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A standard thing in stories is to have multiple plot lines. In short stories or when you're just starting out as a writer you tend to have a single line, the A plot, but as soon as you get a bit more experience and write longer stories you'll find the plots tend to branch and multiply, even if you don't always fully intend it. The usual is to have the A and B plots: the A is the main one that drives the story and the B is where you put other interesting junk like character development, villain stuff, comic relief, love interests etc. But it can get a LOT more advanced than that and you can have far more than simply A and B.
The genesis of this cast was that I was moaning and groaning about long-form TV series that are intended for binge watching these days. Instead of being reasonably contained episodes you're actually watching a 16 hour long movie and I find that fatiguing and stressful because with those plot structures you feel compelled to watch and finish it (not all in one sitting, but finish it regardless). My complaint was that these things tend to have the A plot as the overarching story plot that connects all the episodes while the B and C plots etc are reserved for the episode itself, and that is NOT how it should be done, at least in my opinion. When series started this trend it would be a C or D line that connected the episodes, just minor developments and a continuing lore. Then it moved up to a B, major story stuff but the main storyline was still episodic, but now it's the A line and that is not cool.. according to me.
In the Quackcast we chatted about interesting structures and variations, like twin A plots that complete for attention. One of my personal faves are the A and B plot lines that constantly switch: An A shifts down to be the B and vice versa over and over so you're not sure which is the main line. That's very organic and keeps you on your toes. One of the most boring versions are strict A and B plot structures where it's all pure formula and things just don't break out of that so you know that one line is always less important to the other and things become too predictable.
Do you play with A, B, C, D etc storylines or just not bother and let things develop into that on their own, or do you just stick with only an A? And what do you LIKE in stories you consume?
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Quackcast 721 - A plot B plot
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Jan. 7, 2025
AlfiesWorld,
A plot B plot,
Auguste Fighter,
Banes,
Drunk duck,
Featured comic,
featured music,
Gunwallace,
Ozoneocean,
Quackcast 721,
Tantz Aerine,
Webcomics hosting
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Ozoneocean at 8:08PM, Jan. 9, 2025
@takoyama Same. I love when plots come together ^_^
Ozoneocean at 8:08PM, Jan. 9, 2025
@EssayBee Hmmmmm... you're exactly right on that actually.
takoyama at 3:25PM, Jan. 9, 2025
applying this to empire strikes back i guess that is a A and B plot movie. the continued battle with the empire has han, leia, chewy and 3po escaping from the empire while luke goes to dagoba to train with yoda. the stories combine when luke goes to cloud city to "rescue" them and confronts vader. i always liked stories like that when a group has to split up to get different things accomplished
EssayBee at 6:58AM, Jan. 9, 2025
I always enjoyed the structure of LA Confidential, where you think there is an A and a B plot, but they're actually B and C plotlines that come together to reveal the true A plot. I guess you could call it a "tuning fork" structure.
Ozoneocean at 7:05PM, Jan. 7, 2025
@JohnCelestri - I hadn't thought of that last style. Reminds me of Commando or Ronin.
Ozoneocean at 7:03PM, Jan. 7, 2025
@Marcorossi - That is a variation I hadn't considered. It's valid enough though.
Ozoneocean at 6:59PM, Jan. 7, 2025
@PaulEberhardt - it can be fun to see how things develop though.
Ozoneocean at 6:59PM, Jan. 7, 2025
InkyMoondrop Ahhh, organic is a nice and natural way to go.
JohnCelestri at 11:56AM, Jan. 7, 2025
To me, there are three basic types of stories. One is the standalone story containing a limited number of protagonists/antagonists, with a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end. In that story, the main characters have been changed by their experience. The second type of story lends itself to a series which has character types who basically never change or have a limited range of development (going back and forth within a small spectrum) but depend only on new plots for their entertainment value. The third type is the chase story, very similar to a video run-and-shoot game. No character development, just a body count as the protagonist travels from a starting point with an ever-shifting goal line.
marcorossi at 6:12AM, Jan. 7, 2025
I would mark a difference between stories where there is a main plot (A) and then other minor plots (A') that however are needed to move further the first (like, our hero must save the world from a space fungus, he falls in love with Amy who gives him the strenght to fight the space fungus), and situation where there are many independent subplots (like following the adventures of various different characters, so Plot A, B, C etc.). I never do the A, B, C plot thing, but often I have love stories or similar for the lead of A plot that are necessary for him/her to have growth, so something like an A, A', A'' plot. Or in another sense, there is only the A plot but part of it are "external" and so look as an A plot, and other are "internal" so are explained by something that looks like a B plot, but in reality isn't.
PaulEberhardt at 1:42AM, Jan. 7, 2025
I don't bother very much with A, B, C etc. plots, other than I keep an eye on never creating too many of them. I love it when this kind of thing evolves organically, but too many will make everyone lose track, including myself. I'll totally second your complaint about TV series. It's a major reason why I don't watch any these days.
InkyMoondrop at 12:16AM, Jan. 7, 2025
Hm... well, let me put it this way: in terms of how characters get in focus (Imago, Nebraska) the book starts out with a main storyline, quickly a second one develops on the side and both are matters of the heart / relationship-driven plotlines, aside from Theo's obvious main quest to deal with his grief in healthy ways. Most side characters have their respective chapters where they're properly introduced, but how they get introduced is getting involved in one of the two storylines or sometimes both. They too progress in the background, but mostly in their own chapters where we get to know them better. The point is that by the end of the first Book, their lives will be intertwined enough with the mains' to leave room for them growing into much more prominent characters later on or perhaps having their sub-storylines grow into main ones.