This summer, I dragged two of my kids to our Toyota dealer because of an issue with our van. Five years ago, we bought a vehicle that turned out to have a major design flaw. A design flaw Toyota knew about.
Several days after we took our van in for regular maintenance, the door on the driver’s side made a loud cracking sound every time we opened it. We took it back to Toyota and they told us only an auto body shop could fix it. At. Our. Expense. That was a $600 bill. This was when we found out it was a common problem for Toyota vehicles made over five years ago (and of course, our warranty had just expired).
I went back to the dealership and asked: During our regular service appointments did anyone, knowing this was an issue, checked the status of the doors while our van was still under warranty?
The last thing the service guy wanted to do was answer my question. He kept avoiding it. He told me the info I had (printed from their website) only applied to the U.S. (Yeah, right). So I repeated my ‘yes or no’ question. Okay, maybe I’ve watched one too many Law & Order episodes. I was beginning to sound like a lawyer, stressing each time that I was only interested in a yes or no response.
The guy grew agitated and shifted nervously on his feet. I kept asking my question and he kept refusing to answer it since I was taking him away from his script. It was actually quite entertaining, especially when he shot panicked looks at his co-workers and they pretended he didn’t exist.
Subtext enables your reader to see that more is going on than what’s in the text. It enables you to create a richer, more emotion packed story. But remember, subtext is never told. It’s implied (shown) by many things, including your characters’ actions.
Do you enjoy writing subtext? Is it something your focus on when editing a draft?
(Note: I’ll be talking more about subtext next week)
48 comments:
Great story to talk about. I probably concentrate more on this during the editing process. Since I'm mainly a panster, I'm not always sure what a character may or may not know when I'm writing a particular scene.
That's a great story. You go! I think it's the subtext that separates a beginner from someone who knows what they're doing. No one wants to read about exactly what's happening!
So true about subtext. And being a lawyer, it does sound like you were trying to be one at the dealership, but like most of us, you don't always get a straight answer.
Way to make him sweat... some people should learn that! I'm learning about subtext, my editor is patiently teaching me how to properly show things and have it conveyed a more enjoyable way for a reader.
SO GLAD TO BE COMMENTING AGAIN!
Great story to apply this too. I'm working on this, but I love learning how. :)
Yeah subtext is great, I give it a little nudge here and there with a look or some out of the blue remark. Usually when editing too. Dealerships screw you over as much as they can once they have your money, been there. Hate them.
It can be hard to convey sometimes, but when it works, it works oh so well.
Oh I LIVE for subtext in real life- so much can be said without any words. Great when used in writing too! Great post! Hope you had a fantastic holiday!
I love subtext. Sometimes more is going on with the subtext than with the actual "action."
It's not something I normally focus on, no. Especially on the first draft. I think it's something that happens...well, subconciously, almost. I never thought to think about it, yet, if I flipped through my manuscripts, it's sometimes there. Thanks for giving me one more thing to think about! :)
Well, first of all, I love this story because in my mind, you're this sassy mom who is making sure her kids play in all the new cars and scream at the top of their lungs until you get your question answered.
The subtext was demonstrated beautifully.
Great story and perfect timing for me. I just received pages back from a professional editor. I'm blessed to not have many issues with the manuscript, but the one she mentioned is the one you speak of here. I need to be a bit more discreet about those subtexts. Thanks for this!!
Inspirational story Stina--as probably all of us have experienced something similar. I am a sign, bumper sticker, graffiti, and related reader so I like subtext that in the same way gives me more.
Subtext is so difficult to pull off successfully because it requires a certain subtlety (something I'm blogging about next week) that is very elusive. But Matt is right, when it works it is very effective! :)
That poor guy! LOL Actually, I think subtext is fascinating but I'm pretty sure I haven't even begun to use it right. If it's in my work, it's probably accidental because I have trouble implementing things like this in a concrete way. Good luck with your van!
I'm still working on this as a writer, so this has helped inspire me to keep trying :) I might have some in my WIP and I just don't know it.
I love subtext, especially between two characters who clearly have a lot going on in their relationship.
You kinda left us hanging. What happened with the van? Did you get an answer?
WHAT WAS HIS answer?!?! heh heh. See, you left us hanging in the story. I would definitely turn the page! O_o (awesome)
These law enforcement shows really rub off on the viewers, don't they? And in a good way, too ;)
Love how you brought out subtext through this incident. I love writing/reading subtext but like all things, it must be written in a way that works and doesn't simply make the reader go, 'wtf-ery?!'
I enjoy the challenge of subtext. I look forward to reading more!
Subtext is very important because it makes writing feel more realistic, more multidimensional. It's not easy to make it work the right way though.
Also, I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. You can find the post here: http://tinyurl.com/85c5g46
:)
This is a favourite subject of mine. A lot of stories I read by aspiring writers have too little subtext and read very direct and on-the-nose, but it's a hard thing to work into a story without ending up too obvious or too vague.
btw Did you ever get the answer to your question?
mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
The Funnily Enough
The answer was 'no'. Despite the thousands of dollars we have spent on regular maintenance over the past five years, Toyota ignored the doors.
We still have to worry about the passenger side door. That too could fail. If you don't get the repair done early enough, once the issue begins, you have to replace the doors. And they're $4000 US each.
Subtext is definitely crucial... but hard to do well!
Hope you got an answer to your question. It's really unfair the way some car dealers do business and things always seem to happen when the warranty expires. Good luck, Stina!!
That sucks about the doors! But now I can just imagine you going all Law & Order on him. With finger pointing and everything! hehe.
I love subtext. It's always fun to layer it into scenes. :)
Yeah, love me a good shifty eyed auto technician. I get that all the time. When I threaten to take my business elsewhere do they ever tell me they'll fix it. For free. Especially if I've been a loyal customer.
Also love subtext. Lots of fun.
I love reading subtext...have a difficult time adding it sometimes myself. Something I need to work on, I think.
Shelley
Great post! Such a bummer about the car. Subtext is definitely something to look at in my own writing.
Did he ever answer your question?
What a great way to illustrate the importance and power of subtext. But I'm dying to know if you ever got an answer out of the evasive service guy. I mean, you were getting an answer, but did he ever vocalize anything? What a mess.
This was brilliant, Stina. I always admire it when people can show AND tell at the SAME TIME. Great post and great lesson. :-)
good stuff, stina :)
to me, subtext, as in implied horror, is greater than the actual critter, and is why the best horror flicks use it for most of the film... one's imagination is usually better than anything the art director can come up with... with new sfx techniques and software, the 'monster[s]' come[s] closer to what one imagined it/them to be :)
I suck royally at subtext. I'm working on the problem, but it's not natural for me. It's something I have to constantly remind myself to think about.
Sorry about the van. :(
Situations like that with the car drive me NUTS. I made my ex come with me for car issues since guys seem to always get further in the car dept. I love monkeying around with subtext. I want to get better at planning more of it.
I need to know--did he ever answer your question?
I think you made that guy sweat so badly he had to shower after work, LOL! Subtext. Yes, so important. I struggle with it but when it's done well, it's awesome!
I don't intentionally work on subtext until I'm revising and even then, I'm completely winging it. LOL. It's up to my readers to decide if it works. Practice makes perfect...or less crappy.
Ooo, subtext. Definitely something I have to work on as I write, but when it's done well, it's amazing. It always enriches the story.
Awesome story. Did they ever cover their problem with the van.
I'm looking forward to your next posts.
I love to read and write subtext. So fun!
I love creating subtext - especially when one party thinks they know what the non-verbal clues mean, but they actually mean something different. #tricksy
Oh my. I've heard of subtext before but it's not something I've ever paid attention to or studied. Sounds like a powerful tool in writing craft though. Glad you will be posting more on it.
What a story! I can see how subtext can make a scene richer. I should find moments in my WIP to incorporate it.
Oh, that's a good example! Did the guy ever answer your question?
That was an awesome subtext story!
I think I do pretty well with the subtext in my stories. Then again, subtext is one of my favorite things in real life too, so it sort of just bleeds through.
Oh, it's official...I'm BACK! :D
That is an awesome story, lol. And a great one for your kids to witness. They need to know that it's okay to stand up for yourself, even when it's difficult or embarrassing. I think subtext is hugely important in creating depth, but it's so hard to do well. I'd love to see a post on how to write subtext successfully
*hint hint* :)
Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse
oh, yes. LOVE subtext. To me, it's the most fun part of the story. But I'm a people-watcher... :D <3
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