#TipfulTuesday Subplot Ideas

Without a subplot, the singular journey arc of a novel from page one to the last page will fall flat.

It doesn't matter how dynamic the journey. Every good novel needs at least one subplot.

Subplots are the butter on toast. The seasoning in a marinade. The sound in a movie. They are never the primary component of a story and should never ever hijack the plot--but are so very important!

Contemporary movies, TV shows, and novels tend to use a romance thread for the subplot. It's easy to incorporate one. I must admit, my current story has one. I think readers and viewers have come to expect it. 

In my story, Christmas With The Enemy, I included a second subplot about a foster child. This subplot, more than the other one I used, has readers asking, "Will there be a story about Janey?"

Below, you will find a list of ideas, something different for you to try. Perhaps one of these ideas will morph into your next novel. Many subplots do. 

After reading the list below, add some of your own ideas in the comment section. I am tempted to say more than a keyword but will try to refrain. I don't want to limit your creativity. But if you have a question or expanded thoughts about the idea leave a message in the comment section. 

1. A new tradition including all the ancillary issues that pop up.

2. Dealing with a newly discovered disorder, like eating disorders.

3. A new skill

4. Phobia- suggest some in the comments

5. A grudge, lack of forgiveness, rivalry

6. Moving to a new home, redecorating, clutter, hoarder, building, adding on, etc.

7. Taking/planning a vacation, business trip

8. A sudden disability

9. Dealing with a family secret

10. A mysterious affliction

11. a new child, bonding, foster, adoption, loss

12. financial - sudden new income, loss of income

Happy writing. May you be blessed with many subplots. ;)

~Mary Vee

Author of Christmas with the Enemy

Photo by Mary Vee 

#amwriting #subplots #author #TheWritersAlley 

Mary Vee -  Mary Vee - Rock climbing, white-water rafting, and hiking top Mary’s list of ways to enjoy a day. She was homeless for a time, earned her MA in Counseling, and married an Air Force vet.  Mary has been a finalist in several writing contests and writes for her King.

Visit Mary at her website, blog, and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

EBOOK ON SALE FOR  $ 0.99!

CLICK HERE FOR Book Link

Why Writers Should Read with Karen Kingsbury

The wind picked up during one of our camping trips blowing the rain protector off our tent. We needed to tie it down tighter. To grab a single-thread string would have been foolish.  However, using a three ply rope provided strength to weather the storm.

When I think of the best stories, I realize each has more than one subplots running through the book. These mini stories give strength and power to the book, helping the main plot to weather the distractible reader.

For this two-week reading challenge I read Forgiven by Karen Kingsbury. She masterfully wove subplots into her story creating an amazing depth and holding my attention.

A sub plot has certain components. All the pieces need to weave together with the main story. In a way, the perfect blend of subplot with main story is like this picture of DNA below. Each unique but related subplot twines around a main story connecting where needed. Here is what Kingsbury did in her story Forgiven:

Main plot:  Katy Hart-Midwest homespun gal who met Dayne on a one-time adventure to Hollywood.  Her town is exited about the movie crew coming to town.

Thread one: Dayne-Hollywood hunk actor. Adopted by missionary couple, grew up in a MK boarding school. Filming next movie in midwest.

Thread two: Ashley Baxter Blake-Kate's best friend. Went to Paris as a young adult, came home with a child. She is concerned about her father and a secret he seems to have.

Thread three: John Baxter-lonely since his wife's death. Can't bring himself to read letters written by his wife. He kept them hidden in the box. Ashley visits with her son one day and discovers a letter . . . with  a family secret.

1. All sub plots must be related to the main plot: Without giving a spoiler I can at least tell you these clues. Katy is the main character. Although she moved back to her home town she never forgot Dayne. Ashley supports Katy through a tragedy at the hometown theater. I can't say more. You'll have to trust me when I say John's issue is directly linked to Katy as well.

2. Weave the subplots: To focus on one sub plot then hop to the main plot and etc is not good. The strength in anything woven is continuously working in all the threads to form a solid work.

3. Rabbit trails are not allowed. Don't get caught up in developing the sub plot. We didn't need to know the Ashley's story in Paris. To develop the Paris story would take away from the main plot.

4. Leaving Tassels/fringes are allowed in a series: While Katy's story came to a conclusion, The three threads left openings for future story lines. Kingsbury did this as a teaser for the rest of the series. If the book is not part of a series, smaller issues can be left to the reader to decide. Most important, bring the main plot to a satisfying conclusion.

By weaving subplots around the main plot your story gains a super strength to make it memorable.

What subplot comes to your mind, either in a book you read or wrote. How did it help strengthen the main plot?

Are you interested in joining me for the next two week reading challenge? Let me know. Those who have in the past enjoy emailing throughout the time.

*********************************

photo courtesy of amazon.com and zmescience.com

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes contemporary Christian fiction and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories.

Come Step into Someone Else's World with Mary's writing

Visit Mary at new web site!  www.maryvee.com

Or her ministry blog to families: http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

Or email her: mimary_vee@yahoo.com

What I've Learned About Writing From Joining a Book Club

I probably shouldn't have joined a book club. It's not like I don't have enough to read. The good thing, however, is that we read pretty much anything and everything I'd probably never pick up on my own. Maybe that doesn't sound like a good thing, but it is! It helps me branch out and grow as a writer. And not only that, the feedback from the rest of the group has shown me what different readers (different genders with different tastes) really do and don't want in fiction.

So what have I learned about writing from my book club?

1. Multiple POVs or scene shifts can be confusing or annoying
If there's not a reason to shift scenes or POVs every page or two, then maybe think twice about doing it! I know it works for some authors, especially those who are more established, but some members of my book club bring it up time and time again. The constant POV or scene shifts are too much!

2. Relatable characters are a must
Yeah, we writers hear this all the time. And hey, now we know it's not a myth! Readers are looking for characters they want to root for and if they don't like the character, they're not going to want to read about them for several hours and several more pages.

3. Ditch the description
There are readers in my group (none of them are writers, by the way, except for me) who are fans of literary fiction and genres that tend to have more description. And even they are saying, "I ended up skimming the story for pages and pages because there was too much description." It's worth it to watch your words and make the most of page space. It might result in a devoted reader instead of one who wants to put your book down.

4. Misleading back page summaries are disappointing
I know much of this has to do with the publisher, and authors don't always get a final say. But if you do have some say when your book is published, the closer the summary resembles to the book, the better.

5. Pacing is important and first pages are really important
Gotta start with momentum and keep it up. Also, as far as pacing, it's great to switch between description, internal thoughts, dialogue, etc. Paragraphs upon paragraphs of just one thing gets overwhelming. Mix it up!

6. Don't write too many subplots
Yeah, my other book club members dislike too much of this, as I do. It can get confusing if not done well, and hard for readers to get one defining theme from the story. Which brings up my next point...

7. Tie up loose ends
Along with all those plots comes several threads that need to be wrapped up. Readers don't like to be left hanging. It makes the reader not trust the writer. They want to know that the time they invested has a conclusion, and a good conclusion at that!

Have any of you ever been involved in a book club and what have you learned about writing from it? Or, if you haven't, what kinds of things do you dislike as a reader?

*************************************************************************************
Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.blogspot.com

Castle Lessons: Irresistible

Sherrinda and I were watching Castle together on Monday night. Me in Tennessee, she in Texas. The together part was via Twitter.

There is just something about a show about a writer doing his research on a level the rest of us writers could only dream of, coupled with mystery and a bit of romance, that makes it irresistable.

And that's the key, isn't it. A show, or for us novelists, our books, should be irresistable. SO much so that people want to tweet it, talk about it, come back next time (next chapter or next book) for more.

But what is irresistible to one reader could be drab and boring to others. I'm sure there are many that roll their eyes at Castle and turn the channel. (crazy people...)

At least to Sherrinda and I, some of their prime audience members, they have succeeded.

So who do WE write irresistable fiction?

Here's the thing: There is no magic formula!

No one can really predict for sure how well a book will do. That's why you hear stories of famous authors getting a billion and one rejections before some obscure agent takes them on and they go on to make millions when the book goes viral.

Even though no abracadabra exists, here are some elements (Castle-Style) that can help in your quest to put pizazz in your work in progress that will help keep readers glued to your book and giddy at the thought of your next new release.

Tight Tension - Tension is what keeps readers/watchers biting their nails and holding their breath. It's when Castle watches Kate's current boyfriend kiss her, or when a case seems to be spiraling out of control and every lead ends up in a dead end, and time is ticking before the killer strikes again. Gotta have some good tension!


Colossal Conflict - Regardless of you genre, you need a killer main conflict. A mamsy-pansy one will NOT do. I write contemporary romance... which many thing of as having tamer plots, but I still try to up the ante and put a little kick in my main conflict.

Subtle Subplots - Subplots swirl with their own sets of conflict that feed into the main conflict. Done right, they don't create unneeded rabbit trails but actually up the irresistible-factor and create depth. A good example is Castle's mother and daughter issues that are constantly going on. While they aren't vital to the main crime, make Castle realistic and ground him in reality. They help us know his background, his backstory, and make him a deeper character with roots.

Rugged Romance  - Some may disagree with me on this point. And really, it IS a bit of a preference (and in my genre, an obviously requirement.) But I have this saying that goes, "Romance makes every book a little bit better." While romance is a genre in itself, it is also able to be incorporated in all genres, even if it is just a hint. This doesn't have to be a main plot, but a little romantic tension is never a bad thing in a novel!

Murderous Mystery - Another genre of its own, I know. And Castle himself is a mystery writer, and crime shows and novels have an required mystery element. But all books can be enhanced by an element of keeping-your-reader/watcher-guessing. It's a comment complaint I hear among readers, is that they finish the first chapter and know exactly what's going to happen in the book. Keep a few cards in your back-pocket for later.

Discussion: Name an author (or more!) that you think writes irresistable fiction... and why!

I'll start:

The below is a list of my fav authors that I keep an eye out on their next new releases with eager anticipation. (this is not all inclusive... but just a few examples, as I have a LOT of favorite authors!)

• Tamera Leigh (I've teased her that I MIGHT camp out at the bookstore the night before her release day wearing my TAMERA LEIGH FAN CLUB T-shirt--I don't really have one of those but wish I did!)

• Deeanne Gist (Love on the Line is on my short-list to get next!) 

• Jody Hedlund (WRITE FASTER, Jody... this once a year thing is killing me... although you homeschool 5 kids, so I understand...)

• Jenny B Jones (Save the Date was one of my FAVORITE contemp romances of all time!) 

• Francine Rivers (who needs NO introduction!)
  

Making the Old New: A Family Film Favorite ~ Loving Leah

It’s my mom and dad’s favorite Sunday night movie. It’s such a tradition to the end of their Sunday, my sister has finally quit groaning when she hears Loving Leah is the film of choice.

But aside from just being a really good story, there is masterful characterization and a twist on a tried and true cliché.

I figured many of you would not have heard or seen this movie (it’s a Hallmark Hall of Fame film), but I couldn’t resist hitting a few of the high points that makes this film a favorite.

Breaking a Cliché:

There are many books and movies of convenient marriage. We have most likely become sick of the tried and true Love Comes Softly formula. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with those stories (they are some of my favorite kind), but HOW you write those stories is what will make you stand out.

Leah Lever is married and then widowed by an Orthodox Jewish rabbi. And now her deceased husband’s brother must marry Leah or his brother’s name will die along with him.

You would EXPECT Jake to forgo his responsibility to his sister-in-law. But his brother was everything to him when he was young. His only option is to marry Leah (aside from the fact he has a serious girlfriend) and they will live like “roommates” until other arrangements can be made.

Already, the screenwriter has changed the normal story of a forced marriage around. By using a religious requirement/restriction we have a different take.

What can be learned? Look for the odd, for the new to make your story unique and different. You can have an old story idea. We all are writing a story that has been written before, it’s depending on how you write it. You’ll probably have to dig, like this writer did with an Orthodox and not so Orthodox Jewish family coming together in marriage, but your story will stick with your reader because it.

Make it complicated

What I love about this movie, is how complicated the emotions become in the story. I’m going to bullet point a few of them.

·         Jake has a steady girlfriend who is just waiting for THE question to be popped.

·         Umm…then he brings home a wife. Not so good for the girlfriend

·         Leah is an Orthodox Jew. Her new husband is not. And Mama does not like this.

·         With pressure from Leah’s mother, Leah and Jake must hold up the façade of their marriage. And that isn’t easy when she comes to visit.

·         Leah is falling in love. With her husband. But Jake is still stuck on the girlfriend.

·         So while we see Leah changing and adapting to Jake’s world, Jake is planning a trip to Jamaica with the girlfriend.

Life isn’t easy for either Jake or Leah at this point. But as the other grows closer together and can no longer deny their feelings, new complications arise.

They are now living as husband and wife, but when the news roles around that Leah’s first husband’s headstone is ready to be unveiled, Jake and Leah are faced with new complications. Which ultimately lead to the black moment and the point of seemingly no return.

The many subplots and layers that run through the story all add depth to the overall plot, which is Leah and Jake falling in love within the bounds of holy matrimony.

What can we learn? When we write our stories, we need to look for complications that will not only add depth to our story, but in some way add tension and drama to our overall plot. If you have a secondary layer in your story that never feeds into the main plot, I would strongly suggest cutting it out and finding something different.

What makes this movie such a favorite in my home is I believe this one fact: the triumph of love over any obstacle.

Which if you look closely, is the basis of a lot of plots today. But the triumph has to be equal to the struggles. We have to have a reason to want that love to fight through the battle to reach the other side. And we have to have struggles that will push our characters, that will leave the reader/viewer cheering or groaning and we have to have an ending that completely satisfies every obstacle.

We have to have the promise that none of those obstacles are going to arise again.

We promise a happy ending in fiction when we start writing or reading a book. That no matter what, these characters are going to come out the other side and be completely changed and new.

But you can’t have a satisfying ending unless your obstacles are challenging, resolved and promised that the characters have grown and changed enough that these challenges can never harm them again.

It’s a promise we have to keep and one we expect. Don’t disappoint your reader, especially in this regard!

Do you have a film that you love, that breaks an old cliché or has a challenging obstacle/ satisfying ending? 

Self-Editing Checklist: Consistency (Plus a Dynamite Giveaway!)

No, I'm not giving away dynamite...That might get me arrested. But I am offering a fabulous giveaway for people who want to propel their writing to a dynamite level. Curious? Keep reading. :)

Remember that self-editing checklist I've talked about in my previous posts? We're moving on to Point #3 this week. I call this one Consistency. (For points 1 & 2, click here.)

Under consistency, consider the following items for each of your scenes.

a) Have you left any dangling subplots or story lines? If so, is it intentional or do you need to fill in the gaps? In my last post, you may have gathered that I'm a spreadsheet nerd. So how do you suppose I track my subplots? That's right...in a spreadsheet. :) Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, I highly recommend you keep track of your scenes somehow, whether it's in Excel or on index cards.

In Excel, I create a column called Plot/Subplots. In my latest book, I have the primary plot of the romance between my main characters Brogan and Ivy, but I also have subplots of Ivy's troubled relationship with her dad, her struggle to get out of debt, and her job for her ex-boyfriend, to name a few. Next to each scene, I indicate which plot/subplots are addressed. It's not foolproof, but it does help me recognize if I've ignored the debt subplot for 20 straight chapters.

Resources: Camy Tang talks about subplot threads in this Story Sensei post.

b) Does the character's emotional or spiritual arc flow? Does your character hate her father in one scene and then give him a big old hug in the next? If so, there'd better be a reason. Jerking the reader up and down with willy-nilly character emotions will just unsettle them. Make sure the emotional arc picks up where it left off in the previous scene and move it forward from there.

Resources: For a quick hit on emotional arcs, check out this article. If you want to take your character's emotional arc (and your writing) to the next level, I highly recommend Margie Lawson's AMAZING course, Empowering Character Emotions. In case you didn't sign up after Casey's post last week, you can buy Margie's lecture packets (over 280 pages!) for only $22. It's seriously the steal of the century when you consider the AMAZING (yes, I used that word twice in one paragraph) things you'll learn.

Your homework for the next two weeks, should you choose to accept it: Read the articles I've referenced. And if you're ready to learn like crazy, buy Margie Lawson's lecture packet and gobble it up like your Thanksgiving turkey. Then analyze your scenes for consistency.

But wait! (Do you feel like you're watching an infomercial yet?) Remember that dynamite giveaway I mentioned? For one lucky commenter, I'm offering the choice of any one of Margie's lecture packets! The winner will be announced in our weekend edition.

Do you keep track of your plots and subplots? If so, how? How closely do you pay attention to the character arc?

*Rock climbing photo by Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
** Curve photo by Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Put a Belt on It—Tightening Your Sagging Middle

What’s that sound? No. No, no! It’s getting dark in here. Thud. Great, we’ve lost her for good.

Know what the above represents?

Your characters reacting to losing a reader due to a sagging middle.

We are fast approaching the perfect time of year to address sagging middles. Turkey Day. The day famous for causing bellies all across America to puff out. Did I hear something in turkey naturally causes people to become sleepy? Well, snap to it!

It’s time to put a belt on that sagging middle.

Other than ingesting small portions and snacking before a big meal, how do we rectify the problem of the sagging middle?

James Scott Bell pinpoints some excellent ways to “energize a lethargic middle” in his book, Plot & Structure:

Analyze the stakesBell suggests asking what the character will lose if he doesn’t achieve his objective.

~
What more could go wrong? A perfect question for this stage of a book. Ask it and then apply it.

Strengthen the adhesiveBell encourages writers to ask, “What is it that bonds the Lead and the opposition together?” Solidify that core relationship. Think of some ways their paths could uncomfortably cross even more.

Add another level of complicationOn the heels of the last point, Bell reminds us to aggravate your MC’s ease of acquiring success and merriment. Cinch that belt until it hurts a little.

Add another characterBell suggests that we don’t add just any character, but that we’re intentional with our selection and we add “one that will make the Lead’s life more difficult.” It’s our job to frustrate the Lead from achieving their ultimate goal. The time will come for peace, but not yet. Not in the middle.

Add another subplotYou pour spoonfuls of gravy onto your plate. Hence, the middle grows. Make sure if you add a subplot you maintain the flow of your work. Bell suggests writers use this solution sparingly (perhaps it’s the girdle kind of belt).

Push on through the WallYou push away from the Thanksgiving Feast. You’ve eaten your fill. Maybe it’s time for a walk? A break? Middles get saggy, especially when you consume words and ideas like any good writer does. Stories have great potential to bulge to non-attention grabbing works.

There’s hope for your sagging middle.

You can always put a belt on it.

*photos from flickr

How a CPA Writes a Novel (Because I Know You're DYING to Know!)

Did you know it's entirely possible for a book to be written in an Excel spreadsheet? Okay, all you pantsers, stop snickering at me. I'm serious.

Since Pepper shared her writing process last week and Julia has been talking about storyboarding, I thought I'd share a little piece of my writing process today.

When I first started writing novels, I stumbled upon Randy Ingermanson's website Advanced Fiction Writing. At the time, it seemed like a coincidence. Now after meeting Randy, I know it was all part of his greater plan to take over the world. :)

He's known for this thing called the Snowflake Method of planning a novel. Since I like order in my life, I lapped it up like a thirsty dog, only without the loud slurping. When I got to the part where he talked about outlining scenes in Excel, I knew I'd found my place (can't help it...I'm a CPA).

From that point forward, I started outlining my books and scenes in an Excel spreadsheet. For each book, I have columns with the date of the scene, the chapter number, the POV character, a summary of the scene, the word count, the plots/subplots (more on that in a future post), and more. For every version of my manuscript, I have a separate tab in Excel.

I even created a tab where I track my daily progress. I have a line for each date and I log the time I spend drafting, editing, etc. Then I have a column where I track my scene goals for each day. So if I'm starting the editing process, I might have Scene 1a on Monday, Scene 1b on Tuesday and so on. I refer to my word counts on the other tab to help me gauge how many scenes I can complete each day.

Now I know this method wouldn't work for everyone (All you pantsers have glazed eyes right now. Am I right?), but I think it's important to track our goals and progress somehow. Before I started this process, I wandered aimlessly without a real target. But now that I treat my Daily Progress tab like a time clock, it helps me stay focused.

Does the idea of using a spreadsheet to plan a novel scare you? How do you stay focused on reaching your goals?

*Keyboard image: br3akthru / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Minutes image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Layering VS Subplots

I don't know about you, but the writing jargon sometimes throws me for a loop. Show not tell, plot, panster, characterization, allegory, structure, tension, the black moment, you name it -  it was, and still is, confusing. For a long time I had trouble differentiating between layering and subplot. I don't claim to completely understand them and I struggle with really explaining subplots, but today I hope to break it down for you.

SUBPLOTS:

Subplots are rather easy, once you understand how they work. You have your main plot (A), and then have 2 or 3 subplots (B,C,D) Plot A is the main focus of the story.Subplots connect to the main plot, but is a story within itself. It is used to flesh out and deepen a story. They impact the main plot indirectly, bringing about change and contrast to deepen a character and their journey.

Here is an example taken from a blog post by Mary Lynn Mercer. (The whole post is an excellent resource on subplots.

In My Fair Lady, the main plot involves Henry Higgins' passing off Eliza, a cockney flower girl, as a duchess. The "B" story is the secondary plot, or subplot, involving Freddy's courting Eliza. The "C" story, or tertiary subplot, involves Eliza's father becoming respectable.

Subplots are vital in making a story rich and complex, and keeping the reader's interest. It makes the story three dimensional.

LAYERING:

 When you move into a home, the house is bare. You have floors and walls. You add furniture to make it comfortable and you add decor to make it feel welcoming. Layering is like the soft touch of decor, making a house a home.

You are layering when you add more descriptive passages to your setting. You layer when you deepen a character, allowing them to share their deepest fears and hurts. Laying involves spicing up dialogue, voicing your character's thoughts, adding more tension, adding a foreshadowing element.

Layering is the icing on the cake, the sprinkles on the cupcake. It's the ketchup to your fries and the ice cream to your cobbler. (I'm hungry, can you tell?) Adding layers gives your story a three dimensional flare.

What are your thoughts on subplots and layering? Have you mastered them? Find them difficult?

Sherrinda