A subplot is a secondary chain of events that expands the main story and reveals character details. It can be tied to the main events or run parallel to them, and is used to explain hidden motivations and justify actions. Subplots are not usually used in short stories.
A subplot is a secondary chain of events that occurs in a fictional tale and serves to expand the scope of the main story or plot and reveal details about the characters. In fiction, a subplot is often thought of as a story within a story, and one of the main reasons for including it is to expand the scope of the main story so that it can have a depth that more closely resembles the complexity of reality itself. Often, a subplot is used to expand the motivations of supporting characters who are either working for or against the main characters or, by their actions, are setting in motion a chain of events that the main characters somehow have to deal with. Despite the fact that subplots and their supporting characters are of secondary importance to a story, they also need to have a beginning, a climax, and an end in some way so that the reader doesn’t wonder what the purpose of their existence was in the first place. .
Using a subplot in a story usually has one of two effects on how the story is told. In most cases, it is directly tied to the main events of the story and occurs in the same general time period. In this way, it has an immediate effect on the characters and situations that emerge as the story unfolds. An alternative approach to using subplots is to have them run parallel to a story, but independent of its main events, for the most part, to serve as a form of contrast that better illustrates the decisions the main characters are making. In elaborate narrative reporting, one subplot may even flow into another before the main plot is affected by a layering effect that is often used in mystery, political, or military fiction to slowly reveal the nature of what is really going on in the story. fuller scale history.
Often a sub-plot is needed to explain the hidden motivations behind why a character acts the way they do. A heroic character may, for example, demonstrate courage in most situations, but recoil at something unusual that takes place in the main storyline. To keep the story true to his direction, the motivation can be explained in a subplot that reveals hidden traits about the character’s past.
Subplots are usually employed to create a justification for unforeseen events and actions taken by the antagonist and protagonist in the story so that when the story concludes, everything that has happened appears to have happened for good reason. This is one of the key differences between fictional and real life, where characters in the real world often make decisions that are hard to understand on the surface. Supporting storylines also add a reenactment or backstory element to the main plot without directly slowing down the action. This is a way to illustrate the internal reflection and memories the main characters might have to give them a more three-dimensional nature.
While subplot is common to novels and long works of fiction involving many characters, such as in screenwriting, such literary concepts are often not used in short stories. This is because short stories usually have only a small handful of characters and a central event around which all their behavior and attention is focused. The main point of a subplot is to provide contrast to the events of the main story so that it can become more intricate and meaningful, which runs counter to the quick climax of a one-act story arc in a short work of fiction. Longer works of fiction, however, usually have up to three subplots related to each other or to the main story in some form.
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