Today I’m welcoming September Fawkes as a Guest Blogger. Her website is chock full of fantastic writing tips. I highly recommend utilizing her insights as a resource. The advice she offers below is something I’ve found particularly helpful in my writing, though I know I’ve not even scratched the surface or come close to mastering subtext.
First, a little bit about September Fawkes:

Sometimes September C. Fawkes scares people with her enthusiasm for writing and reading. People may say she needs to get a social life. It’d be easier if her fictional one wasn’t so interesting. September C. Fawkes graduated with an English degree with honors from Dixie State University, where she was the managing editor of The Southern Quill literary journal and had the pleasure of writing her thesis on Harry Potter. Today she works for a New York Times best-selling author, is penning a novel, and sharing writing tips on her blog, which you can find at www.SeptemberCFawkes.com
Be sure to check out a Giveaway September is doing at the link below!
Take it away September…
Guest Blog Post-September Fawkes
Subtext: *tries to be invisible*
I’ve been seeing a number of stories lately that are lacking in subtext. And honestly, it’s no surprise. writing subtext (or, I guess not writing it) is flipping difficult to 1) understand 2) do. I had read about writing subtext like over two years ago, and only now do I feel like I’m starting to understand it and have conscious control over it. So, I’m going to attempt to try to explain how to do it.
What is Subtext?
Robert, not bothering to raise his hand, spouted out an inappropriate joke.
“Robert, I don’t want to hear that kind of language in my class,” Mr. Henderson said, but the ends of his lips twitched up. “That’s very offensive.” He failed to suppress a full-blown grin.
Here, we can tell that the teacher found whatever Robert said funny, but neither he nor the narrator comes out and tells the reader that. Instead it’s implied by his body language and behavior–what he doesn’t say. What Mr. Henderson actually says to Robert is at odds with how Mr. Henderson acts.