It’s not uncommon to have multiple storylines and plots – in fact, your main characters will have their own storylines throughout the storyline. Add more characters and you have the potential to have multiple storylines.
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How many plots are there in a story?
The purpose of this storyline is to return the leading story with a purpose. This plot is about two (or more) characters, but not all of them in the book. This is another plot that touches everyone in the book, but it’s less important and perhaps more down to earth. Every book needs a storyline that all the characters are interested in.
Or you can have the hero work with another character, away from the other characters and your main storyline, which in turn can form a sub-storyline. If you consider that each protagonist has their own little storyline, plus you can have a side story with one or more characters revolving around the main story, the process becomes clear.
One consequence of having an army of characters is that you will also have many storylines. If you have multiple characters intertwined in the same storyline, it cleans up the action and makes it easier for the reader to follow what’s going on. In addition to making the characters meaningful to each other’s storylines, try to weave the storylines so that they come up to the climax of your story.
Video – What is a subplot example?
How are novels usually divided?
Sub-plots are most satisfying when they cover the course of the story at about the same pace as the main storyline and intersect with the main storyline at key points. The subplot may be less elaborate than the central plot, but structurally it works on the same principle.
Or it can continue on its own until it ties into the main storyline later in the book. The underground story may affect and influence other plots, but we won’t have a clear understanding of them until they appear. An underground story is a story that takes place “underneath” the story that the audience sees.
An underground story is a plot that usually touches the surface several times before fully resurfacing at the end, changing the context of previous episodes.
What is a subplot in a novel?
The central plot usually runs through the entire narrative, from the beginning of an external problem (the “incident” for the character) to its resolution. In the classical sense, at least one subplot begins around the time the main character is properly involved in the main plot, devoting himself to solving a case or finding treasure.
Many works of fiction contain multiple storylines, with different characters going through their own dramatic situations; this is common in modern TV series, where the main storyline takes place but there are smaller arcs in the background featuring certain characters.
So the plot is the “what” plus “why” of the story, and also the “how” plus the “what” and “why”, forming a larger chain. You have to follow the big story arc – what happens from one chapter to the next – and the small story (the actions of individual scenes and chapters).
How many plots are there in literature?
Creating a plot outline is key if you want to get an idea of where the story is headed. Creating a plot outline and character outline helps because it allows you to take a step back and get a broader view of your narrative.
While a plot outline is useful for structuring your story and staying on course, remember that this is a flexible design, not a rigid structure, as each element of your novel needs to bend to fit.
To map out your romance well, make sure you have an idea of what its main purpose in the story is every time you introduce a character. In fact, the amount of storyline you write for each character will depend on the importance of each thread to the storyline, so for example if one of your main characters’ storyline is closely intertwined with or closely linked to the main story arc. to the main character, then you have to develop him accordingly.
Remember that you can tell the story however you want, but it can make your life easier if you accept that too many plots can ruin a book.
Video – How to create subplots in Matplotlib
Subplot structure
Your story may seem overly complicated, not because of problems inherent with the plot, but simply because of the way you present it. At the end of the day, the problem of an overly complex storyline is really a problem for writers writing stories that they don’t fully understand and/or have no control over.
If the most successful books have only one or two, the stories will feel flat, bloated, or repetitive because the authors don’t have enough variety to draw from.
While you can fit almost any story you can think of into one of these three types of stories, this is overly simplistic and doesn’t do much for observing the actual structure of the story.
A storyline doesn’t have to appear in every scene, and with the exception of a BIG storyline, it doesn’t have to start in the first chapter and end in the last. Creation means that each of them should relate to your basic dramatic principle.
How many plots are there in a short story?
Of course, in a broader sense, this means that if you break this equation – if your story changes an additional theme or an unrelated plot goal – then, boom!, you just wrote not one story, but several (or more). Probably the main story with a bunch of half stories sticking out in the corners).
In a typical TV storyline, one episode usually consists of two storylines, called Story A and Story B.
Sources used:
- https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-writing-mistakes-overly-complex-plots/
- https://hollybodger.com/how-many-plot-lines-should-you-have/
- https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/05/how-plotlines-add-dimension/
- https://killzoneblog.com/2010/05/how-many-subplots-is-too-many.html
- http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/how-many-plots-are-there/
- https://www.nownovel.com/blog/how-to-plot-novel/
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/how-many-different-types-of-plots-are-there
- https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jul/13/three-six-or-36-how-many-basic-plots-are-there-in-all-stories-ever-written
- https://www.autocrit.com/blog/7-stories-world/
- https://thewritepractice.com/multiple-plots/
- https://www.beemgee.com/blog/storylines/
- http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2015/09/how-many-storylines-can-novel-have.html
- https://www.writerswrite.co.za/how-to-tell-if-you-have-too-much-plot-in-your-story/
Other resources relating plots in a novel:
How to Add Subplots to Your Novel | NY Book Editors
How Many Storylines Can a Novel Have? – All Write – Fiction
How Many Plots Are There? – Fiction Writer’s Mentor
How many plot lines should you have? – Holly Bodger
