How does one go about writing a story? - Subplots
The teachers at school would tell me that any story is made up of three parts - the beginning instroduction, the middle thick of the plot, and a solution. In rough theory, this is quite so, but a story planned like that is doomed to be linear and will feel short.
For a story to feel more fleshed out, it is a general practice to include sub-plots to thicken and expand your story. Make the reader think about different ideas and developments. If there is a journey, make your hero pause and stumble with various quests and troubles. Include romance and inner struggles with love and deceit. If you are focusing on the life of one person, you could include this man’s thoughts, memories, or diary entries to expand your ideas. Increase the number of characters interacting with yours, and include their own worries into the story.
Another great technique is to make two plots go side by side in a book, and switch between narration. The two storylines combine, twist and separate elegantly, before coming to a final stop in the end. Terry Pratchett’s “The Truth” is a good example of how the writer describes two different plot lines and makes them link together.
Sometimes linear styles of plot are very effective at conveying an idea, but if you are going to go for longer pieces, I personally suggest that expanding the story will make it richer. -Maria
3 years ago