Subplot verses Main plot quandry

magic15

Hi everyone I started to write the subplot out yesterday and ended up throwing it away as I had written it out on paper, after which I did some research on subplots and writing in general, the purpose is to solve which plot to do first the main plot that I am going to call 1a) and the subplot that is 1b) and I am still uncertain which one to start with as my idea is to try and marry the two of them up somehow however until I have resolved that issue I cannot start for good. My idea was to start with subplot and then half way through tie it into the mainplot however on doing my reserach I have released that is not the way or is it can anyone help me out of this predicament please?
Phil.

Tracy

Main plot is the one you should focus on and it should be the main driving force behind the narrative and subplots act as the scaffolding and be a natural extension of the main plot. Well, that's what I do. If they don't work together I don't think you should force them or it may end up feeling contrived.
Hope that helps
Tracy

Stirling

A sub-plot should come naturally.

In my crime novel my main plot is a kidnapping. As I plotted the story and developed character I realised my protaganist's marriage was falling apart. So as the pressure of the crime bears down on him, the marriage crumbles further.

Kaz

Subplots should definitely occur naturally out of the main storyline - or at least it should appear that way! For example, in the novel I am currently working on, scheming Mariska (15) sets out to discredit her drama teacher, Josie, because she thinks (rightly or wrongly) her stepmum, Kate, is about to embark on an affair with Josie. Mariska is terrified that the family unit will be split and she intends keeping everyone together at all costs. That is the main plot.

One of my sub-plots is that Kate's husband has been visiting prostitutes when he is supposed to be in business meetings. What happens when Kate finds out? Will she dump him and go off with Josie? Another is that Kate's husband is desperate for them to have a baby, but Kate doesn't want to, so she keeps taking the Pill without telling him. Mariska discovers Kate's secret and attempts to blackmail her.

Personally I find the more you get to know your characters, the more ideas for sub-plots tend to emerge organically.

Hope this helps.

Best, Kaz

http://www.kazjordyn.com

Carol

Have to agree with all said so far.
You sound like you need to go back to your characters and find out more about them and the situation they find themselves in.

Stirling

Seems to be a lot of marriage breakdowns in the world of sub-plots! :D

Dwight

And that has to be a good thing, Stirling. Look at the TV soaps currently: marriages crumbling in all directions.

I tend to avoid subplots, partly because I would be petrified I would divide my reader's focus which must 'follow the story', i.e. the main plot. From the initial hook, it is this story that the reader wants to pursue, or so it should be. I may inadvertently have included a sub plot or two, but I wouldn't know because it is not apparent. Only the story drive.

So any other threads need to be part of resolving that main line, very obviously, and should pass through it. I don't think a reader would be happy if they felt they had a second story introduced in chapter 6. In Kaz's novel, for instance, every issue must be part of Mariska's efforts to keep the family unit together: each one may arrive as an obstacle to that crucial goal, but Mariska will resolve them with her purpose intact and in the forefront of her mind.

Carol

Those obstacles can be the sub plot...

louise

I really enoyed your last book, Kaz. And this one sounds liek a good read too!

Agree, subs should come naturally and shouldn't be so big that they overshadow the main theme or plot.

Kaz

Cheers, Louise, for your kind comment!

Best, Kaz x