Constructing a Subplot

Some people consider a subplot as simply a secondary story that parallels the main story. While that is true, a well-constructed subplot not only parallels the main plot, but it also supports and enhances it. At its best, the subplot forces twists and turns in the main plot that neither the characters nor the reader anticipates.

In some genres, the subplot concept is obvious. Labeling a novel a romantic suspense tells the reader the primary story will involve suspense and the subplot will be a romance. Easy peasy.

I write thrillers that explore financial crimes, abuse of power, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in how people can (and do) take advantage of others in financial transactions. I want to understand how criminals put their thumbs on scales, water their product, illegally change odds in their favor. I’ll never run out of shady practices to explore.

Abuse of power takes many forms: economic, physical, psychological. Power between two people is rarely equal, and any inequality provides the opportunity for abuse. How those in power choose to use it, and how those exploited by the powerful respond, provide alternative story lines.

The term “family relationships” conjures both function and disfunction.

The novels’ main plots directly explore one or two of my three interests. I can choose the remaining area to drive my subplot. For example, in the seventh Seamus McCree novel, Granite Oath, the main plot follows events driven by Seamus’s promise to search for a child’s missing mother. The reader suspects some combination of abuse of power and financial crimes triggered the disappearance. Using family relationships to develop a subplot made sense.

One subplot in Granite Oath involves Seamus’s granddaughter, Megan, and the missing mother’s daughter, Valeria, training a family of bald eagles to “catch” fish. This little tale is an amusing interlude readers will enjoy. It’s cute, and it serves to break up the major action and release tension before adding more. Worthwhile results, but introducing the girls and their eagles provided me the opportunity to dig deeper.

I rewrote the novel to use the eagles (and/or the girls' interactions with them) in multiple ways to:

•     cause a key item of evidence to disappear (delaying the time until Seamus discovers it),
•     assist Seamus out of one bind and mire him in a second one,
•     provide an opportunity to describe the relationship of two settings,
•     physically remove a threat to Seamus,
•     create a larger obstacle for Seamus to overcome, provide the reader insight into several human relationships, and
•     act as a symbolic gift of thanks.

(I know the specifics are vague, but I do not want to include spoilers.)

With the rewrite, the “training the eagles” subplot integrates with the main story line, affecting it at least seven different ways. That’s exactly what I want my subplots to do.

Readers, what are your favorite subplots?

* * * * *

James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, abuse of power, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. You can sign up for his newsletter and find more information about Jim and his books at https://jamesmjackson.com.

* Originally posted on the Writers Who Kill Blog

Controlling Fixed Costs (a Personal Experience)

For the first few posts I will discuss Fixed Costs versus Variable Costs. To define the terms, fixed costs are those that come due regardless of what income you receive. A mortgage is a fixed cost. If you lose your job, the mortgage payment still must be paid. Income taxes are variable costs – no income, no income tax.

Many, many years ago I got promoted and moved from the Boston area to the greater NYC area. While in Boston, I started a night school MBA program at Boston University. For a variety of reasons I couldn’t finish the program in New York. I decided I wanted to return to BU full-time for one year and finish my MBA. Great in theory, but could I afford it?

Each year I developed and followed decent budgets. Even with two growing children and a stay-at-home wife, we spent less than we earned. We knew we had to save for the kids’ college and our retirement.

With the idea of taking a year’s leave of absence, I developed a budget assuming $0 income. On the expense side I deleted all variable costs – those we could forgo for the year. I was shocked to discover that my fixed expenses were considerably higher than my gross earnings had been before my move from Boston four years earlier. How did that happen?

We were living within our means. We had no credit card debt. No car loans. But,

• We bought a more expensive house, so the mortgage, real estate taxes, insurance premiums and upkeep all increased.

• We traded in two older cars for newer cars. We paid cash, but auto insurance costs grew significantly.

• We had two children, who thought they should eat and have clothes and go to the doctor.

• We enrolled the older child in pre-school, which we now thought of as a necessity.

It’s not that we couldn’t afford each of those decisions, but each came with fixed costs attached, and over time the fixed costs added up. Fortunately, my company offered me part-time employment while I studied in Boston, which also covered medical insurance. That was enough to make the deal affordable without taking out student loans.

I was certainly fortunate to be able to go to school without going into debt, but I had learned an important lesson from the exercise. From that point on I made sure I understood not only the short-term implications of every buying decision, but the long-term ramifications.

~ Jim