Hellooo, everybody!
Black Friday is going down in the cyborg world today. Right now you can get both The Savior's Champion
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description below. Get yourself some goodies, get some stuff for your friends and family as gifts,
go crazy. I support you. Onto today's topic. We are talking about subplots. I love subplots,
I love writing them, I love talking about them. I've got a whole chapter devoted to them in
Shut Up and Write the Book. But right now we are taking a deep dive into how to think up subplots,
how to write them properly, and which mistakes you should definitely avoid.
Pay close attention to these mistakes because they will fuck your manuscript right up. Tip
number five is the most important, so ingrain that one in your brain. Let's get to it.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you
wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell. Shut Up and Write the Book is available
for preorder right now in these formats. And on top of that if you get the eBook format,
it is 50% off. Additionally, everyone who preorders is eligible to receive a free digital
workbook as a thank you for your support. All you have to do is send your proof of purchase to this
email address, and bam you've got yourself your workbook. Now I am breaking down my ten
best tips for writing subplots. This topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon,
Vincent B. Jobson. I made a video about the benefits of subplots years ago,
but Vincent wanted more information on the topic. Specifically, how to
weave your subplots into the story itself. And that's what we're talking about today.
Number One (1): Let's start with the basics. What is a subplot? A subplot is a
secondary plot in your novel. It's a smaller story that occurs alongside the larger primary focus,
without overtaking it, at least in theory. We'll talk about that a bit more later. A lot of writers
confuse their subplots with their main plot. Sometimes the difference is obvious. If you're
writing a story about saving the world or falling in love, then it's gonna be pretty clear. But if
your story is a bit more complex or multi-genre, you may struggle to determine which content is the
primary focus, and what's more on the sidelines. The easiest way to determine this is to take the
concept in question and imagine it's been removed from the story entirely. Can your plot still exist
without this content in it? Sure, it might be less entertaining, maybe you have to delete a
scene or two, but the point is, could you still tell your story? If the answer is yes, you're
looking at a subplot. They're connected to the main plot, but not pivotal to the overall story.
Number Two (2): Consider characterization. A lot of people aren't sure what sort of subplots
to include, and if that's the case, look at your characters. Your primary plot is going to reveal a
specific side of your characters, especially your main character. If we're writing action-adventure,
we're going to see their heroism and cunning. If you're writing a tragedy,
you're gonna see their vulnerability and grief. Subplots give you the opportunity to expand their
characterization and show a different side of them. What side are you interested in exposing?
I recommend showing a part of their personality that the main plot doesn't really get into. If
your plot requires a character to be a hard-ass, consider a subplot that reveals their softer
side. You can write about their relationship with their family, or maybe include a romantic subplot.
Character depth is one of the greatest benefits of subplots, so look there when brainstorming.
On a related note, Number Three (3): Explore relationships. More often than not,
subplots revolve around character relationships. Usually they revolve
around familial relationships, friendships, working relationships, sexual relationships,
or romantic relationships. If you're not sure where to take your subplots,
start there. Look at the people in your main character's life, or even better,
look at the people you forgot to include in your main character's life. Have you ever
read a book about a teenager living at home, but somehow their parents are never mentioned? That
makes a whole lot of sense. Addressing their relationship with their parents will not only
add depth to your story and characters, it will also help fill a monumental plot hole.
Number Four (4): Realism. If you are writing any type of fantastical story with unbelievable
elements, subplots are going to be a great asset to you because they help provide realism. If your
book is about werewolves, monsters, or magic. All of these things are wonderful and entertaining,
but they're not particularly believable. They don't need to be realistic, but you do need some
level of believability in your story to ground the readers. Usually the believability comes from
the characters and their relationships. That's why subplots are such an asset when it comes
to realism, because as we already covered, they focus on character relationships. A book about
sexy vampires could be a little hard to believe on its own, but if you've got a subplot about a
friendship on the rocks or sibling rivalry, it suddenly becomes a lot more realistic.
People can relate to that. When the dynamics are realistic, it's a lot easier for readers
to get invested in the story and feel as though they're experiencing it alongside the characters.
Number Five (5): Connect it to the plot. This is the most important tip when it comes to writing
subplots. When crafting your subplots you have to connect it to the main plot, otherwise it
is going to feel like filler. Yes, deepening characterization is wonderful. Yes, we love
some good character relationships. But if that is all that your subplots do, it is going to feel
shoehorned in and unnecessary. Fortunately, it's really easy to make sure your subplots are linked
to the plot. Simply make sure that the characters involved in your subplots are also involved in the
main plot somehow. Say you're writing about a princess trying to reclaim her kingdom,
and you want to write a romantic subplot. Maybe she falls in love with one of the soldiers aiding
her cause. Just like that your romantic subplot is linked to your main plot, they feel entwined.
Say you’re writing about a Vampire Slayer and you want a family subplot. Maybe the Slayer is
feeling a ton of guilt because she's lying to her parents about her slaying ways. Now you've
included a subplot about emotional turmoil that is directly caused by the main plot. Basically,
so long as it's connected to the plot in some way, the subplot will feel intentional and important.
Number Six (6): Reining it in. This is probably the worst mistake you can make when it comes to
writing subplots, don't let ‘em overtake the plot. If you're not sure if your subplots are overtaking
the plot, take a look at them chapter by chapter. Every single chapter should include at least one
plot point that moves the story forward. But subplots don't need to be featured in every
chapter. In fact, it's fine if a chapter doesn't include any subplots at all. Now, it’s okay if a
single chapter predominantly focuses on a subplot, but that chapter still needs to move the main plot
forward in some way. No chapter should be 100% subplot and nothing else. And since you've linked
your subplots to your main plot, this should be doable. When this issue gets particularly bad,
you end up with sagging middle syndrome, which is basically where the middle of your book is
boring. You're not moving the plot forward, and even though subplots are entertaining in
their own right, they're not what the reader signed up for. Your main plot is the promise
you made to your readers, so it's important to make sure you keep the subplots to the side.
Number Seven (7): Mix it up. Speaking of looking at your story chapter by chapter, this is the best
way to weave in your subplots. A great chapter utilizes what I refer to as the rollercoaster
method. This basically means that every single chapter begins on a different emotional tone
than how it ends. If you started on high, you wanna end on a low. And if you started on a low,
you wanna end up on a high. This is when subplots really come in handy. So your chapter opens with
an intense battle sequence. This is probably going to trigger suspense and fear in your readers. You
wanna make sure the chapter ends on a completely different emotional state, something that's on
the opposite end of the spectrum. You could use a subplot in order to craft this emotional shift.
Maybe the battle is over and now your hero is being bandaged up by the man he loves. Just
like that you switched from the main plot to the romantic subplot by utilizing the rollercoaster
method. I definitely recommend keeping this in mind while you're outlining your novel. It's much
easier to weave subplots into your story during the outlining phase, that way you can take a look
at your outline chapter by chapter and making sure you're keeping that emotional shift going.
Number Eight (8): Consider your themes. If you're still not sure what kind of subplots to include,
consider the theme of your novel, at least if you've got one. What kind
of message are you trying to convey? Your subplot could be another avenue
for making this point. Say you're writing a novel about a princess coming into her own,
and you're trying to evoke themes of self-confidence and empowerment. Your
subplots could easily portray this message as well. Maybe she has a shitty relationship with
the other princesses from other kingdoms. They make fun of her and belittle her,
but through the course of the novel, she's able to stand up for herself and gain their respect.
Thus your subplot helps to reinforce your main plot theme, which will drive it home for readers.
Number Nine (9): Don't overcomplicate it. Subplots are great, but your story doesn't
need fifty of them. When you stuff your novel full of subplots, it stops adding depth and just
creates confusion. There are too many storylines to sift through, and the purpose of the story
gets muddled. It also increases your odds of falling into sagging middle syndrome because
you're wasting too many precious pages on your subplots, and your main plot is being neglected.
Don't overcomplicate it. A few subplots are fine, but after that you really gotta calm down.
And Number Ten (10): Resolutions. As you hopefully know, your plot needs to be resolved by the end of
your book, aka the resolution. The same goes for your subplots. Now your subplots don't have to
be resolved in your novel's resolution. They can be resolved at any time in the book, but
it needs to happen at some point. You can't just leave a subplot dangling, readers are gonna think
you majorly fucked up. Which to be fair, you did. The only exception to this is if you're writing a
series and plan to carry that subplot into the next book. But usually even in this situation,
there's some kind of cliffhanger that lets readers know, shit ain’t over. In The Savior’s Sister,
one of my subplots was about Raphael blackmailing Leila. Their relationship progresses and evolves
through the course of the novel, but by the time we get to the end, it's not really over. Instead,
when Raphael leaves the palace, he kind of implies that he regretted his decision. Which in turn lets
readers know that this subplot is not over and will continue on in The Savior's Army.
So that's all I got for you today. If you wanna learn more about writing subplots, and literally
every other aspect of writing a book, check out Shut Up and Write the Book. And be sure to submit
your proof of preorder to this email address. That way you can get a free digital workbook as a thank
you for being awesome. A huge thank you to Vincent B. Jobson for requesting today's topic. If you'd
like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons of other awards,
check me out on Patreon. We have an exclusive writing group, you get early access to my videos,
there's monthly live streams, they're signed books—it's awesome! I got it linked below. Don't
forget to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you wanna be alerted
as SOON as I upload, ring that bell. And be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on Instagram,
TikTok, BookBlub and Facebook. And of course you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Regal, But Distracted Female Voice) Oh! Hello there. I’m Leila and I'm off to…a meeting
with…a…senator. While you're here, why don't you subscribe to Jenna’s channel? And ring the bell!
That way you'll always know when our videos go live. It's the perfect distraction—I mean,
entrainment. Well, off I go! Ignore the blade, it's just for show. Bye!