Part iii. Subplots

                                    

                                          
A novel's success depends on the interaction of plot and subplot. If your plot seems to be falling flat, or if your story starts to feel too monotonous, it could be that a well-woven subplot is just what you need to add the kind of complexity and tension that readers crave.
                          
Subplots are the smaller series of interconnected events that run through a novel, often interwoven with the main plot. These may be plots that belong to secondary characters, or merely smaller stories unfolding at the same time as the larger one.
                          
Subplots work best when they're connected to the main plot. Think of subplots as simply strands of stories that support or drive the main plot.
                          
Why have a subplot?
                          
With subplots you can:
                          
• Advance your story in satisfying increments.
• Unleash transformative forces on your main characters: growth or corruption, gain or loss.
• Reveal information to your main characters or to the reader.
• Pivot your action, provide twists.
• Speed up or slow down your story's pace.
• Set the mood.
• Patch holes in (or solve other problems with) your main plot.
• Insert—or, even better yet, challenge—a moral lesson.
                          
How to begin your subplot
                          
Begin by asking yourself: What do I want to accomplish with this subplot? What do I need? What do I want? What would be fun to work with? For most of us, subplots serve to make life difficult for our characters.
                          
Choose subplots to highlight key facts, add complexity to your characters, and build suspense. Don't ramble or go off on tangents because you think the detour is a subplot; it's not. Pretending otherwise is a great way to reach a dead end.
                          
Subplots can involve your protagonist and/or your secondary characters. Regardless, whatever side story you weave into your novel, it needs to impact your protagonist in some way.
                          
A subplot can be told from the viewpoint of the story's protagonist, or it can be told from the point of view of one of the lesser characters.
                          
The purpose of a subplot
                          
Selecting subplots can be tricky. You need to make sure the subplot supports your primary plot, adding intrigue and interest without distracting your readers.
                          
Before you decide on a subplot, determine its purpose. The two most common reasons to blend subplots are to add complexity to your primary plot and to develop situations that reveal subtle information about your characters.
                          
Linking your subplots to your primary plot—that's the key to storytelling success.
                          
How many subplots are too many?
                          
While some stories deserve more than two subplots, most do not. Having more than two subplots is an unusual situation, though, and you need to consider carefully before adding more than two. What you don't want to do is confuse your readers.
                          
Confusion occurs when one subplot gets more attention than the others, yet isn't actually worthy of that attention. This unnecessary emphasis often occurs because the author gets interested in the secondary plot and loses sight of its plot-driving or character-revealing purposes.
                          
From your readers' points of view, they're following along, caught up in the story, wondering with delight how this subplot will figure into the main action, and when it doesn't play a significant role, they feel disappointed, deceived, and maybe even cheated.
                          
Maximize your subplots' potential
                          
Your subplots should do the following:
                          
• Include fully developed plotlines.
• Feature fully developed characters.
• Reveal attributes of your main characters that otherwise wouldn't be shown.
• Be resolved by the end of the story, either before the main plot is revealed or simultaneously.
• Mirror your overarching themes or contradict them.
• Never overtake your primary plot.
                          
Why are subplots important?
                          
First, and most obviously, secondary plot lines are useful in turning what might otherwise be a very slender novel into something more substantial. Beyond merely increasing the word-count and adding complexity to the story, there are other, stronger advantages to adding subplots to a novel.
                          
For one thing, they help with the characterization. Minor story lines can help with the portrayal of theme, too. They keep the readers reading. However well you construct a plot, there will always be slower parts breaking up the exciting parts. Last but not least, they add variety to a novel.
                          
Subplots help you create layered stories featuring multifaceted characters. Select them with care and integrate them well. Write your subplots so your readers can't see how they influence the primary plot and/or character transformation until the very end.
                          
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