12/25/2022 0 Comments Subplot in a story![]() ![]() Wickham, Darcy determines to find the couple to atone for his past mistakes and prove his affection for Elizabeth. Alternatively, a protagonist’s mistake results in a secondary conflict that complicates their journey.Įxample: When Lydia runs away with Mr. Alternatively, a subplot shows readers the story’s central conflict through the eyes of a secondary character, showcasing two sides of the same story.Įxample: As Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor, the remaining members of the Fellowship experience journeys that lead them to wage war on Sauron, ultimately enabling Frodo and Sam to reach Mount Doom.Ī secondary character’s actions complicate the protagonist’s experience with the story’s central conflict. The protagonist’s relationship with a love interest complicates their journey to resolve the story’s central conflict.Įxample: When Capitol citizens decide that Katniss and Peeta would make a handsome couple, the pair must engage in a false romance to better ensure their survival in The Hunger Games.Ī seemingly unrelated plotline occurs in tandem with the main story until the two collide in exhilarating fashion. Subplots typically revolve around a story’s secondary cast of characters, but events in the main characters’ journeys can also produce integral secondary conflicts. Good subplots aren’t just subordinate storylines they’re secondary conflicts that arise from characters’ actions & reactions as they engage with the story’s central conflict. The most effective subplots are those that exist because they must, because to nix the plotline would be to craft a narrative that feels insincere, half-baked, or unresolved. Like any good story element, subplots should serve a strong narrative purpose. While subplots can make stories longer and more complex, these results should be by-products of effective secondary plotlines rather than one’s reason for writing them. While this definition isn’t incorrect, it also isn’t complete-and this oversimplification can lead writers to use subplots in misguided ways, such as needlessly lengthening or complicating their stories in pursuit of “better” storytelling. Often, subplots are defined as “secondary plotlines in a story”. Her first rewrite is a terrific time to begin searching for themes and how plots and subplots help tie the themes together and bring meaning to the story overall.įor an in-depth resource to all the questions to ask about theme when writing a novel, memoir, screeplay, refer to The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.Subplots are a story element that many writers misunderstand. ![]() She’s written an entire draft and ended up with the bones of a fantastic story. I’d like her to consider all her plotlines for what they contribute to the story thematically. ![]() Still, before she cuts for cutting’s sake, I’d like her to consider the subplots for what they contribute to the story thematically. Granted she is a bit nervous about having too many subplots. As we do, the writer throws out a subplot, entirely. We establish the other key scenes and begin plotting out scenes from beginning to end. In doing so, she knows who the character is throughout the story and how to begin incrementally showing her true transformation as she enters the final quarter of the story. With probing and support, she establishes the character emotional development arc. By the gaps and questions she has, I understand she’s written the first draft primarily from the dramatic action and the correct historical point of view. We move from the dramatic action plot to the character emotional development plot - or, in other words, why the protagonist does what she does at the climax and what her actions mean to the story overall. The scene sounds like the culmination of exciting action in a truly exotic setting. ![]() The action at the Climax is big and external and life or death and… well, it’s great.
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