What to do when you have too many subplots

You know how it is. You have a great idea for a novel. You start sketching out characters, and scenes flicker through your head like a cinematic teaser trailer. Before you know it you’re up till 3 a.m. trying to get it all down on paper and suddenly unwieldy plotlines are spilling out in every conceivable direction like baby serpents excited to leave the nest.

What’s a writer to do?

While having too many ideas might seem like a blessing for any creator, it can also be a bit overwhelming when you’re trying to decide which end up in the finished book, and which end up on the cutting room floor. If you’ve found yourself swamped in subplots, read on for some tips on how to upcycle them into golden material.

What is a “subplot”, exactly?

First, let’s make sure we know what we’re talking about. A subplot is a secondary storyline which happens concurrently to the main story you’re trying to tell. While the protagonist is off trying to save the world, a secondary character might be falling in love, dealing with family drama, or discovering a new talent.

Your world-saving hero is driving the main plot, while your secondary character is driving the subplot.

Subplots are great for giving a story depth, enhancing core themes, raising thought-provoking questions, adding new facets and tones, and providing some comic relief. The best subplots are interwoven so subtly that you don’t even notice they’re happening — you just enjoy the novel or film as it progresses.

But even if a subplot looks effortless to your readers, they’re meticulously crafted by us writers! It takes a lot of work to make the work look invisible.

How many subplots should you have in a novel?

There’s no limit to how many subplots a novel can have, although a high number of them can risk confusing you and your readers.

Genre can also play a role in how many subplots you’ll find. It’s common for romance novels to feature two subplots side by side, with a main plot (the romance) connecting them. In mysteries, you’ll often see one main plot (the mystery) contrasted against a more personal subplot. High fantasy novels will sometimes have many plots, but this gets quite challenging.

In general, one to three subplots is a good range to aim for. This will give your novel depth and highlight some of the compelling secondary characters. If you’re balancing more than three subplots, it might be time to trim down.

How to manage a surplus of subplots

If the thought of slicing and dicing your meticulously assembled story world fills you with dread, don’t worry. There are other ways to use this material, also known as “cryogenically freezing your darlings”. In fiction, nothing stays dead forever.

Combine characters

If you have a sprawling cast, consider whether each character is pulling their weight in support of the plot. If not, you may be able to cut one character completely, but recycle their subplot by giving it to another character.

For example, imagine your protagonist has two younger siblings. One is navigating a first-love crisis, while another is tripping over themself at a new job. Having two characters to keep track of might become a bit overwhelming for your readers; instead, consider having just one younger sibling juggling both those problems at the same time.

Think about which characters have the most impact on your protagonist and their journey, as well as the novel’s key themes. Those are the ones to keep.

Create spinoffs

Even if you don’t have space in your novel for every subplot, that doesn’t mean they have no use. You can still use them for another project at a later time.

If you fall in love with a secondary character who’s not getting enough page time, keep them to one side until you finish your current project. Then, in light of what’s happened in the plot, you can ask yourself: where would this secondary character be now? How would the events of my novel have affected them? Where are they going next? The answers to these questions will tell you whether or not this character is big enough for a novel of their own.

If a second novel seems too expansive, you can also make your subplot character the centre of a short story or novelette. Then you can use this story as a subscriber magnet on your website, or add it to the back of a deluxe expanded anniversary edition of your novel. In either case, you now have something new and special you can share with your readers.

Expand perspectives

On the opposite end, you might find that one of your subplots is exploding all over the page, refusing to stay in the nice subplot corner you specially designed for it. In this case, it might be that your subplot needs to be bigger.

Consider trying something like a dual perspective or dual timeline, where the narrative is split evenly between two or more characters. This means they each have their own plot and character arc that run parallel to each other, exploring similar themes. This approach is very common in romance novels and in historical fiction, but you can use it in any genre.

The benefit of bringing a secondary character to the forefront is that you can get to know them much more deeply and bring them to life in more detail. Novels like this are most satisfying when you find creative ways to bring both plots together, creating a cohesive whole.

So don’t despair if your brilliant idea becomes a tad overambitious, and your world keeps unfurling with every page. Everyone is the hero of their own story! Now, you can choose the best way to celebrate each of those characters and make your novel stand out from the crowd.