Subplot are amazing tools. They can add depth to a plot, help develop characters further, and provide extra interest for the readers. One of the popular is the romantic subplot. There’s something so heart-warming about watching a pair of characters falling in love while trying to navigate the stormy waters of the main plot. When done well, these romances are an amazing addition to the main plot, not only helping readers connect with your characters more, but also affecting the course of the story. However, when done badly they can feel disconnected, tacked on, or even manage to take over from the main plot. There are many elements that go into the creation of a great romantic subplot, and today I’ll be listing some of them.

Necessary to the Plot

Every good subplot needs to be connected to the main plot in some integral way in order to warrant its inclusion. If it’s not adding to the story, then often times it’s actually detracting as it draws readers’ attentions away from the main events. A good test is, if the romance scenes can be cut from the plot without the main story losing anything important, then it’s not actually necessary. Events in the romance should directly affect the events in the plot so that the two stories weave together seamlessly. There are several ways to make sure a romantic subplot is necessary. Below are two of them.

1. Helps Characters Grow

A romance isn’t just a one and done affair. Both partners have to grow in order for their romance to progress. And this character growth can be a big help to the main plot. One of the characters might be able to make the hard decision to stay and fight because they’ve grown as a person through their relationship. Or they might grow in confidence and be able to achieve something they couldn’t at the beginning of the book, which then affects the overall plot. Whatever way they develop, a romance is a great vehicle for enabling characters to change and grow over the course of a book.

2. Impacts Plot Events

Characters in love do crazy things. And these things can also affect the direction the story takes. Perhaps they make different decisions now they’re in love, compared to what they would have done when single, such as choosing to protect their romantic partner in a dangerous, or deciding not to split up, but instead to accomplish a task together. They might have a fight that ends up with one of them storming off and getting into a serious situation that forwards the plot, or they may choose to share a secret that changes how the characters see events. These actions are directly affected by the characters being in love, and also impact the course of the main plot, making the subplot both interesting, and integral to the story.

Feels Natural

For a romantic subplot to really work, it needs to feel natural. That means that the characters need fall in love with someone who makes sense, even if they appear unlike at the beginning, come together in a way that would suit their personalities, and it needs to grow in a way that feels realistic, not only to a real romance, but also to them as a pair. Every romance is different. And, by the same token, every character is different. Not every character may suit a romantic subplot. Be guided by your characters’ personalities when making decisions about their romances. If it’s not something they would choose to do, based on their personalities, it’s not going to feel natural, and you’re not going to convince readers to invest in their relationship, no matter how invested you are.

Stays True To Characters

As another element of natural romances, the characters involved shouldn’t change in massive ways the moment they get into a relationship. Obviously, growth on both sides is necessary, both to their having a successful relationship, and to it working as part of the larger plot. However, your formerly flirtatious girl shouldn’t immediately swear off batting her eyes at other men. She might be faithful to her boyfriend, but still make eyes at other men for fun. A formerly closed off character shouldn’t immediately start sharing every single dark secret he has with his girlfriend, just because their relationship status changed. Character growth needs to stay true to the characters’ personalities.

Leaves Characters Independent

Getting into a relationship doesn’t automatically mean that your characters are joined at the hip. Sure, they will probably make slightly different choices in their actions because they have a significant other now, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still both be strong people, accomplish things on their own, lean on other people for help, or have lives outside of each other. If they’re so wrapped up in their relationship that they’re never seen apart, then either there’s something wrong with the way the romance has been written, or they’re in an extremely unhealthy relationship.

Stays a Subplot

This one probably the most important fact. A romantic subplot must stay a subplot. The romance might be cute, the characters might be so sweet when they’re together and make your little heart all warm and fuzzy whenever they’re on the page together, but, when it comes down to it, it is a subplot. And a good subplot supports, not supplants. If the majority of your scenes turn into the characters having some cute little romantic argument, or they’re naming their future children instead of making a plan of attack, there’s a problem. Weave the subplot in by making it important to the plot, but don’t forget to have plot related events outside of your characters’ relationships as well. Otherwise your book runs the risk of becoming, say, a romance with a little fantasy thrown in for good measure.

These are just some of the elements that make up a good romantic subplot. What are some that I missed? What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to romances in books? What books do you know that do romantic subplots well?

And let me know, what Elements Of post would you like to see next time?

After spending the last few weeks listening to Two Steps From Hell and Skyrim, I’m now on a bit of a strings kick with my listening habits. I always find string music very inspiring. The versatility of the instruments is amazing, and the music they create is even more so. I have so many favourite pieces of instrumental music involving strings, but one of my current favourites is from The Piano Guys. It’s an epic cross-over not only of songs, but also of musical periods. It’s a mash-up of Adele’s Hello and Mozart’s Lacrimosa.

This piece has a sad, introspective feel to it, full of quiet regrets. The cello heightens the sorrowful mood with its crying strings. Plaintive rises in the music are contrasted by much softer, more reflective moments. It’s an excellent piece for listening to while writing scenes where a character is regretting their actions, looking sadly back at something in the past, or mourning something in their present. It would do well for most genres, but especially for anything set in the real world. The video for this piece is also gorgeous, and well worth watching if you have a couple of minutes to spare.

Do you enjoy pieces mixing modern and classical music? Do ever write listening to instrumental versions of popular music? What are you listening to at the moment?  

In last week’s writing update post, I was whining about the unfairness of life and having to rewrite large swathes of material because a plot point wasn’t working. Which made me incredibly grumpy and not at all inclined to edit. Well, thankfully, I’m not going to subject you to another depressing post about how everything is against me. I’ve actually made up all that lost ground, and then some. At the moment Snow sits at about 26k, and is ticking along at a steady pace.

One thing I’m finding interesting at the moment is my strange love for the smallest things about my book. A scene where two characters are goofing around making cookies. A side character only present for a handful of scenes. A snippet of dialogue. These are the often the things that I look forward to writing the most, even before the actual main character or the plot, both of which I do love great. Is it just me, or is it normal to get invested and greatly look forward to tiny little elements of the book? (Please tell me I’m not alone in this.)

Small things are important outside of the book, for keeping me motivated to edit and excited about things to come in Snow. Talking to my sisters, who are all amazing people to brainstorm with, and explaining what’s going on with the book to them, working on my Pinterest board, celebrating small achievements with my writing friends, or even sharing excerpts, have all been giving me the little boosts I often need to stay focused on writing. Sometimes the smallest things are worth the most.

 So that’s where I stand with my book at the moment. I still feel like I’m not progressing fast enough, even though I’m on track to be finished by the end of the month at this point, but every day I try my best, and if it takes me an hour to edit half a scene, then that’s ok. It’s improving, and that’s what counts the most. And, because I feel like sharing today, I thought I’d add a little excerpt to this post. This comes from the POV of Nicola, secondary narrator, and a mutant with aquatic abilities.

Even in here, with the air conditioners blasting, there was a touch of the summer heat creeping in. It’d be a perfect day to be out at the beach, paddling through the breakers, and maybe catching a few waves while she was at it. Sun, sand, surf, and maybe a touch of sunburn at the end of the day. An intense longing for life before broke out inside her. Life before the mutation showed up. Life before everything went from manageable to downright agony. Right now, she missed being normal, without the tail and the team. Heh, she might even miss that awful job at the cafe. The smell of salt, the taste of hot chips, the stinging of sand blown over her face by the wind. There were so many things she missed about life before.

Do you ever have little, unimportant things in your book that you absolutely love? How do you motivate yourself when you’re having a difficult time? Do you talk about your books with your family, or do you like to keep it between you and your book?

There are lots of places on the internet where writers can post their work for free. One of the most popular websites is Wattpad. This website allows you to post whole books, chapter by chapter, upload a cover, receive comments from readers on individual chapters, or even lines, and interact with the other users through message boards, private comments, and forums. Whether you just want to share your book with the world without the hassle of self-publishing, or you want a place to post your book in order to get feedback on it, Wattpad is a good option.

Now, I’m not really a Wattpad user myself, though I’ve definitely had a look around the website and tried some of the books on there. But recently, I was in a Twitter chat where writers were talking about the ways Wattpad could be used. And it got me wondering, as writers, how do you guys use Wattpad?

Do you just use it to read other people’s books, rather than sharing your own writing? And if so, how do you find good quality books? Do you interact with writers on their books, or prefer to read in silence? And, if you’ve ever read a book on Wattpad that has also been published, have you ever felt like buying the book after reading it?

If you post, do you post for the fun of it, to get feedback, or to raise interest in your project? Have you ever considered using it for promotion of a published book? And if you post, at what point do you post? First draft? After a couple of passes? When you’re sure it’s finished?

Or maybe you don’t actually use Wattpad. In which case, would you ever consider using it for any reason? Why, or why not? Or would you rather use a different website? And if so, what?

This week, it’s been a real struggle for me to find focus during my writing sessions. I mentioned in my post on Wednesday that I’ve had to go back and drastically change the beginning of Snow because of problems with the inciting incident, which has several drained my enthusiasm for editing. So I’ve had to work hard to make sure I’m putting enough effort into my writing sessions and getting the most out of the time I have. Of course, writing processes are ever evolving things, but today I thought I’d share what’s working for me at the moment.

Step 1: Be Comfortable

Before I settle in for a writing session, I generally make sure I’m as comfortable as possible. That means I’ve had a drink, I’ve taken a bathroom break, I’m warm or cool enough, and I’ve got settled nicely in my writing space. The more comfortable I am, the less excuses I can make to interrupt my writing session later on.

Step 2: Close Non-Essential Tabs

After I’ve made sure I’m comfortable, I prepare my computer for my writing session by closing every non-essential or distracting tab in my browser. That means Facebook, Pinterest, and every other tab I don’t desperately need has to be closed before I begin. This tells my brain it’s time to work, and also makes it harder to procrastinate on social media by adding another step to getting into my feed.

Step 3: Cue The Music

Great music has always been a big part of my writing routine, and right now, it’s pretty much invaluable to me. At the moment, I either listen to the Skyrim soundtrack, (you can see my favourite pieces from that HERE), or to the album Miracles by Two Steps From Hell. These albums are ones that allow me to concentrate while listening, and also get my brain instantly in the right place to start thinking creatively.

Step 4: Full Screen That MS

Whether I’m writing in Word or using Scrivener, I need to have my manuscript as the only thing on screen. Having multiple windows up at the same time only distracts my already squirrel-like brain, which instantly wants to dash between multiple things. One thing I especially love about working in Scrivener actually, is the ability to full screen the document so that the words and a plain black background (my preference) are the only things I can see. I can’t even see the toolbar at the bottom of the screen this way, which forces me to focus on my work.

Step 5: Hold Fast At The Ten Minute Mark

The ten minute mark is the most vulnerable moment of a writing session for me. I’ve made a start on my writing, and maybe I’ve even made a god bit of progress. And now I want a social media break. But even a quick jump on social media pulls me out of my creative space though, and makes it that much harder to focus when I get back, if I get back. Pushing through the temptation at the ten minute mark gives me a much greater chance of getting right into the zone, which is such an awesome place to be.

Step 6: Set Goals

I always have a time goal for my writing sessions. I’ll write to the top of the hour, or for a set amount of minutes. But I also have a MS goal too. It might be to edit one scene, reach the end of the chapter, or fix some specific problem. A lot of the time, my MS based goal isn’t done by the time my time goal is finished. But by that point, I’m often focused enough that I’ll keep going until I’ve achieved the other goal too. And if I don’t, I’ve still got a fair chunk of work done, which is great too.

So this is how I’m making the most of my writing sessions. But I’m interested to know, what does your process look like? What do you do differently to me? Music? No music? Regular breaks, or long stretches of uninterrupted writing? Let me know in the comments!

Have you ever gotten a significant way through editing book, and then realised that one of your major plot points simply isn’t working? (Please tell me I’m not alone). Because this is exactly what happened to me this week. Editing was going along beautifully, I was quite enjoying it for once, and I’d just reached 15k words, which was super exciting. But for the last few thousand words, I had a niggling suspicion in the back of my mind that something wasn’t quite working, and the closer I got to the inciting incident, the more I had to admit, it wasn’t working. The event I had for my inciting incident didn’t suit the personalities of any of the characters, or really the plot in general. And fixing that means I have to rewriting at least 10k of that initial 15k I’d already edited.

So that was a fun realisation.

But, despite all the extra work it’s going to cause me to fix it, I’m actually really glad I figured it out now, rather than pushing through the mess and hoping it all hung together later, or praying that it would fix itself without me needing to go back. And, now that I’ve taken some time to work out a new structure for the beginning that will hopefully work, I feel a lot more positive about the way this book is going. Doesn’t mean that I wasn’t super grumpy earlier this week. (Seriously, my amazing writing friends deserve a million thanks for picking me back up and helping me fix my problems).

So my editing has made negative progress this week, which is not how I foresaw it going. But, in better news, I finally joined Pinterest. And now I want to know how it took me so long to join all the other smart writers on there, because it’s amazing. In my spare time between editing, crying over changes, and planning fixes, I’ve been creating Pinterest boards for all my books. And when I say ‘all’ my books, somehow some boards popped up for books I’m not even close to writing yet. Yeah, I may be a little too invested in Pinterest at the moment. But it’s so much fun!

I’ve been working especially on a Pinterest board for Snow, which has nowhere near enough on it yet, but it’s starting to give a pretty good picture of the story. If, on the off chance you’re interested in knowing more about my book, or just looking at some pretty pictures, you can find my board for Snow HERE.

So, that’s how my writing’s going at the moment. How are you getting on with your books? Hopefully better than I am with mine. And tell me, are you on Pinterest? Leave me your username, or a link to your profile in the comments! I’d love some new profiles and boards to stalk follow. You can find my profile HERE.

January was the month of editing, it seems. Everywhere I looked, writers were feverishly polishing up or piecing back together their books, including me of course. In many ways, editing is amazing. Well, not the actual act of editing. That is a gruelling task of Herculean difficulty. But the results of editing are so worth it. Seeing those plot wrinkles smooth out, the characters spring to life, and the prose sparkle with wit and humour is an amazing thing. If only the journey there was slightly easier. Because editing is HARD. Anyone who says otherwise has obviously never tried it. And when you’re stuck deep in edits, it’s important to remember some things.

It Can Actually Be Fixed

I know it looks bad right now. You probably think that no one has ever written a draft as bad as this one. Maybe your plot is in fragments, or all your characters are one dimensional. Maybe your prose looks like a three year old scribbled it with a purple crayon. But the writing is there. And if it’s on the page, then it can be fixed. It’s a difficult task yes, but it is certainly not impossible.

Your Subconscious Is A Clever Clogs

Trust your gut instinct. Planning your edits, making an outline of your book and going into the battle with a solid game plan is sound editing strategy. But there often comes a point where your gut is telling you that something’s not working, that a plot point you slaved over doesn’t fit right, or that this scene needs to be cut. It hurt, but listen to your subconscious. A lot of the time, it actually knows what it’s talking about.

Venting to Friends Is A Good Thing

Editing is HARD. And some days you are going to feel like everything’s against you, you’re never going to be a writer and that you should take yourself off to a desolate place and grow lettuces for the rest of your life. When you start getting such botanical urged, find a friend and vent to them. It’s ok, your writing friends have been there too. They’ll pat you on the back, offer virtual chocolate and encouraging GIFs and get you back on your feet in no time.

Sharing Your Problems Can Actually Fix Them

Talking to a friend about the issues you’re having with your book is sometimes the best thing you can do when you’re stuck. Even if they can’t suggest anything to fix the problem (and writer friends are the best at coming up with awesome fixes) just talking through the problem with another human being can be enough to get the ideas churning and a solution brewing in your brain. Often, the answer to the problem shows up while you’re still describing the problem!

When All Else Fails, Eat Cake

Bad editing day? Plot not behaving? Characters on strike? Feeling unmotivated? Eat cake. It’ll make you feel better. Also it tastes good. And doing something nice for yourself can also help you get back into a frame of mind where you can work through your issues. Or you can just have cake and relax. It’s your call. And your cake.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and rewrite half the beginning of my book again because my gut is telling me there are unresolved issues with a major plot point. *sigh* I may need some of that cake…

Have you been editing in this past month? If so, how are you getting on? If you’re not, where are you in the writing process? And tell me, what would is the number one thing you thing writers need to remember while editing?