{"id":18296,"date":"2018-01-19T01:00:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T09:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=18296"},"modified":"2018-01-19T08:14:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T16:14:08","slug":"say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/19\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\/","title":{"rendered":"Say It with Subplots by Kay Keppler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Reading<\/a>Let\u2019s\u00a0welcome\u00a0back monthly columnist, editor, and novelist,\u00a0Kay Keppler<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cSay It with Subplots.\u201d\u00a0Enjoy!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

When someone asks you what your story is about<\/strong>, you tell them the actions and conflict of your protagonist. You don\u2019t discuss your subplots because they\u2019re minor. They\u2019re there to support your main story, rather than be the main story.<\/p>\n

But subplots can be tricky to get right. If you\u2019re having trouble with a sagging middle or getting your loose ends tied up, sometimes it\u2019s because your subplots went south. What should you watch out for?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s filler<\/h2>\n

Maybe your subplot has no real narrative purpose. It doesn\u2019t advance your central plot, support your theme, or develop character. It doesn\u2019t go anywhere. After a while, your readers will wonder why. And they\u2019ll start to skim. You don\u2019t want that.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s boring<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t want your subplot to overwhelm your central story, but it does have to have a purpose, and it has to be engaging. Things have to happen to those secondary characters. Actions have consequences. Your readers have to care.<\/p>\n

If you think subplots are killing your book, how can you make them more effective?<\/p>\n

Escalate the drama<\/h2>\n

Use a subplot to make it harder for your protagonist to achieve her goal. Complicate events for her. Such complications can trigger evolution of the character, and that makes it critical to your story.<\/p>\n

Demonstrate a need<\/h2>\n

See if you can develop a subplot that makes your protagonist question his goal, or even move from an external, ego-driven goal (something he wants, a selfish goal) to an internal, essence-driven goal (something he needs, an interior, selfless goal).<\/p>\n

To demonstrate character growth, the goals of desire and need should be mutually exclusive. That is, if you hero achieves the goal he wants, he sacrifices the goal he needs (often a tragedy!). Conversely, by obtaining the goal he needs, he gives up the goal he wants. If your character opts for need, he proves that he has changed.<\/p>\n

Since the \u201cneed\u201d subplot is about fulfilment, it\u2019s usually, but not always, about love. You can incorporate this subplot in several ways.<\/p>\n

Introduce a love interest<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s say your guy Joe is a hard-driven racehorse trainer who wants to win the Kentucky Derby. On the track he meets the girl of his dreams, a jockey and the daughter of a competitor, who has a one-horse stable. On the day of the Derby, Joe learns that his sweetheart is riding against his horse. If she loses, she\u2019ll lose not just the race, but her home and job and be forced to marry the rich owner. Joe\u2019s dilemma: if he gets his want (winning the Derby), he loses his sweetheart (which denies him what he needs: true love).<\/p>\n

Develop a love triangle<\/h2>\n

Consider the film Bridget Jones\u2019s Diary, in which both the want and the need are potential romantic partners. Bridget\u2019s want, her external desire, is the Hugh Grant, bad-boy character. He\u2019s handsome, successful, witty, and charming. Who wouldn\u2019t want that, right? Her need is the kinder, more substantial Colin Firth. Hugh Grant offers \u201cfun\u201d; Colin Firth offers fulfilment.<\/p>\n

Whom to choose? Bridget overcomes her desire to have what she wants and realizes that she needs Colin Firth.<\/p>\n

Strengthen a friendship<\/h2>\n

You can demonstrate character growth through friendship, too. Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve got two guys who were each raised in a military family that moved around a lot, so neither formed strong friendships as kids. They meet through the police academy, where Mac is in training to be a cop (Mac\u2019s external need) and Bud raises police dogs.<\/p>\n

When Mac\u2019s instructor accuses Mac of murder, Bud stands by him. But rogue cops gang up on Bud, and Mac jumps into the fray, injuring several. This action jeopardizes his future as a cop, but he does it because his need\u2014his love for his friend\u2014has overcome his want to become a police officer.<\/p>\n

Have a family<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve read the book or seen the movie: there\u2019s a big, crazy family, and each wants different things. This story is rollicking fun, except that one family member isn\u2019t doing that well. Let\u2019s say the youngest daughter wants to join the boys\u2019 baseball team because there isn\u2019t a girls\u2019 team. Against all odds, she makes the team.<\/p>\n

Then the parents of the other players revolt, saying they\u2019ll pull their sons from the team if the coach doesn\u2019t remove her. But her family rallies around her, organizing feminist pep rallies and getting the school and other parents to support the kids team. By foregoing their own selfish goals, the family embraces their need through love and becomes whole again.<\/p>\n

Manifest self-expression<\/h2>\n

One final subplot that forces growth on your character doesn\u2019t involve love, but creativity. For example: an artist living in nineteenth-century Paris wants his paintings to be exhibited in that year\u2019s official Salon, but the curators won\u2019t accept his avant-garde Impressionist work. Should he paint in a style that doesn\u2019t move him, just to get public notice? Or should he paint his passion?<\/p>\n

Acceptance by the Royal Acadamie is his want. Artistic freedom is his need. If he submits the picture of his heart, he won\u2019t be accepted. But he makes the hero\u2019s choice and submits the Impressionist painting. He\u2019s denied the exposure he wants, but he gets the fulfillment he needs.<\/p>\n

The subplot you need<\/h2>\n

Everyone at least occasionally loses sight of what\u2019s important. We think it\u2019s about getting the prize, even though experience tells us that life\u2019s greatest joys are internal rather than external. A transformative story reminds us of this eternal truth.<\/p>\n

How do you achieve that transformative story? With a subplot that offers your protagonist what s\/he needs, but requires the sacrifice of illusory wants.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/h2>\n

Kay Keppler<\/a>\"Kay<\/a>\u00a0is an author\u00a0Zero Gravity Outcasts<\/a><\/em>, Betting on Hope<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas<\/a><\/em>, and editor of fiction and nonfiction \u2013Angel\u2019s Kiss<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Outsource It<\/em>!<\/p>\n

She lives in northern California. Contact her here at Writer\u2019s Fun Zone<\/a> in the comments below, or at\u00a0kaykeppler@yahoo.com<\/a>\u00a0to ask questions, suggest topics, or if you prefer, complain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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You don\u2019t discuss your subplots because they\u2019re minor.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/19\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Writer's Fun Zone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-19T09:00:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-19T16:14:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Screen-Shot-2017-11-15-at-10.37.02-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"234\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"348\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Barany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bethbarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Barany\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Barany\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9716e70facf67ac5be22883cfdbc684b\"},\"headline\":\"Say It with Subplots by Kay Keppler\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-19T09:00:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-19T16:14:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1071,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/Screen-Shot-2017-11-15-at-10.37.02-PM.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Bridget Jones's Diary\",\"develop character\",\"Hugh Grant\",\"Kay Keppler\",\"self-expresion\",\"subplots\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Writing Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/\",\"name\":\"Say It with Subplots by Kay Keppler · Writer's Fun Zone\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/19\\\/say-it-with-subplots-by-kay-keppler\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/Screen-Shot-2017-11-15-at-10.37.02-PM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-19T09:00:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-19T16:14:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"When someone asks you what your story is about, you tell them the actions and conflict of your protagonist. 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