.
Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. Today I wanted to talk
a little bit about subplots.
First, let’s define what a subplot is.
According to the Cambridge dictionary a subplot is “a part
of the story of a book or play that develops separately from the main story” Some call it the B Story, the minor
story or the secondary story line. But whatever you call them, they are minor
story and/or character arcs that support and enhance your main story line by
adding texture, context, complexity and richness to it.
So why use
subplots?
Subplots, when done
effectively, add additional depth, texture, richness and dimension to your
story. They do this by adding conflict, romance, tragedy, mystery, tension,
additional worldbuilding and other elements. In some cases they can add
critical information your protagonists in the main story thread may be unaware
of.
Some of the ways subplots do
this:
- They add another layer of verisimilitude to your story. After all, people don’t live in a vacuum, they have more than one thing going on in their lives and more than one person/team of people tugging at their attention. Sub plots can help show that interaction for your protagonists.
- They help add page count without your story feeling padded or episodic.
- They can help illustrate or up the stakes.
- They can improve characterization by allowing the reader to see your protagonist through another set of eyes
- If you’re writing a series, they can help bring in beloved characters from previous books, or introduce characters that will appear in future books.
- For mysteries or stories from other genres with a touch of mystery, they can introduce red herrings or obfuscate clues.
- They can help fine tune the pace of your story, inserting lighter moments into a tense main plot or vice versa, providing your reader with a breather between high octane scenes or add a reminder of the stakes in quieter moments
- They can serve to temporarily detour, delay or change your protagonists' goals
There are others but we’ll
leave it there for now. By the way, if
you can make one subplot perform two or more of these functions it will make
your subplot's reason for existence even stronger.
Does every story
need a subplot?
Of course short stories don’t.
As for longer works, while there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to
writing, the truth is that even stories that manage to stand alone with one
main plotline can benefit from having a subplot or two, for all the reasons
listed above.
So let’s dig into the
various Types of Subplots
- Romantic Subplots
If you’re writing a romance, you can add a secondary romance between Secondary characters. This is often seen in Hallmark movies, the heroine’s best friend finds love while the main characters are still dancing around the issue.
If you’re writing any other genre, adding a love interest for your protagonist as a subplot can add interest and complications to your main plot - Mirror Subplots
These are subplots that are similar to or ‘mirror’ some aspect of the protagonists story arc. This is one way to show the stakes. For instance perhaps you have a protagonist who is standing up to a corrupt land developer as is his neighbor. If his neighbor has his home burned to the ground, that graphically illustrates the kind of stakes the protagonist is facing - Contrast Subplots
The opposite of Mirror Subplots, these show what happens when a secondary character makes different choices than your main character. For instance, your protagonist might have chosen to go into the family business after high school, while his brother chose to head to college across the country. Your subplot could illustrate the consequences, positive and/or negative, of those choices. - Complicative Subplots
Subplots that get in the way of your protagonists achieving their goals are a great way to keep the tension and conflict high and the reader turning the pages. - Comedic Subplot
This is a subplot that is intended to lighten the mood and give the reader a chance to smile or take a breath from whatever is happening in the main storyline. Take care when crafting this type of subplot – the timing, genre and overall tone of the story needs to be carefully considered when deciding if your comedic element is appropriate. - Character Revelation
These subplots reveal additional attributes of your story’s protagonists. They can show - Character Flaws
- Character Strengths
- Character Backstory
How to craft your
subplot
The number one thing to
remember is that the subplot is just that – subordinate to the main plot. Its
sole purpose is to enhance some aspect of the main plot. There should never be
any confusion as to which is the main plot and you will want to wrap up all of
your subplot threads before the main plot. The only exception to this is the
subplot that is going to arc over several books in a series.
Craft your subplot as a
mini-story in its own right with an arc of its own – it should have a
beginning, middle and end of its own.
Make certain you know how
your subplot ties into your main plot.
It can run parallel to it, weave in and out of it or be plopped in in one
chunk. Any of these methods can work as long as it does its job of enhancing
the main story line.
The timing of introducing
and ending your subplots are important to the pacing of your story. You want to
maintain the momentum and page turning aspect as much as possible. When the
main plot line slows or lags, introducing or returning to a subplot can propel
your reader forward.
Make sure you understand the
purpose of your subplot. How will it relate to and enhance your main plot. What
questions will it raise and/or answer for your protagonists and their goals.
Also make certain the subplot is necessary. Does
the function it performs require a subplot or could it b handled more
effectively in a different way?
As for the mechanics, as I
was researching tis topic, I discover that some writers plot (at a high level)
the main plot and each subplot separately, treating each subplot as a separate,
simpler story. Once that’s done then they take each subplot, break it into
scenes and then see where those scenes fit within the main story. I’ve never
actually approached plotting this way, but I find the idea intriguing and may
just try it next time I begin plotting a story.
Final Thoughts
There’s a whole lot more
than can be said about subplots but I’ll leave it there.
I’ve heard subplots described as connective tissue for your story and I like that description. If you look up the medical aspects of connective tissue you’ll find this: The five major functions of connective tissue include:
- binding and supporting other tissue in the body,
- protecting,
- insulating,
- storing reserve fuel, and
- transporting substances within the body.
If you replace the word
body with the word story you’ll see that subplots can do all of those things.
So when
planning your next story, give some careful consideration to what subplots can
do if you deliberately and effectively weave them into the fabric of your story
(and yes, I know I missed my metaphors)
