Imagine you walk into a candy shop, but what you discover inside isn’t candy but rather display after display of subplots. Enough to make any writer’s mouth water, right? Writers love the idea of subplots. They’re rich, juicy, complex, and full of opportunities for taking your story to the next level. But figuring out how […]
January 22, 2024 by 32 Comments Plotting Your NovelWriting Multiple Plotlines: Everything You Need to Know
Note From KMW: Hello and welcome to today’s post, in which I am trying something a bit different! Chances are you have either written or considered writing multiple plotlines in a story. These versatile and multi-faceted stories are all the rage (they always were—just ask Dickens!). But adding complexity to what is already the wonderfully […]
September 18, 2017 by 48 Comments Plotting Your Novel5 Tips for Organizing Subplots
Imagine you walk into a candy shop, but what you discover inside, instead of candy, is display after display of subplots. Enough to make any writer’s mouth water, right? Writers love the idea of subplots. They’re rich, juicy, complex, and full of opportunities for taking your story to the next level. But organizing subplots, or […]
November 14, 2016 by 39 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Structure Your Story’s Outline (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 7)
Story outline and story structure—are they different terms describing the same thing? This is a question I frequently receive, and the answer is, “No, they’re completely different concepts and tools.” But learning how to structure your story’s outline is a crucial part of the preparation process. So what’s the difference between outlining and structuring? Outlining is a process, in […]
October 24, 2016 by 48 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Find and Fill All Your Plot Holes (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 4)
What is the single most important job of an outline for NaNoWriMo—or any other book at any other time of the year? We might come up with lots of answers, but they all tend to boil down to just this one: avoiding plot holes. I hate plot holes. They drive me bazooey. There you are, […]
May 24, 2015 by 43 Comments ThemeStories That Matter: 5 Necessary Factors for Weighty Fiction
What is weighty fiction? I would argue that it is, almost unto itself, the definition for stories that matter. It’s the opposite of fluffy fiction (which isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with fluff–we all enjoy a fair share of that as well). Most authors want to write something that matters. Even if we’re never going to […]
August 17, 2014 by 26 Comments CharactersCan a Character’s Arc Be a Subplot?
You’ve written an amazing story. Your premise is high concept. Your plot structure is brilliant. The whole thing is killer. But the main character’s arc seems to be, well, lacking. It’s there all right. It just doesn’t get much screentime. It’s more of a, ahem, subplot. Is that even possible? Is it workable? Or is […]
