Plotting Subplots

(apologies for my tardiness)

Life is rarely, if ever, lived in a straight line from setting a goal to achieving it. First, the plan itself can suffer setbacks, a shift to another path to the same goal, or even retrenching and starting over with an entirely new goal in mind.

But even on a long quest in a story, there’s subplots that populate the misfit party of travelers’ time. Shrek has his goal – but Donkey coming along not only creates wrinkles in that plan, but also creates a subplot where Shrek has to deal with him as an individual, getting under his skin, poking at his feelings. Let’s take the crossing of the lava gorge to the dragon’s castle.

Plot: In the plot to get the princess and back to Farquad, this is getting across the gorge to the castle, an intermediate step.

Subplot: Donkey doesn’t want to cross the bridge; he’s afraid, he’s panicking. Panicking might cause them both to fall into the lava. Shrek knows that Donkey is afraid of him, afraid of his anger, so he uses that to back Donkey up and they successfully cross the bridge. But note the changed attitude Donkey has at the end. “Oh!” And Shrek’s “That’ll do, Donkey, that’ll do.” This subplot has developed their relationship from strictly antagonists to something closer to companions.

That’s a “contained” subplot. It’s contained within a dramatic point of the main plot. While it furthers the emotional development in their relationship, it is a singular moment with a beginning, middle, and end.

These contained subplots in a book are those points where you have the characters working through a secondary problem or issue that is affecting their ability to move forward on the main plot goal. Just like a main plot point, there can be advancement or setback in achieving a mini-goal

diagram here of a plot with a well defined bump.

An “extended” subplot is one with its moments scattered through the other plot(s), but they’re connected, either explicitly or implicitly calling back to a previous development moment in that subplot.

plot line with an interwoven second line around/through it

Prince Farquad’s desire to marry a princess and become king in his own right is an extended subplot. It affects the main plot at multiple points but has its own points of escalation, retrenching, rebuttal, obstacles, and redirection. This culminates, of course in his claiming the crown by marrying Fiona. The fact that it dovetails in and through the main plot is due to the fact Farquad’s demand for the princess, or Shrek won’t get back his swamp, is the catalyst for Shrek’s (the main character’s) plot.

You can hide this side plot’s true motives from your main character, through a technique like double-speak, or indirect answering a question with a question, and similar tactics that manipulators use. But also consider what is done with Prince Humperdinck’s plot in The Princess Bride. The audience know he’s got other plans (even if we hadn’t heard them in another scene) when he slips and tells Buttercup that he’ll have his entire armada escort them on their honeymoon. She double-checks: “All bur your four fastest, you mean?” since he was supposed to have sent out those in order to get a message to Westley. He jumps and answers “of course, of course!” The audience — and possibly even Buttercup — recognizes he is lying through his teeth! His body language and verbal stumble gives away the game.

SO, have fun with your subplots, whatever method you choose.

~ Lara

Next month: How to get more emotion into your stories.

If you are looking for editing assistance with a project, I have openings from mid-May onward. April is fully booked. Be sure to contact me and reserve your slot today. ~ LZ