A Case of Subplot Overload

Subplots reign in the Middle (1/2) of novels, memoirs, and screenplays. Developing a few is a good tip if you find yourself slogging through writing the Middle and tempted to go back and begin again.

Keep in mind: too great a proliferation of subplots confuse the splendor of the primary plot.

A character-driven story set in the exotic worlds of the Ivy League and Wall Street. Dysfunctional and self-abusive behaviors based on the archetypal back-story wound of having witnessed and taken part in the socially acceptable behavior and subtle practice of devaluating and belittling the mother by a cruel father and a pair of impressionable boys.

Each one of these elements forms a subplot that supports the thematic significance of the entire story as do the addictions that consistently take him down: bulimia, then pornography, and alcohol and drug abuse, and the steps he takes to heal.

Each of these subplots contribute to his primary plot. Contribute to... not overshadow.

Plot Tip:
Craft only the number of subplots necessary to best support the primary plot. Prioritize each subplot based on how each best contributes to the overall story.
Push minor subplots to the background or, when need-be, let them go entirely.
Remember: Not every subplot deserves a front-row seat in your story.

Plot your story step-by-step with the help of The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories)

For additional plot tips: Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
2) Watch the Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? on YouTube. Scroll down on the left of this post for a directory of all the steps to the series. 27-step tutorial on Youtube

3) Watch the Monday Morning Plot Book Group Series on YouTube. Scroll down on the right of this post for a directory the book examples and plot elements discussed.

For additional tips and information about the Universal Story and plotting a novel, memoir or screenplay, visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

What Skills Necessary for Protagonist to Rediscover?

Writers struggle with where and how to begin their stories for the same reason many writers begin in present story time and immediately flip to a flashback. 

The moment the protagonist loses her innocence or footing often takes place years before the real story time begins. 

In order to prevail at the Climax, the protagonist must rediscover the beliefs, skills, knowledge, or experience lost in her back-story.

I use The Kite Runner, Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden as examples on Step 16 of the Plot Series: How Do I Plot A Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? Click here to read more. 

Another Tip to Bolster the Sagging Middle

Premise:

Impossible for writers with an appreciation of all the Middle encompasses to write a sagging Middle. 

I've written extensively in previous blogs about the Middle being:

• Territory of the Antagonists 
  
• The Exotic World

(2 Tips for bolstering the Middle)

To add to that, the scenes in the Middle are made up of opportunities for the protagonist to learn the skills and knowledge she needs in order reign victorious at the Climax and achieve her long-term goal. 

Though she is unconscious or oblivious of her need to learn new skills and knowledge, you as the writer are fully conscious. Put her in scenes that challenge her weaknesses and show her what she needs to learn by allowing the antagonists to interfere with her efforts and movement toward her goal. 

Antagonists in Stories and in Life

We make up stories in our minds about events in our lives. Are the stories real? Real only to us and only as far as our perception is capable of seeing at the time.  The stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world around us have a direct impact on how we react to new events in our lives.

That is the only explanation I have for why one writer is slain by the antagonists that pop up in the middle of her writing journey. While, another writer faced with the exact same problems is able to effortlessly make her way forward. 

Or, perhaps, the answer lies in the understanding one has of the task itself.

The writer who is slain may have heard rumors about the meddlesome, messy, sagging middle but when confronted with the reality of writing her way through the middle, takes the challenge personally, surrenders all her power and gives up (either for the day or for months or even years).

Another writer has researched not only the setting and authentic details needed for her story but also the craft of writing itself enough to understand that the antagonists that arise in the middle are not to be feared or felled by or taken personally but part of the process itself. 

I'm not explaining myself well here and the reason could be because this more informed writer is an anomaly to me. She has only been writing for two years and is well beyond the halfway point to creating a compelling novel. Though slowed down by the antagonists in the middle, rather than create resistance by judging herself as the problem and throwing herself against the wall or curling up in a ball for years before seeking help, she reaches out almost immediately and is now off and flying again.

Replace the story you tell yourself about writing the middle of your novel, memoir, screenplay from one of threat and opposition to a story of strength and determination. Antagonists are self-created and have power over you only so long as you give away your own personal power first.