If the plot is the backbone of a novel, subplots have to be the ribs. As I complete my second draft, I find myself questioning every page, every paragraph, every word. At a higher level, I’m questioning every subplot. At this point, my novel is just about finished. I’m cutting away parts that don’t belong. Each and every subplot cannot simply be interesting, but it must contribute. Each subplot must reinforce the main plot and drive it forward.
For example, the teenage son in my novel is poised to escape the family farm and be the first in his extended family to attend college. His character must arc towards this freedom. He must actively participate. Like a lot of teenagers, he is actively (and mostly unknowingly) self-destructing and pulling away from his best trajectory. But I have decided to have him step up. He will grow towards a final step in his character development that will echo his mother’s growth. In the end, he will change and launch his own freedom, echoing the main plot and a main theme of my novel.
How do you align or judge your subplots?