|
Good Novel
Subplots in Fiction Writing
The average book is
80,000 words. With that amount of text, every book needs a subplot
or two. Otherwise, the main plot would be weighed down with too much
information. Subplots are included in several ways. Subplots can be
assigned to minor characters, subplots can serve as a second
storyline for your main character, and subplots you can be presented
as a combination of the two.
Why do subplots
make sense?
Think about your own life. Do you live in a linear world? Where you
get from A to Z without interruption? Chances are the answer is no.
Even doing mundane activities can turn our life upside down. For
instance, you're driving to the supermarket to pick up items for a
nice romantic dinner you have planned. On the way there, you get
into a fender bender that sends you to the hospital. The characters
in your story are "human" and it's not realistic for them
to go through their story in a linear fashion.
Subplots...
 should
have a resolution, and it can run the whole story book or it
can end midway through the book.
should
stand on their own so subplots should have a beginning, middle, and
end.
require that you
develop secondary characters so readers understand the inclusion of
another storyline.
How to Introduce
Minor Character Subplots
There is a
connection between the main story and a subplot for a
minor character. For example, in To Kill a Mockingbird Dill
provides a secondary storyline with his imagination and
fascination with Boo Radley. In fact, Dill's "Radley"
subplot is tied into the main story. So there a connection between a
secondary storyline and the main plot.
How to Introduce a
Main Character's Subplot
Decide how many
subplots the main character will have. If your character needs more
than one subplot, introduce the first one early on in the story.
Let's use To Kill a Mockingbird as an example once again. Straight
away, the reader gets a glimpse of Scout's relationship with
education and the gender role she falls into. Later on in the story,
there is another story development introduced - Scout's
relationship with Maudie Atkinson (the widow Scout reads to as
part of her punishment).
The Importance of
Subplots
Subplots...
enhance
your story because the reader gets a different perspective of the
main character.
strengthen the main
plot.
keep readers engaged
because they want to find out the fate of secondary characters.
If you are
struggling with subplots, consider writing the first draft of your
novel concentrating on the main plot only. Most likely you'll find
that you've naturally woven in subplots.
| 