Subtext
Conveying the real meaning beneath the surface of dialogue and action
The five levels
Each anchor describes what separates one level from the next — not a general description of quality. This is the text the evaluator itself reads.
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Level 1 Below Standard
All meaning stated outright with no underlying layer
Example The character states her feelings literally
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Level 2 Approaching
An attempt at subtext that appears then is explained outright
Example A clever hint followed by an explanation that ruins it
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Level 3 At Standard
Clear subtext giving the scene depth
Example Talk about the weather hiding a suppressed quarrel
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Level 4 Above Standard
Rich subtext making the unsaid stronger than the said
Example The character's silence says more than her words
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Level 5 Exemplary
Exceptional subtext that the scene is reread to uncover
Example The dialogue's meanings shift entirely on a second read
Where does your own work sit on these levels?
Submit one work to be read against this criterion alone: your position across the five levels, why you are not higher and why not lower, three literal quotes from your own work, and one exercise with its success check. Your first card is free.
Price: 7 SAR · Included in Pro & Artist Plus · First one free — Pricing details
Read my work by this criterionOther criteria in the same art
Building story according to: setup, confrontation, resolution
The five levels →Separating what the character outwardly pursues (want) from what they inwardly need, and the tension between them.
The five levels →Building main character with motivations, problems, and transformation
The five levels →Creating anticipation making reader want to know what happens
The five levels →Building external and internal conflicts that intertwine to enrich the drama
The five levels →Moments that shift the story's course and raise its stakes irreversibly
The five levels →The ending's ability to close the story and leave a lasting impression
The five levels →Does each scene turn a dramatic value (+ to − or vice versa)? A scene that changes nothing is a dead scene.
The five levels →