Wednesday 21 September 2011

Subtext and Subtlety

Still feeling rather feak and weeble, so forgive me if I'm brief today (partly because my voice is sounding so peculiar, the speech recognition software can't understand a word I'm saying). I'm going to have another Hilary Mantel moment, as the following  thought would make a very good basis for a writing exercise.  She said, "there are layers beneath the obvious of almost every interaction," an observation suggestive of all kinds of subtleties.  Try writing a scene in which you include and explore several different strata beneath the surface exchanges.  Think about motivation, (hypocrisy? deception?) as well as the tension between what people say and what they do or think.  It's a great way for developing character and perhaps adding an element of mystery or intrigue to your narrative.

I'll be back, in more robust form, tomorrow....

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