Writer's Road Recap: Subplots

Here is an abbreviated recap of our last chat in August on Subplots. It's a short one because we did a half hour chat and half hour word war challenge:

Heather McCorkle  Subplots can add depth and intrigue when balanced right. When balanced wrong, they can confuse and lose the reader. #WritersRoad

Krissi Dallas  Subplots should effectively tie in to overall theme & plot! Don't let them be pointless... #writersroad

TS Tate (Tee)  From WD: Think of subplots as simply strands of stories that support or drive the main plot. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  subplots can: Advance your story in satisfying increments. #writersroad

TS Tate (Tee)  Unleash transformative forces on your main characters: growth or corruption, gain or loss. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  Pivot your action, provide twists. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  Induce mood: menace, comedy, pathos, triumph. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  Insert—or, even better, challenge!—a moral lesson. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  Subplots can also include your antagonist's history/background to add depth to the main plot. #WritersRoad

@KrissiDallas - Subplots can be a big distraction when too vague and detract from the main plot. #WritersRoad

Krissi Dallas  For me, as a reader & writer, subplots tend to keep me emotionally invested... it's often where romance ties in! :) #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  When writing in subplots, take notes. When finished, make sure they all tie in nicely without leaving holes. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee) Subplots bring realism to your main plot simply by existing—by interrupting the flow. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle They're like life's little complications, they must tie in, feel natural, and surprise at the same time. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  An unwieldy subplot that interrupts your narrative for too long? Break it into pieces and disperse them more broadly. #WritersRoad

Lori Prima  My problem @HeatherMcCorkle is I tend to leave OUT the subplots. Any tips on how to get better at weaving them in? @teetate #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  to @Loriprima Great question! Get to know your supporting characters, weave in bits about them that complicate and change things. #WritersRoad

Allison Duke  Thinking about all the "subplots" in my own life makes my head spin. No one has just one story going on at a time. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  Think of subplots as the ties that bind, or the degrees of seperation theory. The possibilities are endless. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  Does the level of subplots depend on PoV? How can we know all of them if we're in first? #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @teetate Great Q. In that case it all depends on how and when it is revealed to the 1st person POV. #WritersRoad

Allison Duke  In Pride and Prejudice, the Mr Wickham/Lydia thing is an annoying subplot, but essential to the main plot #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @AllisonDuke Good one! It annoyed me too, but it was important. #WritersRoad

Fislaih  I'm really loving this and want to edit my story, but why must it be so tiring?! #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle   to @Fida_Islaih Think of editing as the stage in which you polish the diamond. Helps put some of the wonder into it. #WritersRoad

TS Tate (Tee)  to @Fida_Islaih Think of it this way:All elements shld advance ur plot.Even the seemingly inessential ones.They shld all connect. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @Fida_Islaih Also, attack editing in pieces. Break it up by plot, character development, twists/subplots, ect. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  To know if your subplots connect/tie up or if there are so many they're confusing, use beta or critique readers when finished. #WritersRoad

Join us this coming Monday for a chat on finding and keeping great beta readers and critique groups!