We often focus on plotting our stories – you know, everything that happens between our hero and heroine. The Inciting Incident. The Ds (Disappointments) or obstacles, that force them to face Ys in the Road and ask the question, “Which way do I go now?” over and over again. The Black Moment. And the long-awaited Happily-Ever-After, where our hero and heroine ride off into the sunset . . . Sorry. I lapsed into a cliché there, didn’t I? It’s vital to plot a strong main story, but while you’re doing that, remember to deepen your story too. How? Weave in an intriguing Layer or Subplot What: A story Layer and a Subplot are two different elements: A Layer adds depth to the plot and enhances the character’s struggle – and […]
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The Bomb in the Body: a lesson on Subplots
Okay, raise your hand out there if you watch ER or Grey’s Anatomy. It’s okay, no one can see you. And, not like I’m raising MY hand or anything, but hypothetically, let’s just say that if you are familiar with these particular medical (and I’m using that term a bit freely) dramas, then you know that they are really big long soap operas. Greys is, essentially, the on again, off again, hopefully on again (not that I would know) romance of Dr. Derrick McDreamy and Dr. Meredith Grey. Inside all this romance are the daily (read: episodic) events of a hospital in Seattle. What makes Grey’s kinda cute are the running monologues of the lead heroine, the thematic nuances she puts into the story, usually centered around the events of […]
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