How to Write Better Subplots

A story is a tapestry made of many threads. There’s the main through line that pulls the plot along, then the characters’ up-and-down emotional journeys, interwoven with potential romances or mysteries. Braiding those threads together is all part of telling a good yarn.

Some of these threads could be considered a subplot — “a secondary plot string that runs parallel to the main plot,” as ScreenCraft puts it. In screenwriting, you might hear the terms A Story and B Story, which apply to fiction as well. Subplots, or B stories, can intertwine with the main plot across the course of a novel or only cross paths once.

But if you have too many threads — too many subplots — you could end up with a tangled mess, something neither you nor the reader can untangle to make sense of your creation’s purpose.

There are risks and rewards to adding subplots to a novel, because every thread invites more complexity. Here, I’ll give tips for successfully threading together subplots alongside fellow editor, book coach, and YouTuber Leslie “XPLovecat” Horn.