Search results
Apr 9, 2024 · Writing Principle: One or more subplots can turn a familiar main plot into an engaging story. Subplot Structure Benefits. You can use subplots to: Reveal the backstories, strengths, and flaws of essential characters. Move the story forward with interesting events. Intensify the conflict and heighten the tension. Emphasize the story’s themes.
- The Isolated Chunk
- The Parallel Line
- The Swallowtail
- The In-And-Out
- The Bookend
- The Bridge Character
- The Clue
Too many aspiring authors feel they shouldn’t use this technique because it seems stupidly easy, more like cheating than actually weaving. Be assured—terrific authors have effectively used this technique for certain kinds of subplots from the time Sumerian carvers set down the pictographic exploits of their kings. (Plot twist ideas and prompts for ...
You can also write a subplot that never touches the main plot, or that begins separately before they converge. A prime example of parallel plotting is Frederick Forsyth’s cat-and-mouse classic, The Day of the Jackal. Early in the novel we meet a nameless professional—later known as Jackal—negotiating an assassination. Soon we’re shown the police be...
When you want to create suspense that pays off big, try launching two parallel plots, then weaving them together firmly at a certain point. The difference between parallel construction and swallowtail is that the two paths of the swallowtail always converge and interact with each other for a fairly lengthy part of the story. Parallel plots may neve...
In the first-person narrative of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrator, Scout Finch, interacts with separate sets of characters, all of whom have their own agendas. While the main plot focuses on her father and his revolutionary courtroom journey, Scout’s life is informed by subplots involving: her brother Jem and their friend Dill; the ...
Readers love recursion. If you introduce a subplot early, then leave it more or less alone until you resolve it near the end, readers will be delighted. They’ve almost forgotten about that rich drama queen who beat her maid with her tennis racket, but now here she is, set upon by the maid’s two aunts from Colombia, both lawyers, who engineer a host...
Bridge characters are extremely useful for weaving any kind of subplot into your fiction. Example: You have a respected doctor who’s in debt to her bookie, and you have a hydrocodone addict who doctor-shops for his drugs. This character becomes a bridge between the tidy world of the troubled doctor and the dangerous world of the streets. (Check out...
For writers of mystery, suspense, or thrillers, weaving in clues is a major—and particularly strategic—subplot challenge. Clues propel the unraveling of a puzzle, and they serve to entertain your audience. They’re optional inclusions in most genres, but if you’re writing crime, you’ve gotta have ’em.
What Do Subplots Do?-- Support the main plot-- Reveal more characterization-- Demonstrate story themes-- Deepen the overall story experience-- Manage pacing for more emotional impact-- Fill in story gaps and keep the reader interested-- Set up the main plot for the next book in the series
Nov 5, 2023 · Subplot Enhances the Main Plot. A well-crafted subplot can amplify the main plot by adding depth and complexity to the overall narrative. By providing contrast or interaction between the various storylines, a subplot can heighten the stakes of the main plot, making it more engaging for your readers.
- Know what kind of subplot you want to introduce. The first step to creating a compelling subplot is knowing what type of subplot you want to introduce.
- The subplot must have its own arc. A subplot should have its own beginning, middle, and end. You don’t want to confuse your readers by having too many different storylines going on at once.
- It must have at least one character that ties it to the main plot. You need to ensure that the subplot somehow connects to the main plot. Otherwise, it’s just an unrelated side story and will feel like filler for your novel.
- Your subplot must add something new. A subplot should not be introduced unless it adds something to the book that wasn’t there before. It doesn’t mean that you can’t repeat themes, but it does mean that you want a new character or situation that will change the story in some way.
Aug 21, 2023 · Just like the main plot, your subplot should have its own beginning, middle, and end. This gives it a clear structure and ensures it feels like a complete story within the larger narrative. It should have its own conflicts and resolutions, just on a smaller scale.
People also ask
Why do writers use subplots?
What is the difference between a main plot and a subplot?
What should a subplot look like?
Should a story have a subplot?
What is a subplot structure?
What makes a good sub-plot character?
Sep 18, 2017 · Good subplots integrate with the main plot to the point they’re inextricable from the story’s bigger picture. In short: you can’t master the art of organizing subplots without mastering the art of plotting itself.
