Interiority Part 2: Subconscious (Unspoken Thoughts)

Unveiling the Depths of Interiority and Subconscious Thoughts

Today we’re going to dive into a fascinating topic that has been at the heart of many great literary works – interiority and subconscious thoughts. I hope you’ll find this conversation as enlightening as it is engaging.

First things first: what do we mean by “interiority”? Simply put, it refers to the inner world of a character or person – their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences that are not necessarily shared with others. It’s those quiet moments when you’re lost in your own musings, pondering life’s mysteries or simply daydreaming about far-off places. Interiority is the essence of who we are, hidden beneath the surface of our everyday lives.

Now let’s talk about subconscious thoughts – those unspoken ideas that float around in our minds like ghostly whispers. They’re the thoughts we don’t always acknowledge or share with others because they may be too personal, too vulnerable, or simply not worth verbalising at the moment. Yet these subconscious thoughts can shape our actions and decisions more than we realise.

Interiority and subconscious thoughts are closely intertwined, like two strands of a DNA helix. The inner world of a character is shaped by their subconscious thoughts, which in turn are influenced by their experiences, upbringing, beliefs, and even genetics. This intricate dance between interiority and the subconscious creates a rich tapestry that makes each person – and each character – unique.

In writing, capturing this depth of character is crucial for creating stories that resonate with readers. When we can step into a character’s shoes and mind, and truly understand their motivations, fears, desires, and dreams, we become invested in their journey. This level of connection is what makes us cheer for the underdog, cry over tragic endings, and feel elated when justice prevails.

Writing about interiority and the subconscious – the unspoken thoughts that shape characters’ inner lives – is like inviting readers to step inside the most private rooms of the mind. Interiority in fiction means showing what a character thinks and feels beneath the surface of their outward actions and words, revealing their often unconscious motivations, fears, and desires. It’s that invisible iceberg beneath the tip of the story’s events, where all the emotional and psychological complexity lives, waiting to be uncovered.

One way to think about interiority is to compare it to an iceberg. The visible part – the actions, dialogue, surface facts – is just a fraction of what makes a character who they are. Beneath the waterline lies a world of
conscious thoughts, bodily sensations, deeply held beliefs, and even feelings the character may not fully understand themselves. Great fiction gives readers access to these layers, allowing a fuller emotional experience that goes beyond surface storytelling.

Writing interiority involves several techniques writers use to breach the gap between a character’s external behaviour and internal reality. Internal monologue lets readers hear a character’s silent, verbal thoughts – think of it as the character talking to themselves in an understandable, coherent way. Stream of consciousness, famously used by Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, mirrors the natural, often chaotic flow of thoughts and impressions. Free indirect discourse blends the character’s thoughts with third-person narration, letting the story flow seamlessly between inside and outside perspectives, as Jane Austen masterfully demonstrated.

The subconscious – the unspoken, deeper part of interiority – shapes much of a character’s worldview but can be tricky to portray directly. Writers often evoke it through symbols, metaphors, sensory details, and subtext rather than outright explanation. For example, a character’s quick, unexplained reaction or a recurring motif can hint at unarticulated emotions. This technique invites readers to intuit what the character may not even be aware of yet, adding richness and depth to the story.

To write compelling interiority, it’s best to go beyond what a camera could capture because gestures and expressions rarely tell the full story of what’s going on inside. We need to inhabit the character’s mental space fully, understanding not just what they do, but why they do it and how they experience the world emotionally. This approach creates empathy and draws readers into the character’s unique psychological reality.

In fiction, interiority and the subconscious create stories that resonate deeply because they reflect the true complexity of human experience – where thoughts are tangled, feelings are layered, and much of life happens in the silent spaces inside us.

If you’re writing or reading fiction and want to capture the full interior life of your characters, these techniques – internal monologue, stream of consciousness, free indirect discourse, and subtle use of subtext and metaphor – offer a way to channel that rich unseen world onto the page, making your story unforgettable.

5 Guidelines

1. Show, don’t tell: Instead of explicitly stating what your character is thinking or feeling, show it through their actions, reactions, and dialogue. For example, instead of saying “She was angry,” you could write, “Her fists clenched tightly as her jaw tightened.” This not only reveals the character’s emotion but also adds depth to the scene.
2. Use sensory details: By incorporating sensory details into your writing, you can help readers experience the world through a character’s eyes. Describe how they see, hear, taste, smell, and touch their surroundings. This not only brings the setting to life but also helps convey the character’s emotions and thoughts.
3. Explore backstory: While it’s essential not to bog down your story with too much exposition, understanding a character’s past can provide valuable insights into their interiority and subconscious thoughts. Consider using flashbacks or subtle hints throughout the narrative to reveal crucial aspects of their history.
4. Vary sentence structure and pacing: By playing with sentence length and rhythm, you can create a sense of flow that mirrors your character’s state of mind. Longer sentences might be used for more contemplative moments, while shorter, punchier sentences can convey urgency or tension.
5. Experiment with stream-of-consciousness writing: This technique involves capturing the unfiltered thoughts and associations that flow through a character’s mind. It can help you delve deeper into their interiority and subconscious thoughts, but be cautious not to overdo it – too much of this style can make your prose difficult to follow.

Some examples

Interiority and the subconscious – the unspoken thoughts and feelings of characters – can be powerfully conveyed in fiction through examples like those.

1. From Verity by Colleen Hoover: The narrator observes an ant crawling across her toe and reflects on its solitude. On the surface, it’s just a scene with an ant. But her thoughts about the ant’s confusion and loneliness reveal her own feelings of being trapped and isolated after caring for her mother. This interior reflection deepens understanding of her emotional state and invites readers inside her head beyond the physical action.
2. From Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel: The character Olive is shown walking alone, feeling a paradoxical mix of missing her family and enjoying solitude. The narration blends her exterior environment with her internal conflicting emotions, showing her subconscious struggle between longing and independence, captured in the question, “Did Olive wish she could live on Earth?” This is free indirect discourse weaving subconscious thoughts into the narration.
3. Instincts and biases as forms of subconscious interiority: In Brent Weeks’s The Black Prism, the character Kip instinctively freezes on encountering the idea of a ghost, revealing an involuntary, subconscious reaction. Additionally, he shrinks from a man identified as a “colour wight,” showing a bias shaped by past trauma without overt explanation. These instinctive reactions convey inner fears and prejudices that shape behaviour unconsciously.

These examples illustrate how interiority can be presented as conscious reflection, mixed narration and thought, or instinctual subconscious reactions. Writers use these techniques to reveal characters’ hidden complexities, making stories more emotionally rich and authentic.

10 Common mistakes to avoid

1. Too much introspection, too little action: It’s easy to get caught up in pouring out paragraphs of a character’s thoughts and feelings, but beware turning your story into a “bathtub scene” where your character just sits and thinks. Readers want the story to move forward, so balance those internal moments with physical action and plot development. Keep the story immediate and alive, not stuck in a mental rut.
2. Drowning in the past: Focusing too much on past events or backstory in interiority can slow down your pacing and bore readers. The past is important only when it connects to the present or changes the future; otherwise, it feels like you’re just treading water. Make sure introspection is purposeful and tied to what’s happening now or about to happen.
3. Abstract overload: Using abstract feelings like “sadness” or “fear” without showing concrete details tends to create distance. Instead, paint the picture with physical sensations, sensory details, or specific memories. For example, describe a character’s trembling hands or a bittersweet scent that triggers a memory. This pulls readers in closer than abstract emotional labels.
4. Too little interiority: On the flip side, don’t starve your readers of interiority—if your character feels like a robot with no inner thoughts or feelings, the story falls flat emotionally. Readers want to know what characters think and feel, especially when it explains their decisions or reactions. Don’t leave them guessing about motivations or emotions.
5. Breaking character voice: When giving interiority, keep it authentic to the character’s unique mind and voice. Avoid slipping into language or ideas the character wouldn’t naturally think. For example, a teenager’s interior thoughts should sound different from an elderly scholar’s. Stay in the character’s head to maintain believability and immerse your reader.
6. Overusing direct thought: While direct thought can be an effective way to convey a character’s inner monologue, overdoing it can make your writing feel repetitive or stilted. Try balancing direct thought with other methods of showing interiority, such as actions and dialogue.
7. Making thoughts too explicit: Interiority should reveal something about the character but not necessarily everything. Avoid making a character’s thoughts too obvious or didactic, which can make them seem one-dimensional or unrealistic.
8. Not varying sentence structure: Just like with any writing, it’s important to vary your sentence structure when using interiority and subconscious thoughts. This helps keep the reader engaged and prevents monotony in your prose.
9. Failing to connect interiority to external events: Interiority should be connected to what is happening externally in the story. Make sure that a character’s thoughts are relevant to the situation at hand, or else they may seem disjointed or irrelevant.
10. Ignoring the importance of subtext: Subtext refers to the unspoken meaning beneath a character’s words or actions. When using interiority and subconscious thoughts, be mindful of what is left unsaid between characters. This can create tension and depth in your storytelling.

10 Key takeaways

1. Interiority reveals character depth: Using interiority helps to reveal your characters’ inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations which adds depth to their personalities and makes them more relatable for readers.
2. Balance with external events: While writing about a character’s subconscious thoughts, make sure they are connected to the story’s external events or situations. This helps maintain continuity in your narrative.
3. Vary sentence structure: Just like any good piece of writing, varying sentence structures when using interiority keeps readers engaged and prevents monotony.
4. Use subtext for tension: Subtext is crucial to creating tension between characters. By leaving some things unsaid but implied through their thoughts or actions, you can create intrigue in your storytelling.
5. Don’t make it too obvious: Avoid making a character’s thoughts too didactic or overly expository as this could make them seem one-dimensional and unrealistic. Instead, try to show rather than tell the reader about their thoughts and feelings.
6. Interiority lets readers step inside the character’s head: It’s all about showing those hidden thoughts, emotions, and mental reactions that don’t come out in dialogue or action. When you nail interiority, readers feel what the character is feeling, not just watch what they’re doing.
7. Balance is everything: Too much interiority can slow down the story, but too little makes characters feel flat and hard to connect with. The trick is to sprinkle internal thoughts like seasoning – enough to flavour the story without overpowering the plot.
8. The subconscious is the juicy, unspoken layer: That part where characters don’t even realise what they’re feeling or thinking. You can hint at these deeper feelings through subtle body language, sensory details, or conflicting thoughts – making readers feel the tension beneath the surface.
9. Show, don’t just tell: Instead of saying your character is scared, show trembling hands, quickened breath, or a mental image of a threatening shadow. Concrete, sensory details bring interiority to life much better than abstract emotions.
10. Keep it authentic to the character’s voice: Interiority should sound like the character’s own inner voice, their unique way of thinking and feeling. A teenager won’t process stuff the way an old scholar would, so stay true to who they are inside while revealing their inner world.

Conclusion

Interiority and unspoken thoughts add layers and complexity to your characters and story that make them resonate long after the last page. It’s the secret sauce that turns mere plot into emotional experience. Remember that these are guidelines, not rules. Experiment with interiority in your writing and see what works best for you and your story.