When do subplots become filler?

[Xelah]

I've been watching a bunch of Mystery Science Theater 3000 lately. If you're unfamiliar with the show, it's basically a guy and a couple of robot-puppets mocking really bad movies created by untalented hacks. Said movies often have inane dialog, ridiculous plots, and subplots that feel like they were included only to make the movie feature length.

Last night, I had a realization. All of my subplots are just there to add to the word count because my stories tend to trail off after 60-70k words. How do I keep Mike and the Robots from making fun of my work?

 

[HareBrain]

A subplot should serve the main plot. Even if it can be removed without harming the main plot, it might still be valid if it sheds light or reflects on it. But sounds like you could do with adding depth or complexity to your main story. There you go -- easy.

 

[J Riff]

I think 60-70k is enough for most stories, it really is, sub-plots or not you shouldn't worry about that.
MST .. yesssss.. they have done almost all of them now... too many. Some of the terrible old movies aren't so bad at all, just low-budget, hadda get em' in the can this week sort of movies, back when it was still just a lark to make a movie.
Hollywood inflates their own history drastically. Many, many people didn't care about movies at all back in the day. A waste of time and money - those crazy rich idiots running around with their cameras... so even
Beast of Yucca Flats can be forgiven. Go watch it if you can.

 

[Nik]

I'd set up a bunch of sub-plots for 'Project Lorraine', but realised that I'd need a dozen more chapters and umpteen thousand words to do them justice. Problem was my muse was failing: If I didn't maintain a brisk pace and wrap up the tale, I feared that I would not finish it...

So, I cut to the chase.

 

[paranoid marvin]

You've got to remember more that 'filler' isn't neccessarily bad ; some people like the stories to b fleshed out , just so that they can spend more time with the characters. Just I'm sure that a lot of the movies featured in MST were enjoyable in their own way , and no doubt popular back in the day. Not every piece of literature has to be a masterpiece ; which is perhaps just as well as if we had no 'pulp fiction' the world would be a poorer place.

Make sure your sideplots are enjoyable to read ; that they don't alter the pace of the novel and that they have relevance to the main tale. Don't worry if they're not essential to plot as the direct route is not always the most scenic.

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

sub-plot needs to add something to the story, even if it is just to develop a character or just provide an explanation for why a character does what they do. When I write I like to take what appear to be several unrelated sub-plots then marshal them through the course of the story until they come together and reveal themselves as a facet of the main plot. Or something like that. It sounded a better explanation before the sherry wore off.

 

[Caledor]

It might help to spend more time developing your "world". Focusing on the character you'll soon run out of things to say, even if writing from when the characters young to when he's old, but if you also focus on creating a rich and detailed world you'll never run out of things that you can write about. You're story is about your characters, but the world shouldn't just be some sort of prop you dust off everytime you need something else to say. Same thing with subplots and even sub-characters, you want things to feel natural and not have everything revolving around the main character and their mission/quest.

Sorry if I inaccurately assumed that you're focusing on your character, but thats the way it seemed to me from what you wrote.

 

[Jon Sprunk]

IMO, if a subplot arises naturally from the story--extending or enriching it--then it is valid.

On a sidenote, I like what Marvin said about pulp fiction, because sometimes enjoying the ride is the only reason to take the trip.

 

[My Atomic Tales]

Subplots can be fun, depending on the author. In many cases they provide the only incentive to carry on reading (Robert Jordan, I was looking at you). Sadly, too many published authors get caught up in their own creation and fall into the trap of thinking that everything they write will be of interest to the reader. As mentioned above, a subplot should only exist if it adds something of relevance to story. If it's merely an exercise in self-indulgence it should either be ignored or, in an ideal world, cut by an editor. Sadly, there are too many writers around who could do with a decent Editor to cull their words.