How an Editor/Writer Organises Subplots Without Overwhelm

Developmental edits are integral to making your manuscript great, but they can be overwhelming ...  

In Monday's post, I talked about the epiphany I had while organising my plot threads. That same night, while I was brainstorming ideas and scenes for those threads, I found myself thinking about something I've always struggled with: subplots. 

They've always felt ... overwhelming 😵‍💫

Like there are too many moving pieces, too many things to keep track of, and no clear place to hold them all without everything getting tangled. 

I've realised over time that spreadsheets tend to help me stay organised in a lot of different areas of my life. So, I thought, why not try the same approach here? I decided to create a spreadsheet specifically for my subplots to see if it would make any difference.

And it did.

Not only did it help me organise my thoughts, but it also made the whole process feel smaller. More manageable, Lesss intimidating. I could see where everything needed to go, how the different threads connected, and where the gaps were.

Instead of one big, overwhelming problem, it became a series of smaller, clearer steps. 

And that shift along made it feel possible again.

I've shared an example of what this looks like below in case it helps you too 🙂

I use Notion for mine. Each tab at the top is a subplot. The column on the far left is the title of the scene, the middle 'Notes' column is for current and new ideas for each correlating scene. And, the final column has a check box for me to tick off once each scene has been updated. If a scene doesn't need anything for that subplot, it remains blank. It's a fairly simple system.

If you are a writer, and you do give it a try, let me know what you think below.

Keep your eyes peeled for more news on my writing here and on my Instagram!