The lockdown creative writing challenge: Subplotting the story

Christopher Mlalazi

By now, if you decided to take part in our lockdown creative challenge by trying to write a new story, you should be having something in front of you that is beginning to look readable even by yourself.

Always remember that you are the primary reader of the story that you are giving birth to, and should it feel that it is beginning to work for you, it is now time to take pride in that child of your creation– but not yet time to show it to anybody. That time will come in due course.

This is the eighth instalment of this online creative writing workshop, and to recap what we have covered so far – we have looked at how to get started, plotting the very first draft, how to push it forward using meditation as a self-energising tool, layering, and story conflict.

At first glance this might seem a lot of ingredients to mix into the story stew, but we still haven’t started, as there are still more tricks to learn which we can play around with as we continue with our quest towards our end target – the finished story.

Last week we took a peek at story conflict and how one should apply that as a hook to create tension within the story that will, hopefully, reel the reader in, and this week we are going to go further, and look at sub-plotting.

It is common knowledge that the story has the main plot. This is the overarching spine that carries your story from beginning to finish. Character John is looking for his long lost uncle, and after an adventure here and there, finally locates him at the end of the story.

If you write this main plot well, we might say you have an interesting story, as you have a quest that is easily identifiable, and which is capped with a victory at the resolution.

But then, you should ask yourself this. Is this single plot story line deep enough for the bookworm?

I will raise my hand to this question and say it’s not.

Let’s always remember that the reader, in looking for that rich read, is always seeking a story line that will challenge them in multiple directions.

Let’s imagine a juggler.

If we see one juggling with only one ball, we are not easily impressed with that.

And if we see another with two balls, we might think they are trying.

But if we see one with more than three balls simultaneously flying in the air, we might stop to watch, as the motion of those several balls all flying at the same time, and with the juggler seeming well in control of his catch and throw, is something that is amazing and that deserves our acknowledgment, or praise.

And so that goes with the story line. The writer is the juggler, and the single ball is your main plot, and if you have several balls, those are your subplots which give depth to that much sought for satisfying read.

And so in our case, the subplot is also necessary cog in our whirling story wheel.

Simply put, it will be a different story to the main one, but racing along with it.

It’s another universe within our main story arch, like, John is searching for his long lost uncle, and while searching for him, he gets involved in an explosive romance.

And so the romance becomes another story within the main story, and also having its own conflict, but one that does not overshadow the main one, but rides on it leech-like.

If you are brave or confident enough as the writer, you can add another subplot as well that can either become a stand-alone, or be a sub-subplot of the subplot.

Now with these diverging little stories within the bigger story, you have added the depth into your story that the reader is looking for in their search for a compelling read, and one that can even make them recommend the story to other readers.

But when and how do you put in the subplots along the length of your main plot?

That is for the writer to decide, but usually the subplot will follow the introduction of the main plot – just along the way somewhere there.

They cannot all start at the same time. One can even introduce the story with the subplot, but care must always be taken that it does not steal the thunder from the main one.

The subplot can be resolved before the main one, or after, or at the same time, that is for the writer to decide on, but it should never confuse the holistic story construction.

We hope you are having fun in working over your stories, for now, stay safe, stay writing, and till next week!