Writer's Blog - Sub plot

Writing a Novel continues with a chapter on sub plot.

Sub-plot is basically a secondary part of the novel, or television episode, that compliments the main plot. At least that would be how I'd define it. Of course this has been done badly as in Silent Enemy, an episode of Enterprise. The summery, or Cliffnotes version, is that the ship is being attacked and the captain keeps ordering Hoshi to find out Reed's favourite food!

So to the book. The chapter begins with, oddly enough, a simple definition. Since I couldn't hope to match eloquence of Watts I'll start with that.

'The sub-plot is a subsidiary storyline which runs parallel to the main story, a narrative strand that can be taken away without causing the whole book to unravel.' (p41)

As mentioned above Enterprise got the idea of the sub-plot wrong in Silent Enemy. However I would be remiss if I didn't mention where Star Trek had done it well....



This is widely regarded as the best of the Star Trek cliffhangers. - As an aside its wonderful to be able to say that without having to put references!

Anyway this is the point in The Best of Both Worlds where Riker shows he can command the Enterprise. (Its later undone as the must be the reset button!) Its where the sub-plot combines with the main plot.

Of course its not totally necessary for the plots to combine in quite this way. A sub-plot can have little to do with the main thrust of the story but can help with character development. I'm trying to think of an example of where this was done and am coming up empty. I am trying to bring in a subplot in my novel. One of my characters discovers her magical ability and wishes to use that to help her mother, who is in a state of depression, it is not directly related to the main plot but it should serve to show what sort of person this character is.

Like the central theme of a novel Watts notes that a sub-plot also requires an arc. Watts also notes the dangers of the 'two-headed monster.' (p42)

'Beware of developing the sub-plot too much: you may create a two-headed monster, that is, a story with two distinct plots of equal weight, which can be confusing to the reader' (p42)

I'll discuss more on that next time. (Which may be tomorrow)