Your main plot is working. Your protagonist has a goal, there’s conflict, the story is moving forward – but something still feels a little… thin.
This is where subplots can help. A well-written subplot can add character depth, introduce additional conflict, raise emotional stakes, explore your story’s themes from a new lens, and give secondary characters space to shine. It can also generate useful variation in pacing, stopping your story from feeling like one long, uninterrupted march towards the climax.
But adding more story isn’t automatically the answer. A subplot that has no tie-in to your main narrative can immediately become distracting, bloated, or unnecessary.
The best subplots don’t just give your story more to do. They make the main story even better.
To write a strong subplot, give it its own conflict and progression, connect it meaningfully to the main plot, and ensure that it ultimately changes a character, ups the ante, develops a theme, or influences the trajectory of the story.
What Is A Subplot?
A subplot is a secondary storyline that runs alongside a story’s main plot. It comes with its own conflict, characters and progression, but ties to the larger narrative in some meaningful way. A subplot may develop a character, complicate the main conflict, explore a theme, or ultimately influence the story’s outcome.
Understanding the difference between a main plot and a subplot can make it easier to choose what belongs in your story.
Main Plot
The main plot is the central storyline. It follows the protagonist’s primary goal, conflict and stakes, and typically drives the story towards its climax and resolution.
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary storyline that supports, complicates, contrasts with or deepens the main plot. It can follow the protagonist or another character.
Side story
A side story may involve interesting characters or events without significantly affecting the central narrative. Unlike a strong subplot, it could potentially be removed without the main story being changed.
B-story
A B-story is a term especially common in screenwriting. It typically refers to a secondary storyline that runs alongside the A-story (the main plot), often emphasising a relationship or character arc.
Quick Test: Is It Actually a Subplot?
Consider: If I removed this storyline, would the main story lose something important?
If the answer is yes, you probably have a genuine subplot. If nothing changes, you may have a side story that doesn’t need to be there.
Why Should You Use Subplots In Fiction?
So, what is the purpose of a subplot? A good subplot should do more than make your story longer. It should add something the main plot can’t achieve on its own.
Develop Characters
Subplots can reveal new angles of your protagonist, allowing them to make decisions and change outside the main conflict. They can also give secondary characters meaningful arcs of their own.
Raise the Stakes
A subplot can introduce another problem for your protagonist to solve, making the consequences of failure more personal or complex.
Deepen Your Themes
A secondary storyline can explore your central theme from another perspective, allowing the story to ask bigger questions without forcing the main plot to carry everything.
Strengthen Relationships
Romances, friendships, family conflicts, and rivalries can lend your characters emotional connections that make the main story matter more.
Create Contrast
A secondary character can grapple with a similar problem but make totally different choices, highlighting what your protagonist believes or how they have changed.
Control Pacing
Subplots can provide breathing room between intense scenes or generate additional tension when the main plot needs it.
Deliver Information or Foreshadowing
A subplot can reveal secrets, introduce important information, or plant details that become significant later on.
9 Different Types Of Subplots
There is no universal way of writing a subplot. Different subplots have different purposes, and one storyline can fit into several categories all at once. Instead of treating these as rigid rules, think of them as different functions a subplot can perform.
Romantic Subplots
A relationship develops alongside the central story, creating opportunities for intimacy, conflict, and character growth.
Character-Development Subplots
A secondary storyline reveals or transforms a character, allowing them to face challenges outside the main plot.
Relationship Subplots
Friendships, family relationships, rivalries, or mentorships can explore how characters connect, change and influence one another.
Mirror Subplots
A secondary storyline reflects the protagonist’s central conflict, highlighting similar struggles or choices.
Check Out Our Guide On How To Write A Central Conflict
Contrasting Subplots
A character faces a similar problem to the protagonist but responds differently, creating a contrast that reveals something about both characters.
Complicating Subplots
The subplot actively makes the main story more difficult by introducing new obstacles, conflicts, or consequences.
Mystery or Information Subplots
A secondary mystery gradually reveals information that changes how readers interpret the main story.
Thematic Subplots
A secondary storyline explores the central theme from another perspective, reinforcing or challenging the story’s ideas.
Parallel Subplots
Two storylines develop alongside one another, eventually intersecting or influencing each other.
Remember: these categories can all overlap with one another. A romantic subplot may simultaneously develop a character, raise the stakes, and explore the story’s central theme. The aim isn’t to label your subplot perfectly – it’s to understand what job it is doing in your story.
How To Write A Subplot In 7 Steps
Writing a good subplot isn’t just about inventing another storyline and hoping it lands. The strongest subplots evolve naturally from the story you’re already spinning. Use these seven steps to create a secondary storyline that adds depth without pulling attention away from your main plot.
1. Start With Your Main Plot
Before creating a subplot, ensure you understand the story it needs to support. Identify your protagonist, their goal, central conflict, stakes, theme and character arc.
Then ask:
What aspect of my main story could be explored more deeply?
Maybe your protagonist struggles with trust, but the main plot doesn’t allow them the chance to confront that issue. A subplot involving a new friendship could explore that struggle from a new angle.
Starting with the main plot stops you from creating a subplot just because you think your novel needs more happening.
2. Decide What Job the Subplot Needs to Do
Every subplot needs a purpose. Before developing one, choose what you want it to contribute to the story.
A subplot may:
- Develop a character
- Increase the stakes
- Complicate the main plot
- Explore the theme
- Reveal important information
- Create contrast
- Change the protagonist’s choices
- Affect the ending
The subplot rule is simple: every subplot needs a job.
If you can’t explain why the story needs a particular subplot, that’s a sign that you may not need it.
Check Out Our Guide On Why Writers Struggle To Write Endings
3. Give the Subplot its Own Conflict
A subplot needs more than an interesting scenario. It needs a problem.
For example, “John and Liz become friends” outlines a relationship, but it isn’t necessarily a storyline yet. Give that relationship something to overcome.
Liz wants to trust John, but John is hiding something that could destroy their blossoming friendship.
A handy way of building subplot conflict is:
Want → Obstacle → Escalation → Consequence
Give the character something they want, put something in their way, make the problem progressively harder, and force them to deal with the consequences.
4. Give the Subplot Its Own Mini-Arc
A subplot doesn’t need to be as extensive as your main storyline, but it should still have progression.
Beginning: Introduce the subplot and establish its conflict.
Middle: Complicate the problem, increase the pressure, and force the characters to make tricky decisions.
End: Resolve or transform the conflict and show its consequences.
This doesn’t mean every subplot demands a neat, happy ending. It means readers should feel that the storyline has gone somewhere.
5. Connect the Subplot to the Main Plot
This is one of the most important parts of learning how to write subplots. Your secondary storyline should feel tethered to the larger narrative rather than running alongside it completely independently.
You can connect the two through:
- Cause and effect: Events in the subplot change the main story.
- Character: The same character is affected by both storylines.
- Conflict: The subplot creates a new hurdle.
- Theme: Both storylines explore the same underlying idea.
- Information: The subplot reveals something important.
- Convergence: Separate storylines eventually collide.
For example, a protagonist investigating a murder may have a subplot about their deteriorating relationship with their brother. If an argument with their brother causes them to miss an important clue, the subplot has directly impacted the main plot.
6. Make the Subplot Change Something
Ask the “so what?” question:
What is different because this subplot has happened?
Maybe the protagonist makes a different choice, a relationship changes, a secret is revealed, the stakes increase, or the main plot takes an unexpected turn.
This change doesn’t need to be dramatic. Even a subtle shift in a character’s understanding can lend a subplot a meaningful purpose.
If absolutely nothing changes, consider whether the subplot earns its spot in the story.
7. Give the Subplot a Satisfying Ending
A subplot doesn’t necessarily mean that everything works out. It means the question or conflict introduced by the subplot has been answered, resolved, or transformed.
The characters may reconcile, separate, fail, succeed, or just reach a new understanding.
And remember: not every subplot needs to end at precisely the same time as the main plot. Some can resolve earlier, while others can remain important right through the final act.
What matters is that the reader can see why the subplot was there – and what it ultimately added to the story.
How To Add Subplots To An Existing Story
Adding a subplot to a finished draft can feel daunting. You don’t necessarily want to rewrite your whole novel or introduce a storyline that makes the existing plot tougher to follow. Rather, look for places where a secondary storyline can naturally strengthen what is already there.
Start by Finding the Gaps in Your Main Story
Read through your draft and look for opportunities rather than just asking where you can add more events.
Ask yourself:
- Which characters need more development?
- Where does the story feel emotionally flat?
- Could the stakes be higher?
- Is there a theme you haven’t developed fully?
- Is there a relationship that could become more important?
These gaps can lead you towards a subplot that solves an existing problem rather than generating a new one.
Look for Existing Characters
When adding a subplot, don’t immediately invent another character. Your existing cast may already have untapped potential.
Ask:
Which existing character already has something going on underneath the main plot?
Maybe a secondary character has a troubled relationship, a secret, an ambition, or a problem they’ve only hinted at. Developing that thread can give them a meaningful subplot without bloating your cast.
Find an Unresolved Thread
Your draft may already contain the beginning of a subplot. Look for:
- Unanswered questions
- Secrets
- Relationships
- Conflicts
- Promises
- Character flaws
- Significant events from the past
A throwaway detail in chapter two could become the groundwork for a storyline later on in the story. Before inventing something totally new, examine what you’ve already planted.
Introduce the Subplot Early Enough
A subplot needs enough runway to develop. If you introduce a major secondary storyline shortly before the climax, it can feel rushed or tacked on.
That doesn’t mean you need to introduce every subplot by a specific chapter. Instead, give readers enough time to understand the conflict, watch it develop and see its consequences.
Weave it Into Existing Scenes
One of the easiest ways to add a subplot is to weave it into scenes that already serve your main story.
A conversation can develop a relationship while revealing important information. A disagreement can deepen a character conflict while creating an obstacle for the protagonist. A journey can advance the main plot while quietly developing a secondary storyline.
The goal is to braid the subplot into the story, rather than stopping the main narrative every time you need to work on it.
When a subplot naturally grows out of scenes that already matter, it feels like part of the story, rather than something added during revision.
How Many Subplots Should A Novel Have?
There is no magic number of subplots each novel should come with. The right number hinges on factors like genre, novel length, cast size, narrative complexity and the writer’s experience. A sprawling fantasy novel with a large cast may comfortably support several subplots, while a short literary novel may only need one.
The most important question isn’t how many subplots you have, but whether each one is fully developed and earning its spot in the story.
As a general rule, one strong subplot is better than three underdeveloped ones.
Every additional storyline gives readers another set of characters, conflicts, and developments to remember. Too many competing threads can make a novel feel cluttered and make it tough to tell which storyline matters most.
If you’re unsure, start with one subplot and develop it thoroughly. You can always introduce another if the story genuinely benefits from it. Your aim isn’t to fill the novel with subplots – it’s to create enough secondary storylines to make the main narrative richer and more compelling.
Common Subplot Mistakes To Avoid
Even a promising subplot can weaken a novel if it isn’t properly integrated. Watch out for some of these popular pitfalls we’ve seen writers fall into:
The Subplot Has Nothing to Do With the Main Story
If removing the subplot changes nothing, ask whether it needs to be there at all.
The Subplot is More Interesting Than the Main Plot
A subplot should be compelling, but it shouldn’t consistently overshadow the story your audience is actually there for.
There Are Too Many Subplots
More storylines don’t automatically mean more depth. Too many can overwhelm readers and dilute your central narrative.
The Subplot Doesn’t Have a Conflict
A series of events isn’t enough. Give the subplot its own problem, goal, and obstacles.
The Subplot Disappears for Too Long
If readers haven’t seen a storyline for hundreds of pages, they may forget or lose interest in it.
It Only Develops a Secondary Character
Character development is a valid purpose – but that development should ultimately matter to the wider story.
The Subplot Doesn’t Change Anything
If it has no consequences, it might not be earning its page space.
It Has an Unsatisfying Ending
Give the subplot a meaningful resolution rather than simply abandoning it.
It Pads the Word Count
Never add a subplot just to make your novel longer. Every subplot should earn its spot in the story.
3 Subplot Examples In Fiction
The best way to understand subplots is to look at how established writers use them to inject some depth into their main stories. These three examples show how secondary storylines can develop characters, reinforce themes, and generate additional conflict.
Jane Eyre
Main plot: Jane navigates her relationship with Edward Rochester while seeking independence and a sense of belonging.
Subplot: The mystery surrounding Rochester’s secluded wife, Bertha Mason, gradually develops alongside Jane’s relationship with him.
Purpose and connection: The mystery evokes suspense while revealing that Rochester is hiding something significant. It also complicates Jane’s growing feelings for him, and ultimately forces her to reconsider the life she wants.
The Lord of the Rings
Main plot: Frodo must carry the One Ring to Mount Doom and destroy it before Sauron can reclaim it.
Subplot: Aragorn’s journey from reluctant wanderer to leader develops alongside Frodo’s quest.
Purpose and connection: Aragorn’s storyline expands the novel’s world while providing another perspective on courage, responsibility, and leadership. His eventual role in the wider conflict directly supports Frodo’s central mission.
Gone Girl
Main plot: Nick Dunne becomes the prime suspect when his wife, Amy, vanishes.
Subplot: The breakdown of Nick and Amy’s marriage is steadily shown through their competing perspectives.
Purpose and connection: The relationship storyline isn’t separate from the mystery – it is part of what makes the mystery work. As readers learn more about their marriage, their understanding of the disappearance continually changes.
These examples all demonstrate that a subplot can reveal character, explore a theme, complicate the central conflict, or even provide information that changes how readers understand the main story.
Check Out The Best Books Like Gone Girl On Our Sister Site, What We Reading
A Simple Subplot Template You Can Use
If you’re struggling to turn an idea into a workable subplot, use this simple worksheet. Answer each question before you begin weaving the storyline into your novel.
Subplot Worksheet
The subplot character:
Who is this storyline mainly about?
Their goal:
What do they want?
Their obstacle:
What’s preventing them from getting it?
Their conflict:
What makes the situation increasingly difficult?
Their connection to the main plot:
How does this storyline affect, complicate, or support the central narrative?
Their function:
Does the subplot develop a character, raise the stakes, explore a theme, reveal information, create contrast, or serve another purpose?
Turning point:
What event changes the trajectory of the story?
Resolution:
How does the storyline end or change?
Impact:
What is different in the main story because this subplot happened?
Once you’ve answered these questions, summarise the storyline in one sentence:
A strong subplot follows [character] as they try to [goal], but [obstacle] forces them to [change/choose], which ultimately affects [main plot].
If you’re not able to explain the subplot clearly in this format, it might need more refinement before it’s ready to go into your story.
Wrap Up
The best subplots don’t make a story bigger. They make it deeper.
A subplot shouldn’t exist just because you think your novel needs another storyline. It should exist because it reveals something the main plot can’t reveal on its own.
It may expose another side of your main character. It might deepen the story’s themes, complicate a relationship, raise the stakes, or give a secondary character room to change. Whatever its purpose, it should ultimately contribute something meaningful to the wider narrative.
When you’re writing subplots, don’t worry about hitting a particular number or following a set-in-stone formula. Focus instead on whether each storyline earns its spot.
Ask yourself one final question:
If I removed this subplot, would my main story be weaker?
If the answer is yes, you’ve probably set up a subplot worth keeping.
James has been passionate about storytelling ever since he could hold a pen. Inspired by the epic fantasy and historical dramas he devoured in his youth, his work now centers on dark, psychological tales featuring intense, introspective characters and atmospheric, gothic undertones. In 2025, he founded What We Writing to share his creative journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way with fellow writers and passionate storytellers.
