SUBPLOTS AREN’T SECONDARY

The interplay between your primary plot and subplots is crucial to your story’s success—and all plot elements need to come from ideas. As Joyce Carol Oates explained, “Before you can write a novel, you have to have a number of ideas that come together. One idea is not enough.” Don’t think of your subplots as afterthoughts. Since they play a major role in storytelling, they must be carefully envisioned and constructed.

Subplots provide support to the main story in the same way that scaffolding supports a building under construction. Taking an analytical approach to subplot development helps ensure your choices will be weighty and relevant enough to do their jobs. While subplots can add insight and depth to your stories, choosing them is complicated because they need to satisfy multiple purposes. They must simultaneously move the plot along, aid in character development, help control pacing, and contribute to an appropriate ending.

Ideally, you’ll choose two subplots. Fewer than that and you risk a story that’s overly linear and light. More than that and you risk