We've all read dialogue that feels like a chess match where every player announces their moves out loud. "I'm angry at you because you forgot my birthday." "Well, I'm hurt that you didn't notice I've been stressed at work." Characters who say exactly what they mean might be honest, but they're also boring as hell.

Real people rarely say what they actually mean. We dodge, deflect, attack sideways, and hide our true feelings behind seemingly innocuous words. This gap between what's said and what's meant is called subtext, and mastering it is the difference between characters who feel like cardboard cutouts and those who leap off the page.

But here's the problem: most advice about subtext tells you to "add layers" or "imply more than you say" without giving you a concrete method to actually do it. Let me introduce you to something more useful.

The Want vs. Say Framework

The Want vs. Say Framework is a simple two-column technique that transforms flat dialogue into conversation crackling with tension and authenticity. Here's how it works: before you write any important exchange between characters, you create a two-column chart. In the left column, you write what each character wants from the conversation. In the right column, you write what they're actually willing to say.

The magic happens in the gap between these columns.

The key insight here is that characters, like real people, are constantly negotiating between their desires and their willingness to be vulnerable. They want something desperately, but admitting that want might make them look weak, needy, or expose them to rejection. So they talk around it. They use the "safe" words while the real conversation happens underneath.

Why This Changes Everything

When you use the Want vs. Say Framework, you're forced to get clear about your characters' true motivations before you write a single line of dialogue. This clarity prevents the most common mistake in character writing: characters who exist only to move the plot forward rather than pursuing their own desires.

Flat characters happen when writers focus solely on what needs to be communicated to the reader. "The treasure is in the cave." "We leave at dawn." These characters are just information delivery systems. But when you start with what a character desperately wants, and then figure out how they'll avoid saying it directly, suddenly you have a human being with pride, fear, and self-protection instincts.

The framework also solves another problem: characters who all sound the same. When you identify each character's specific want and their specific relationship to vulnerability, their dialogue naturally differentiates. The character who desperately needs approval but can't admit it will speak very differently from the character who wants control but fears appearing domineering.

The Framework in Action: A Step-by-Step Example

Let's say you're writing a scene where a father and adult daughter are meeting for coffee after years of estrangement. The obvious (terrible) version:

"Dad, I'm angry you missed my wedding."

"I'm sorry. I was scared to face you after letting you down so many times."

"I forgive you. Let's rebuild our relationship."

Blech. Now let's use the Want vs. Say Framework.

Step 1: Identify what each character wants from this conversation

- Father wants: To be forgiven. To prove he's changed. To have his daughter in his life again.
- Daughter wants: To hear her father take responsibility. To express her hurt without crying. To know if she can trust him.

Step 2: Identify what each character fears about saying it directly

- Father fears: Looking pathetic. Being rejected even after apologizing. Admitting how much he needs her.
- Daughter fears: Seeming weak or desperate for his approval. Getting hurt again. Forgiving too easily.

Step 3: Find what they'll talk about instead

Now we need a "surface topic" – something safe they can discuss while the real conversation happens underneath. Let's say: her coffee choice.

Step 4: Write the dialogue, letting their wants and fears drive the subtext

"You still drink it black?" he says, gesturing at her cup.

"Some things don't change."

"Your mother always said you were stubborn."

"That's not what Mom used to say." She meets his eyes. "She said I learned it from you."

He laughs, but it comes out wrong. "Fair enough. I, uh... I've been trying to change that. The stubbornness."

"Really."

"Going to therapy. Two years now." He waits for her reaction, gets nothing. "I know that doesn't fix anything."

"No, it doesn't."

"But I'm..." He stops. Starts again. "Your coffee's getting cold."

See what happened? Not a single character said what they actually wanted. The father never said "please forgive me." The daughter never said "I'm afraid to trust you." But we feel both of those wants in every line. The father's comments about stubbornness and therapy are his sideways attempts to prove he's changed. Her cool responses are her testing whether it's safe to hope.

Making It Work in Your Writing

Here's your action plan for using the Want vs. Say Framework:

For crucial scenes: Always create the two-column chart before writing. Don't skip this step. The five minutes you spend clarifying wants and fears will save you hours of revision.

Choose your surface topics carefully: The best surface conversations have some thematic connection to the underlying wants. The coffee conversation works because it's about what changes and what doesn't – exactly what both characters are wondering about each other.

Let characters dodge and weave: If a character gets too close to saying what they really mean, let the other character deflect, or let the first character pull back. That dance of approach and avoidance is inherently dramatic.

Trust your reader: You don't need to explain the subtext afterward. Readers are incredibly sophisticated at reading between the lines – far more than most writers give them credit for.

The Bottom Line

Characters feel flat when they say exactly what they mean because that's not how humans work. We're complicated, self-protective, and often at war with ourselves. The Want vs. Say Framework gives you a simple tool to capture that complexity without getting lost in it.

Next time you write dialogue that feels wooden, don't ask yourself "How can I make this more interesting?" Ask instead: "What does this character desperately want that they're terrified to say out loud?" Then let them talk about anything else while that want burns underneath every word.

That's where real characters live – in the gap between what's said and what's meant.