It's a Plot...Within a Plot!

Good evening, fellow writers!

New favorite word of the week: triskaidekaphobia. Try to say that three times fast. In fact, try to say that at all. It's pronounced "triss-kye-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh." Basically, it's the fear of the number thirteen (which, in some cultures, is considered an unlucky number). It's hard to say where 13's bad reputation came from. You can look to Christianity, Hindu beliefs, Norse mythology or superstition, but it's hard to tell for sure.

Anyway, today's topic is subplots! That's right, those extra smaller story lines that keep the reader, reading (besides the 3-D characters and awesome main plot, obviously). Maybe throughout the novel, your protagonist has to figure out who is stealing his or her shampoo. It could be the antagonist, or it could be someone else, who knows? Maybe at some point in the novel, a robbery takes place and your character has to prove himself innocent at times throughout the novel. Little events like that really make the novel, because, if you think about it, you life doesn't only have one main story in it, right?

They can connect to the main plot, helping the reader realize something subtly without having it thrown in their face. It might be a thread linking to a future event. Their impact can be indirect, or it can smack your character in the face (figuratively, but if your subplot involves literal smacking, that's okay too).

The subplot(s) should have some reason and connection to the main story. It can't just be for comic relief or to use up the previously-deleted scenes that you loved so much but didn't fit in before.

Subplots should take fewer pages than the main plot, and many are on-going, though some are short and can occur anywhere in the story. But one main difference between subplots and plots is that in subplots, not all of the events have to occur "on stage," if you will. Some of the events can happen "behind the scenes," and even if they aren't written in the final draft, the characters can still discuss the event, showing the reader that the event occurred without writing the whole scene out. This keeps valuable information in the novel and the less interesting information (that doesn't move the plot along) out of the final draft.

However, as much fun as subplots are, keep them to a minimum. Most novels can only support one to three subplots before your main plot just gets completely off-track and nothing is accomplished. It just leaves the whole story unorganized.

Three final words of advice on subplots:

1) They take place at the same time as the main story.
2) They stress and idea or play with an idea from the story to make it stick out, impacting the novel later on or drawing the reader's attention to it.
3) Impacts the end of the novel. (Now, it doesn't have to impact the resolution, but it is usually best if it has an ending that somehow affects the characters, at least a little. Granted, some subplots have more meaning than others, but it's always good to have some impact on the novel.)

That's all for the night!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at penelopepaige@rocketmail.com. Time to go sharpen that pencil...

Question: Do you purposely create subplots for your writing, or do they just happen naturally as the story goes on?