: Re: Subtle writing and speed readers I want to write a dystopia and find it hard to convey that things aren't at all right. I had planned to convey this in subtle reading clues, but I am worried

@Murphy332

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I think it very largely depends on what it is you are trying to convey. If John Smith not retrieving his card is a point that is an essential plot point, then you probably need to amplify it somewhere. If missing that fact alters the general flow of your story then it needs to be explained less subtly.

"John Smith stuck his credit card into the machine, waits, thinks, and walks away." (slightly modified!)

If later you have a shop scene, where he realises he hasn't got his card, so abandon's his purchases, and goes home. He explains to his wife that he didn't get courgettes because he seems to have lost his card. So they can't have ratatouille, so they go out and eat instead, at the restaurant something happens and everyone dies!

For the reader who picked up on the fact that John didn't retrieve his card, they will pick up on the potential malevolence of him intentionally leaving his card behind. For those who didn't pick up on it, The story hasn't significantly altered by that subtlety. Such things can be used as a hint towards character traits or to provide early warnings for those who are paying attention, but safely ignored by those who don't.

(edited to make example vaguely more understandable)

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