If you want to tell a damn good story, then learn how to incorporate a subplot. Subplots can reveal so much. They can highlight relationships with your protagonist and side characters. They can display how economic and political actions affect others. But, in my opinion, a good subplot can affect the intensity of the climax of your story.
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and learned that a seemingly irrelevant subplot ties into the main story in a huge way? Those are the best because it takes the audience by surprise because the answer was right in front of them the whole time. Read along to find out how you can create a great subplot to enhance the end of the story.
Subplot Method #1
The Object
This is probably the easiest method.
The plan is to devise a subplot that revolves around an object. But the object is seemingly irrelevant. No one cares about the object. It has no purpose. And if it does have a purpose, it is not important to the story.
Or so it seems.
For example, you can show how the object has no value. Characters can physically attack the object. They can show how the object has no importance to them and the world. They likely do not care about the object’s importance. But the object must be known.
It cannot be shown as having any value once and then forgotten until the end. That is not enough to pack a punch during the climax. The object needs to display its irrelevancy a few times to solidify to the audience that it is seemingly worthless.
The object subplot works well in mystery fiction and fantastical or supernatural stories.
- When the story reaches its finale, the characters can learn that the object they have been disregarding all this time actually means something important. In this case, the object should have some type of positive effect on the characters. Maybe it will kill the villain or slay the monster or send the ghost back to its dimension. Usually, the object will have some sort of backstory that the characters either don’t care about or have not solved correctly to use the object properly.
The object subplot also works well in literary fiction.
- The revealing of the object’s importance doesn’t need to save the world or kill the dragon, but it can heal relationships between family and friends. For example, if an object—a family heirloom (a photo)—has shown relevancy to the characters, but the owner of the photo does not want to part with it. From there, bad blood and family feuds begin. Relationships are destroyed and everything crumbles. That is until the end when the owner of the photo has a change of heart and decides to part ways with the photo. This subplot method could bring the story to a climax that acts as a teaching tool for the reader.
Subplot Method #2
The Person
A little bit more difficult than using an object to weave into the climax. This way will require more character depth from the writer. To work this subplot into the story, you will have to begin early—I mean as soon as you show the specific character that will somehow be of significance at the end. It’s not easy, but you can do it.
The problem is deciding what special role the character will play in the end. Will he be revealed as a prince that can marry the princess? Will she discover some type of power about herself that can defeat the villain?
Whatever path you choose for the character, you should make it clear through plot, action, and dialogue that the significance of the character may exist, but you need to throw the audience off at the same time. It would be a mistake to allow the reader to find out too soon that the character is special. You must always keep them guessing. That is critical.
For example, if you introduced a character as a simple guy with no confidence, then his character arc could lead him to help slay the dragon in the end. He could grow into a tough guy that faces his fears. This would work better if it were for a minor character. The main character with a role like that would take up the entire story, making it a plot—not a subplot. Understand?
Another way could work if a character is portrayed as useless to the story. He or she is thought of by other characters as irrelevant. They are outcasted. However, depending on the situation during the climax, they have a particular characteristic about them that is necessary to solve the problem. Maybe they come up with an idea. Or they are known to possess a certain object because they are hoarders. There are a million ways you can dive into this method.
Using a character as a building block for a subplot that will weave into the climax is a great way to keep the reader guessing. It is also a good way to highlight the emotional side of your story.
Subplot Method #3
The Theme
Regardless if a story is science fiction or horror or whatever, a story has a theme. These themes often come in the form of subplots because they are just the right size of a narrative. They provide enough space for detail without going overboard.
Your theme should bubble and come to a peak at the story’s end. This is where the theme could really explode. For example, if there were instances of bias towards one person from a villain, a collective movement of bias could happen against the villain. When the subplot is the theme, it takes on a more broad scope, usually a serious tone that is teaching the characters and your readers a moral lesson.
Another example could be if the theme is climate change, the final moments could result in nature affecting the characters’ choices during the climax. That is the key. The theme shouldn’t merely happen and have no consequences to anyone. The theme at the climax should positively or negatively affect the characters in completing their arcs. All of this will take much planning and outlining, but the outcome is worth it.
*Don’t just make a subplot that barely affects the characters or the readers. Anyone can do that. A good writer can make the subplot bubble and boil until the right time (the end) and then form everything into an unforgettable moment. The worst subplots are the ones that end without any emotional payoff. They tie together too nicely. Make the subplot explode and change the way people look at each other and the world.*
If you are looking for an editor to review your manuscript, visit my SERVICES page for more information.
Visit my YouTube channel for more creative writing tips here.
To download my eBook to write better suspense, click here.