What’s the purpose of the B-Story, anyway?
The B-story, also known as a subplot, seems to be an area of confusion for a lot of writers. Most stories have ’em, yet it’s not a topic that gets as much attention as other aspects of screenwriting.
In this episode, co-host Jose says the purpose of a B-story or subplot is to provide moments to play out the story’s theme. I agree, although that’s not to say it’s the only place to incorporate theme. A story’s theme can (and probably should) play out in every element of the screenplay.
How do you use a B-story or subplot in a story?
The benefit of the B-story (or any subplot) is that it can provide a way to talk about a story’s theme a little more openly or directly. Whereas if you were that obvious in the main storyline, it might feel too on the nose or heavy handed.
Body Heat comes to mind as a good example of this.
Here’s another way to approach using subplots to enhance your story: give one or more supporting characters a different attitude toward the theme. The contrast between the attitudes highlights the angles of each one. This can help you write more distinct, fleshed out, and compelling characters, while also helping your story explore a theme.
The Lobster and Hell or High Water are both good examples of how this can work.
When should a B-story or subplot be introduced?
Later in the episode, we talk about where the B-story should first appear. Trick question; there’s no one absolute right place for the B-story to show up. As with so many other choices you must make when building a screenplay, it depends.
Your job as a screenwriter is to guide us through the story. That means you must provide information when your audience needs it, and not before. So a subplot – like anything in the story — should appear when it’s needed.
Maybe we need to meet supporting characters in the first act, to create enough context for that subplot to fulfill its purpose later. Maybe introducing supporting characters in the first act would only slow down the momentum you’re building in the A-story.
It will probably take some experimenting to figure out what your story needs. That’s what rewriting is for! So don’t stress about getting it right, just work on getting it written. Then gauge and adjust accordingly.