SUBPLOTS AREN'T SUB AT ALL

 

 I finished my novel One Good Kick last year and began submitting it to literary agents. I was able to acquire and agent and we went through one round of edits. Then the owner of the agency passed away and the family decided to close the agency. I still had an agent, though, right? Nope. She decided to retire. So, I was on the hunt again. I got interest from two agents, but they never followed through. It was a frustrating time, and I even got defeated at one point. 

I had spent years writing the novel, and I loved it. My husband even loved it, and, yes, he is the nicest man in the world, but he always finds a way to tell me when my writing doesn't work in the nicest possible way. With this thriller, he gave me constructive critique, and in the end, I wrote a novel we both loved. 

And I knew the story was good, because I was able to get an agent. But, in the back of my head, I realized I had a major problem. Here's a brief description of the story:

It's 1989 and Annette Goode, a promising young editor for a small Hartford, CT, magazine has had too much to drink at the office Christmas party. Her head swimming, she struggles to maneuver away from the strange man shouting behind her in the dark labyrinth of a parking garage. Terrified he is out to kill her, and not realizing when leaving the party she took her best friend's purse, she reaches in for her keys only to pull out a small silver gun. In a panic, she turns and shoots the man dead. It's here Annette makes the first choice that will change her life. She leaves the scene unnoticed.

Haunted, she struggles to scrub away her guilt, but on every street corner, at every bus stop, she sees the ghost of the man she shot. Unable to shake the phantom or the dogged female detective and her mounting suspicions, Annette makes her second choice. She lies to her friend about having her purse and throws the gun into a pond near her apartment.

We all make choices that shine insight into who we are as people. In One Good Kick, the reader follows Annette's spiral down a chilling path of bad choices that lead to greater and greater tragedies, until she faces one final choice that could determine whether she lives or dies.

Because I wanted the reader to take a deep dive into Annette's psyche, I wrote the novel solely in her point of view (POV). It worked well, however, because she makes so many horrible choices that lead to such horrible outcomes, it was hard for the reader to have enough sympathy for her to follow through to the end of the story. Would they root for her to get away with her crimes? Would they stay committed to the story to see if she finds redemption? Would they keep reading to find out if she will serve her just punishment?

That's a lot of questions to consider, and the answer to all three was probably "No." After crying in my wine for about four months, it came to me. 

Annette's story is solid, but can't rise to a higher level of interest all by itself. I needed another story from another character's POV that the reader could champion. I needed a subplot. 

Don't get me wrong, One Good Kick had subplots, but they were all executed through Annette's POV. I needed another character's perspective of the world, of Annette, and of the conflict.

You may wonder how I could possibly create a whole other story inside the story I'd already written. The answer is, the story was already there; I just had to expand upon it, create a deeper conflict and deeper motivation for the secondary character. And I had to give hime his own POV. I chose Annette's best friend's fiancé as the secondary character.

I did this because the best friend already played a major role in the story that was strong and her story already ran alongside that of the main story. Even through Annette's POV, the best friend had a separate and unique story.

I chose the fiancé because he already had a motivation to uncover the truth behind all the events surrounding Annette's choices. He already had his own conflict that needed resolving at the end of the story that directly linked to Annette's story. But what he didn't have is his own POV. And although his motivation was present, it wasn't powerful enough to keep the tension tight. And he is a wholly sympathetic character with whom the reader can root for.

So, what is a subplot anyway? It's not what it's name implies. It is not subordinate to the main plot. It's not a less significant plot. It does not play out below the main plot.

It is a side story that runs parallel to the main plot. It incorporates separate events and conflicts that are unique to the secondary character(s). It is it's own story, with a beginning, middle, and end. It has rising action, conflict, tension, a climax, and a conclusion just like the main plot does.

Although a separate story, the subplot must play an integral role to the main plot. This may be obvious from the beginning, or it may not become clear until later in the story. If you can rip the subplot out of your story and have the main story still stand strong, then you have not created a successful subplot. It must weave into the main conflict and play a part in the resolution of the conflict.

Remember how I chose the best friend's fiancé because he was a sympathetic character the reader could root for? That is why I also changed the ending of One Good Kick. I had originally left it open ended in order to write a sequel. (Read my previous blog to understand why I did that.) It turned out, after all Annette had gone through, everything she had done, that ending would not satisfy the reader. So, in developing a stronger subplot in a secondary character's POV, I made him the catalyst to the conclusion. His intensified and personal journey is what leads to the resolution. 

Subplots in my last novel The Windsome Tree came more easily for me because I had written the story through four perspectives. The main character (protagonist), her husband, and the two ghost children who come into the protagonist's life. They each had their own powerful story that connected to the main conflict of the protagonist.

Subplots are an important element of every story. They don't always have to be huge, but they should always exist. They can mirror the main plot, with the secondary character there to teach a lesson or help resolve the conflict. They can be contrasting to the main plot, with the secondary character making different choices than the main character that result in a different outcome. They can complicate the main plot, with the secondary character making more obstacles for the main character. Or they can serve as a romantic challenge, with a love interest complicating the protagonist's journey.

The purpose of the subplot is to give more information than the main character can give. It enriches characterization by giving a different perspective of the main character. It intesifies conflict, increases tension, and builds suspense. It raises the stakes for the main character by having a secondary character working either for or against that character. It can provide backstory and expand the world. And it helps with pacing and tone of the story.

There you have it. When writing your story, don't forget the subplots! And, remember, there's nothing "sub" about them.

Thanks for checking in and happy writing!

Eileen

 

 

Revisiting My Novel  

One Good Kick, a thriller

 

 

I'm adding a subplot with a supporting character's point of view (POV) to my thriller ONE GOOD KICK. I was able to get an agent to represent the book without it, so I know the main story arch is good, but I believe losing the agent under circumstances no one could control (the agency closed with the passing of its owner) gave me an opportunity to revisit the novel and see what I can do to make it more engaging for the reader. I'm also changing the ending. I had to let it sit for a while before I could see these necessary changes with a clear eye.

The novel was originally written in only one POV, that of the protagonist turned antagonist. I did that because I wanted the reader to get an intimate look into the character's psyche. I believe I succeeded in doing that. However, I always had trouble wondering if the reader would have enough sympathy for her to sustain them through her entire journey.  

After letting the novel go for a couple of months, I realized I needed a second character's POV, one who was wholly sympathetic and had a integral part in the main character's fate. His role takes up less physical space in the novel than that of the main character, but the way he is woven into the story is significant.

I have decided to change the ending because I made a mistake when choosing how the novel would conclude. I love my mom and I respect her. She is wise and strong and loving and she only wanted the best for me. But sometimes people like parents, spouses, or best friends are too close to you to see what needs to be done with an objective eye.

She thought the novel would make a good series. She was pretty insistent. She said readers like a series and that's how I will get rich and famous. I listened to her, not because I wanted to become rich and famous. I've never had illusions of that, nor is it what I want. I just wanted to write a good book that people would want to read. I listened to her because I didn't want to disappoint her. She's my mom. So, I wrote the ending according to that advice. I convinced myself I liked the idea. The problem was multi-fold. 

One, after letting it go and coming back to it, I realize it was not a satisfying ending for the reader. Mainly because, and this is the second reason, contrary to what I convinced myself to believe, I didn't like the ending. Three, I didn't want to write a sequel to this story. I had zero desire to do that. I ignored that feeling and, number four, I thought it would force me to attack my next novel right away. I tried, honest I did. But I hated almost every idea I came up with. When I did come up with an interesting premise, I couldn't fit any of the characters from the previous story into it.

So, now I know what I need to do. Give a different POV to draw the reader in emotionally and allow the reader to root for someone. Change the ending so it is satisfying to both me and the reader. Don't worry about the sequel. When the time comes, I'll just write a new story. Never consider writing a story to become rich and famous, even if that would make my mom happy. And lastly, know I can love my mom without agreeing with everything she says.

Okay, so those who have beta read the novel as it was before, I hope you can see how this will work. It's all worth it, kids. Sometimes you can only fix the problem after you give your novel some distance.

Thanks for dropping in and happy writing and reading!

Eileen