Stringing Words - Discussion Forum: Sub-plots

Sub-plots
Annieca	#1 Posted on 12-02-2010 01:49
Fusioneer Posts: 1312 Joined: 20.03.09	Realizing my novel needed depth I have been trying to come up with sub-plots. But then I ran into questions. How many sub-plots do you generally include in a novel? When is it a sub-plot and when is it a part of the novel's actual plot? Do sub-plots have a general theme? Thanks! Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.


eiie	#2 Posted on 12-02-2010 02:32
Veteran Member Posts: 864 Joined: 21.03.09	I really wish I could give you a subplot formula but I don't think there are any. (exception: if you're writing for harlequin you shouldn't have a subplot). Basically every character in your novel should have a purpose. If a character doesn't have a good reason to be in the novel, he should either be cut or he should be given a subplot. I think that once the subplot isn't there to further the reader's understanding of the plot then it's perhaps too extraneous. Edited by eiie on 12-02-2010 04:10


ron bruce	#3 Posted on 15-02-2010 01:58
Senior Member Posts: 405 Joined: 21.03.09	I agree with eiie. I've read that you don't have to even have subplots but they can sure help. Subplots tend to be dependent on the main plot and if it wasn't there they would collapse (they really aren't stand alone type things or why are they in the book in the first place?). Also subplots can very much have their own themes but usually they shore up the main theme as well.


late_stranger	#4 Posted on 17-02-2010 05:00
Senior Member Posts: 255 Joined: 23.03.09	Yeah, I would agree that they tie into the main theme. I tend to use sub-plots to expand on character traits. Like, I get characters fully formed, and sometimes I forget to tell people crucial points about their personalities, so I'll incorporate a minor character to bring out and illustrate that trait. Also, I've used the conclusion of subplots to foreshadow the end of the main plot. In more specific answers to your questions: 1) I don't use very many, but my plots tend to be very interwoven. I wouldn't pile them on. Make sure you don't lose your real plot under all these sub-plots. It depends on how straightforward your main plot is. If it's all twisty and crazy I would use less than if it's a simpler story arc. 2) In my opinion, a sub-plot usually lends depth and purpose to a minor character or minor conflict. If it's just your main character on a detour through the main conflict, I would call that regular plot. But if it's a mostly unrelated issue or deals with a minor character, I would usually call it a sub plot. 3)Usually it would tie in somehow to advancing your main plot/characters. Have fun with them! -stranger (Yes, I'm the same stranger every time) I'm being a dork and I choose not to explain myself -Hank Green


ThornesQuest	#5 Posted on 17-02-2010 14:42
Site Admin Posts: 1116 Joined: 20.03.09	I'm with late_stranger, in that I use sub-plots to further character development. In the Thorne's Quest books, the main plot is about Thorne's quest to identify, locate and defeat the Big Bad. She has 6 close friends, and usually the sub-plots are somehow connected to one of those friends and reveal more of the friend's personality, or drive the friend's deepening relationship with Thorne. I also think that the longer a work is, the more subplots it will have. Short stories seldom have sub-plots, nor do formulaic novels such as Harlequins. Compare that to the 7-book Harry Potter series, which had several sub-plots in each book. Thorne's Quest has a ton of sub-plots. . . . . . . . . Gale . . .

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