Think: A subplot is a great way to add richness to your story; it is a miniplot within your main plot and is often part of the rising action. They can be used to introduce plot twists or to simply interrupt the story in a creative way so that it more closely imitates real life.

There are several different kinds of subplots, but three seem to be the most popular: romantic, conflict, and expository. A romance subplot is one about love, often forbidden love. Conflict is about the problems and challenges that arise for characters. These can be emotional or physical. Expository subplots are about introduce backstory of the main plot or one (or more) of the characters.

Exercise: Create at least one subplot for your story. It may or may not contain the protagonists. Keep in mind that subplots often have the same structure of a regular plot, only some of those parts, like the climax, may overlap. In fact, the subplot must rejoin the main plot at some point, unless you are planning a sequel.

For example, perhaps you have a romance embedded in your quest and you want the climax of the romance to happen as part of the climax of the main story. Here is an example of this in the story of King Author from https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/subplot:

Helpful Tools:

7 Great Way to Add Great Subplots to Your Novel: https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-ways-to-add-great-subplots-to-your-novel

Subplot ideas: 5 Tips for Writing Better Subplots: https://www.nownovel.com/blog/subplot-ideas-better-subplots/

How to Add Meaningful Subplots to Your Novel: https://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/07/16/how-to-add-meaningful-subplots-to-your-novel/

Note: Links posted in comments below. You can copy and paste them into a browser if you are on a computer.

Share:

Write a short plot description of your subplot in the comments below. Or, if you don't want to share the one you will actually use, create an example. Take a look at subplots of your fellow writers; they might inspire you. Of course, you don't want to copy them directly because that would be wrong.