Do subplots have to connect to the main plot in your novel?

So you’re writing a novel or even a series, and you’ve got ideas for side stories to add interest and depth to the main story. But you’re starting to wonder: Do these side stories all have to connect to the main story? Or is it okay if they’re not all explicitly linked?

This is a bit of a tricky question! Let’s tackle it in this post.

Short answer: Most subplots in your book should impact the main plot for maximum reader engagement and satisfaction.

Notice that I didn’t say all! Because not all the subplots have to connect. But most of them should.

Here’s why:

Readers can feel bored, confused, misled, or even tricked by subplots that don’t connect to the main story.

Things you don’t want your readers thinking:

• What does this have to do with everything else going on?

• Why are we going on this side quest again? I don’t get it.

• I really don’t care about this. I just wanna get back to the story.

• We spent so much time on this plot, I thought the story was going in x direction, but now that it’s going in y direction, I’m disappointed.

• The author totally made me think this was important, and now I feel cheated because it’s not actually important at all.

• This entire chapter was just filler to bulk up the page number.

Bored readers, confused readers, and readers who feel cheated, tricked, or misled put down your book and decide to stop reading. Maybe they even write a review about how your book was “full of filler” and end up scaring off other potential readers. Not exactly what you want.

If you’re an overwriter, you might be more tempted to add in extra side plots. Are you an overwriter or underwriter?

I will also say that it’s extremely satisfying for readers when all the different plot threads connect together somehow. It’s kind of like watching an artist as they stipple—it just looks like a bunch of dots at first, but all of a sudden it becomes an entire image. Our brains like that a lot.

Okay, so when can you add subplots that aren’t directly connected?

When the subplots heavily impact other important story stuff—like character development or worldbuilding. You can get away with story threads that don’t impact the plot as long as they impact something else essential to the story in some way.

For example, maybe a romance side story impacts one of the side characters deeply and changes their mindset so much that they make different choices than they would have otherwise. Their new choices impact the main character’s own ideas of what love truly means after seeing their friend change so much, and their character arc changes in response. Even though the romance side story doesn’t affect the plot in this case, it does impact the main character!

When you’re writing longer books and longer series. The longer your book, the more room you have for side quests that don’t do much for the main plot. If you’re reading this, you’re probably writing fantasy or sci-fi, so you could very well fall into this category!

If you’re writing a one-shot novel or even a short series of short books, then you will probably want to boil down your subplots to only the ones that strictly affect the main plot. But if you’re planning a lengthy series, you have a bit more room to play around.

If you have a group of dedicated fans who absolutely adore your series or you as an author. Fans of you or your series are going to be much, much more tolerant of extra side stories that newer readers and the general public. They’re going to eat up any extra info they can get, even if all of it is “fluff” or “filler.”

What do I do with all these subplots I just cut out?

They make great bonus material for your dedicated readers!

You can also save them for the future if you’re writing a series—maybe they’ll come in useful later down the line, once you’re three or four books in.

Sometimes side stories can evolve into entire novellas or books on their own, too, with a bit of brainstorming. Worth a try!

So no, not all your plot threads need to tie neatly with the main plot thread, but most of them should in some way.

And if you’re having trouble deciding whether your subplots connect enough to the main plot or whether they’re just too disconnected? I can help you! In an Editorial Evaluation, I assess your plot, among many other aspects of your book, for how well it’s working for readers. You’ll walk away not only with a better idea of how well your plot and subplots are working but also some ideas for how to make them work even better!

This blog post is an expanded version of an email that originally appeared in the Story Sanctum, the Edits by Toni email list. **Want content like this directly in your inbox twice a month? Enter the Sanctum for pep talks, writing and revision tips, and fun anecdotes (that always tie back to writing, promise).