Courtesy of Tracy, I found inspiration for today’s tip in her comment about a novel she drafted that had six subplots or story threads. A review of her work said, “Good story line, too complicated.” In my classes I am often asked about subplots. What is a subplot and how many should the first novelist attempt?
Writing Tip for Today: A subplot is simply a story within the main story. Look at it this way: Our lives have more than one arena. A subplot is a fictional way to handle some of the arenas in your character’s life that aren’t the main focus. A subplot needs the same structure as the main story: A beginning, middle and end, rising action, a problem or conflict that is resolved at least partially. If your protagonist’s main goal is to solve the murder, possible subplots could include a love story, a situation within some other relationship or to escape the bad guys without losing one’s own identity. In inspirational fiction, the protag’s faith (or lack thereof) is often a subplot. A partial resolve to a plot or subplot would mean that the reader is satisfied by the direction to which the resolution points instead of a neat and tidy outcome.
How many subplots? Each novel will have its own issues, but in general 2-3 subplots is plenty, especially for a new writer. If your reader has too many complexities to juggle, it may be a turn-off unless you have great skill to pull it off. The same advice I give about POV (point of view) characters applies here. Only create as many as are absolutely necessary to tell the story. The more subplots, the more things the reader must remember as the story unfolds.
Try This!
Chart the subplots in your novel. How many are there? Is it too complex? If it is, which would you eliminate?