#sub plots

(SSB Spoilers)

I’ve got it handled but sometimes I reread older chapters like “I wrote that? This scene? Noice—!” But I promise I remember the main points LMAOOO.

This story is so ridiculously long and I rarely reread anything, so I thought I’d make a silly meme about how MUCH is happening in “Striker Strikes Back.”

And apparently I misspelled remember so that makes it funnier bfkdbdjdjdjd.

When writing a story, whether it be a novel or an epic film, it’s important to have subplots. While all stories should have, in addition to the main plot, something called a “B Plot,” C plots, D plots, and E plots should play a role too. Smaller plots wouldn’t change the entirety of the plot if removed...but when included, they can enhance the main plot, deepening it, and providing a greater meaning to the overall story.

While it isn’t always the case, the B Plot is often the “romance” of a story. While the hero is trying to defeat the bad guy, he develops a friendship or rivalry with a companion, before ultimately falling in love. Of course, romantic or platonic, the best sub plots explore the characters in relation to one another.

These character arcs - the changes to not only the characters themselves, but the evolution of their connection to others - give readers a reason to root for not only your hero, but the whole cast.

The film which exemplifies this point well is the first Lord of the Rings. While the groundwork for these characters, and their relationships, are laid in the book, I will be focusing on the movie version. When adapting Tolkien’s story, Peter Jackson knew the characters had to be more than names on a page. In order to foster a connection between the audience and each member of the fellowship, bonds were strengthened, or even invented, between the various members.

Merry and Pippin & Boromir

The bond between Merry and Pippin is solid in the books, but little is known about Boromir - beyond knowing he’s Denethor’s son, and a future steward of Gondor who attempts to steal the ring from Frodo, there is little else. In the books, he is a tragic figure and a lesson in how destructive the craving for power can be.

In the films, though, he becomes a friend to Merry and Pippin. He teaches them how to fight, and laughs when the two hobbits doggy pile him. It’s only one scene, but it gives us a relationship. When Boromir is later overwhelmed by orcs, it isn’t as punishment for his actions - instead, he redeems himself. He races to the defense of Merry and Pippin, giving his life for them. His death is that much more tragic because of his connection with the two. When they see him fall, he isn’t just their companion - he’s a good friend, who once laughed with them and ultimately died for them.

Aragorn & Boromir

Boromir also has a connection with Aragorn. The sub plot between the pair, which focuses on Aragorn’s mistrust in Gondor and Boromir’s belief in Gondor, is set up before the Merry and Pippin arc, beginning when Boromir drops the fragments of Isildur’s sword to the ground. His comment that these shards are no more than the remains of a broken sword underscores his lack of faith in Gondor needing a king - a point of tension between him, and the man who could be king if he cared to. 

Boromir is an idealist, seeing the best in Gondor and loving it to an almost blind degree. Aragorn, by contrast, seems to care more for the elves than his “own” people. He leads the party towards Lothlorion, home of the elves, but makes a point of avoiding Gondor. He seems to hate Gondor, connecting it with the failure of his ancestor, Isildur; like Aragorn’s antecedent, Gondor is weak. When Aragorn refers to Gondor, he calls it “your city,” to Boromir, rather than theirs.

Following the capture of Merry and Pippin, and the seeming conclusion of their arc, Aragorn swoops in to fight off Boromir’s assailants. Though Aragorn wins, Boromir is fatally wounded. He dies, but not before regarding Aragorn with the respect he would to a king. Aragorn, in turn, seems to have hope for Gondor, promising to do what he can for their people. 

This arc enhances Aragorn’s own character arc in accepting not only Gondor, but his role as it’s king. Boromir is a metaphor and embodiment of Gondor, and Aragorn’s feelings towards him are actually the feelings Aragorn has towards Gondor itself. His relationship with Boromir allows him to verbalize his inner conflict about his homeland, and who he is. In the end, he accepts Boromir as his fellow - along with accepting the city as his. 

He hasn’t accepted his role as king yet, but Boromir’s relationship with him has set him in the right direction.

Gimli & Legolas

Though the relationship between Gimli and Legolas has little effect on the main plot, it adds both humour and character development to the story. Initially, being a dwarf and an elf, the pair are resentful towards one another. Gimli more or less joins the fellowship to one up Legolas, and the two aren’t above making snide remarks towards one another. 

After Gimli’s own experience in Lothlorion, though, when the dwarf realizes that elves can be both kind and beautiful, the dwarf is able to soften towards his companion. Their enmity transitions into a rivalry - they aren’t friends, but they make battles fun by beginning a competition where they try to kill more orcs than the other. As they fight in more battles together, and swap kill numbers at the end of each fight, they develop an actual friendship (in the extended edition of the third film, they even end up drinking together). Their relationship is light hearted, but it adds depth to the story, and makes the audience want to root for the pair.

Both characters are enjoyable on their own, but together they are that much easier to love.

Frodo & Sam

In the books, Sam is Frodo’s gardener and servant. In the movies, he is Frodo’s best friend. While there is still a master and servant relationship between the two, with Sam addressing his friend as “Mr. Frodo,” the term comes to feel more habitual than formal. At the start of the film, the hobbits share drinks. Frodo pushes Sam into his crush, Rosie, and gives Sam assurance when he’s fretting over the competition he has for her affections. 

When Sam eavesdrops on the conversation between Frodo and Gandalf, the wizard decides Sam will pay for his listening in by accompanying Frodo to Bree. On their journey, Sam panics at one point when he thinks he’s lost Frodo. He explains that Gandalf made him promise he wouldn’t “lose” Frodo. 

Even when he’s no longer obligated to follow, Sam insists on joining the fellowship. Elrond notes there is no separating them, secret meeting or not. Later, towards the end of the story, Sam tries to comfort Frodo, citing his promise to look after his master. When the fellowship splits, Sam chases after Frodo. Frodo can go alone, but Sam is coming with him. He repeats the line that is the crux of his bond: he made a promise to Gandalf not to lose Frodo, and he’s going to keep it.

Sam stays with Frodo to the end, even coming back after being sent away at best (and betrayed at worst) by his master in the final movie. While their bond is implicit, the repeated promise, and the ups and downs their relationship takes, adds another layer to the story. Destroying the ring is challenging - not only because of it’s effect on Frodo’s health, but because of how it tests his friendship with someone who proves to be more loyal than most. 

The bond Frodo has with Sam is also integral to the plot. After all, if it weren’t for Sam, Frodo would have been killed. With such a role, Sam needed to be more than a dedicated servant. He needed to be a loyal friend, capable of being tested and still willing to fight for their friendship.

In Conclusion

The set up of these sub plots allows the rest of the movies to be deeper too. While it goes without saying that establishing a connection between Frodo and Sam would improve their shared story arc, other sub plots are revived. 

The connection Boromir shares with Merry and Pippin, for example, becomes integral to Pippin’s own arc. With Merry removed from his side, Pippin is then influenced by none other than Boromir, when guilt over his death pushes Pippin to pledge himself to the service of Boromir’s father, Denethor. 

Gimli and Legolas go on to have journeys together, and start another body count contest in the third film (where an elephant “still only counts as one” when Legolas dispatches it).

You’ve probably heard authors tell you that subplots are the perfect thing to add interest to your novel, but what exactly does that mean? Where do you add them? What should they do for the story?

It’s important to know that your story should have at least two subplots to keep it moving.There are mainly three different types of subplots, and each have their own purposes. After reading this, you’ll know which subplots your story needs!

1)  Complicating Subplots - These subplots make the main goal harder to achieve. These types of subplots help with lengthening your story, developing your characters, and more. For example: In Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the group is unable to fly to their destination, meaning they would lose precious time and possibly fail. This is actually a big subplot, because the book wouldn’t be the same if they had simply flown there.

2) Clarifying Subplots - These help give your readers insight on the main problem. It’s useful when your plot contains a lot of worldbuilding, politics, or other information that the reader would not otherwise see. An example of this are the many tests the assassin Selena Sardothien must go through to prove herself in The Throne of Glass Novellas by Sarah J. Maas. The tests show us the mechanics of their world, and how that will affect the main goal. 

3) Contradicting Subplots - This type of subplot works against the main issue, and in turn shows how important/valuable solving the issue is. This is, in my opinion, the most important subplot, because it shows your reader the gravity of the situation and why the character needs to solve the conflict. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss’ morals are directly contradicting that of the Capitol’s. This forces her to change drastically, moving the story, developing her as a character, and showing how terrible the situation really is. This is sort of not a subplot, but I’m trying to use well-known books to help visualize this for you! 

You can see that books almost always have more than two subplots, all revolving around the three types, just varying in size. Subplots can give your reader a break from where they are at, or completely change the direction of the story. So you better take a look at your novel and add in some subplots if you haven’t already! Happy writing!

I have a couple of posts about subplots [HERE] and [HERE] which I think might be helpful for you.

There’s not much more that I can think of to say about subplots, but I will copy and paste the end of that second post to show you something that I think might be relevant to the difficulties you’re having with this.

Essentially, it’s not the subplots that make the novel, it’s the novel that makes the subplots. When you’re writing long-form fiction, there’s much more space to develop world and character, and naturally, the world and the characters have many more things going on in them than just the events of the main plot.

Sure, your Detective just knows that Countess Von Evul definitely had that school burned down so that she could buy up the land for her own purposes, but while the Detective is setting about finding evidence that will prove that, they still need to take care of their sick pet cat, and help their sister move house.

Subplots aren’t really tacked onto the main plot, they are often things that would have happened in that world whether or not the main plot was happening at all. Now that the Main Plot is happening, however, these subplot events become either hinderances to the protagonist’s ability to deal with the main plot, or they become stepping stones to the protagonist being able to resolve the main plot.

If you still have questions that aren’t addressed by the above posts, please feel free to ask again.