5 Tips to Write a Good Subplot That Every Writer Needs to Know
Subplots are a hugely overlooked part of the drafting process. They are often overlooked for the much more overt plotline you’ll have bouncing around in your head. But when subplot inspiration strikes, it is such an amazing feeling. It’s almost always the missing ingredient stopping your story from feeling fully rounded, and when you get that Eureka! moment, everything feels like it just clicks into place.
So, what is a subplot? In essence, it’s a secondary plotline in your story. It should support and enhance the main story arc, while adding depth and complexity to the overall reading experience. They’re an effective tool for adding more conflict, characterisation, and tension to your story, and can be used as a way of foreshadowing future events or can occur in parallel with the main narrative.
How do you write a good subplot for your story?
Subplots let you explore what’s happening in other parts of your story, like the relationships between characters or the evolution of a theme. But subplots are notoriously difficult to write, and most of us will struggle with them at some point.
Subplots can be the single most brilliant part of your novel, or they can be the least interesting. A strong subplot adds depth to your story and keeps readers engaged, while a weak one becomes an afterthought that cannot engage readers and ultimately distracts from the main story.
The primary functions your subplot should serve are to:
- Add variety to your story.
- Support the central theme of the main narrative arc.
- Introduce complications that can affect the direction of your main plotline.
If you want to write a good subplot, while there aren’t hard-and-fast rules, there are best practice tips that will help you get there. If you follow these five helpful tips, then writing your own will be easier than ever.
Tip #1: Know what kind of subplot you want to introduce
The first step in creating an interesting subplot is knowing what type of subplot you want it to be. While there are many different narrative arcs you can choose from, there are five common functions that your subplot can serve, and knowing what that function is in advance will help you focus your storytelling.
- Mirror Subplots are a smaller-scale conflict that mirrors that of the main character to teach them a valuable lesson or illuminate how to resolve their personal conflict.
- Contrasting Subplots are when a secondary character faces similar circumstances and dilemmas as the main character but makes different decisions with the opposite outcome.
- Complicating Subplots are when a secondary character makes matters worse for the main character.
- Expository Subplots are when a character from the past or near present shows how their actions shape the reality your protagonist inhabits.
- Romantic Subplots are when the main character has a love interest, and this relationship complicates the main plot.
Tip #2: The subplot must have its own arc
A subplot should have its own beginning, middle, and end. You don’t want to confuse your readers by having too many different storylines going on at once.
Remember that subplots are not just a distraction from the main story. They should add more depth to the overall narrative by offering different perspectives or points of view. It should also be able to stand on its own, meaning it should feature its own characters and events that add dimension to both stories being told at once.
The most common mistake that writers, especially new ones, make is using a subplot as filler material. A subplot shouldn’t just add flavour; it needs its own purpose and relevance within the context of both narrative arcs. If it doesn’t do that, then there’s no need for it in the first place and it’s entirely redundant. If your main story arc would be the same and have the same outcome if you removed the subplot, then you need a stronger subplot.
This is where it’s important to refer back to tip #1. If you know the kind of subplot you want to introduce and plan with that in advance, you’ll have a better chance of creating a self-contained narrative arc for it, even if it’s only in your book for a scene or two.
Tip #3: It must have at least one character that ties it to the main plot
All subplots should somehow connect to the main plot. Otherwise, it’s just an unrelated side story and will feel like filler for your novel.
Your subplot character must be recognisable to the reader. This means that they must have a reason for being in your story, and it’s best if their role is clear from early on, even if their connection to the main plot is not immediately apparent. Their motivation should be clear too: What does this person want? What drives them?
They should have goals to achieve those things, and there should be obstacles standing in the way of them achieving those goals. It’s also essential that your secondary characters aren’t too similar or generic; otherwise, they won’t add anything meaningful or interesting to your story. They need unique traits and quirks so you can understand how they fit into everything else happening around them, while still making sense as individuals with distinct personalities who exist outside of your main plotline.
Introduce one or more characters into the subplot whose actions have consequences in both arcs and who serve as catalysts for action in both plots. Give both sets of characters similar motivations (or at least mutually exclusive ones) so they can react strongly against each other.
The characters in your subplot don’t necessarily have to have a direct connection to your protagonist. They could simply have created something important to your main character, which is not revealed to them until late in the narrative. The main thing is that there is a connection.
Tip #4: Your subplot must add something new
You shouldn’t introduce a subplot unless it adds something to the book that wasn’t there before. It doesn’t mean that you can’t repeat themes, but it does mean that you want a new character or situation that will change the story in some way.
Sometimes, you can achieve this by giving the reader more information than the characters of the main plot have, but it can even be something as simple as showing an alternative emotional response to certain events than those your protagonist displays.
Despite needing to add something new, however, it’s vital that your subplot is not distracting from the main plot. You want it to serve and enhance, not to overshadow.
Tip #5: It must support your main plot
It is so easy to get carried away with a subplot if you’re excited by it. But subplots should support the main plot, not detract from it. If you have a subplot that tries to distract from the main plot, it will most likely make your story feel disjointed and unfocused, or it could mean that your subplot is actually more interesting than your main plot and you might want to switch your narrative focus.
If you take any piece of advice away, let it be this: make sure your main plot and subplot are related!
The two plots must be connected somehow, otherwise, they won’t seem relevant. By having a subplot that can complement and enhance the main plot by adding another dimension or element, it will provide balance to your story and make sure it doesn’t feel too focused on one thing.
Think of your subplots like a superhero sidekick, or the pit crew in Formula 1 racing. They’re absolutely essential to success but never overshadow or detract from the main event.
The key to writing subplots that will keep your readers engaged is to make sure they’re relevant and helpful to the central plot. If you can do this, then you’ll be well on your way toward creating a story that people will want to read again and again!
