorize it. Much of it fell under the category of dramatic irony, where one character understood what was going on the surface, but the other did not. For instance, two characters may be discussing an alien invasion, one with horror and fear, and the other knowing he/she IS an alien and taking the other character's reaction personally.
Some of the dramatic irony in "Smallville" meant two characters knew what was going on, while a third was left in the dark. The two characters in-the-know had to discuss a secret in a way that left the third confused or talking about a whole separate thing without knowing it. In other cases, no characters on the screen understood that what they were discussing foreshadowed a future the audience knew was coming. For instance, one character mentions wearing a cape, while the future Superman mocked them and said he'd never wear one. Neither character sees what the audience sees about Superman wearing capes in the future. The audience hears both the surface-level dialogue and the second conversation underneath. This adds depth and meaning.
Literary works often have dialogue that works on multiple levels. For instance, Hemingway, in "Hills like White Elephants," show two characters discussing one thing on the surface, while underneath, it's all a debate about abortion. The word "abortion" doesn't appear anywhere in the story.
In the article referenced above, you can find the following list of ways to use text and subtext:
- Contradiction between words and body language/tone
- Flirting
- Reaction to a smaller issue actually being about a larger issue
- Sugarcoating the truth
- Implied accusation
- Passive aggressiveness
- Euphemisms or vague references (especially in discussing social taboos)
- Sarcasm
- Misinterpretations of the other person’s meaning
When not all conflict is on the surface, characters seem to agree while having a debate, characters seem to flirt while actually fighting or vice versa, or the like, the story you're writing takes on more depth. Where can you add text and subtext to your writing?
