#PLOT SUBPLOT FULL#

If you find yourself thumbing through your manuscript and going, вЂњSubplot, subplot, subplot!,вЂќ it may well be because the subplots are sticking out like speed bumps on the highway. If your subplot doesnвЂ™t work within the larger plot to the point that itвЂ™s inextricable from it, then it simply doesnвЂ™t work. In fact, I recommend you stop thinking about subplots altogether. I donвЂ™t have a good simple answer (which is why itвЂ™s taken me ten years to write a full-blown post on the subject), for the simple reason that subplots are not a good way to think about story. Whenever someone asks me вЂњhow do I write subplots?вЂќ, it makes me incredibly squirmy. I actually donвЂ™t even like talking about subplots. But today, letвЂ™s assume youвЂ™ve already packed your cart with your nourishing vegetables, which leaves you free to fulfill your sweet tooth by raiding Ye Olde Subplot Shoppe. In short: you canвЂ™t master the art of organizing subplots without mastering the art of plotting itself.ДЇor that, of course, you need story structure, character arc, theme, and all that fun junk. Good subplots integrate with the main plot to the point theyвЂ™re inextricable from the storyвЂ™s bigger picture. This is because subplots, when done right, are all but camouflaged within the larger story. IвЂ™m often asked about subplots, but itвЂ™s one of those subjects ( like POV) that is bigger than just a simple answer. But organizing subplots, or even just figuring out what your subplots are? That can sometimes be trickier.

#PLOT SUBPLOT FULL#

TheyвЂ™re rich, juicy, complex, and full of opportunities for taking your story to the next level. Enough to make any writerвЂ™s mouth water, right? Writers love the idea of subplots.

Imagine you walk into a candy shop, but what you discover inside, instead of candy, is display after display of subplots.

Plot subplot