Hello, my people! Is everyone having a good week? Personally, mine has been crazy (the good kind) which leads to these two announcements:

#1 I got a job and I moved from a city of several hundred thousand people to a village of 50 people. In the span of on week.

#2 I'm working full time, while also going to school full time so articles will be moving from Fridays to Saturdays. 

I think it's important to add that I only got hired last Wednesday. AH!

So, I'm really excited, tired, sore, and caffeine deprived because there's no store here. But more on that later.

Bookception. If you haven't heard that term before, it's okay. That's what Mama Mahana is here for XD. That actually sounds like a cool nickname lol. 

Anyway, for those of you who like official definitions of terms... I don't have one. I can tell you it is based off the movie Inception, with the idea of dreams within dreams, only we use it to reference stories within stories. I looked it up and the niche that references bookceptions is small and refers to physical books being referenced within another book. 

My definition is a little different. It's basically a cooler name for subplots. So, to know what bookception is you need to know the basics of a subplot:

Subplot:

Usually, involves secondary characters.

For video gamers: they're the "side-quests."

May briefly cross paths with the main character but doesn't have to. 

The narrator is usually less inclined to knowing the thoughts of the subplot's main character than they are the MAIN plot MC. 

Short, resolved faster than the main story plot. 

A widely known example that everyone should understand would be Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 

Don't freak out; I'll get us through this prequel slime bog as quick as possible. Quickly:

JANGO FETT IS A SUBPLOT. 

He isn't the main character; he has his own story (shooting bounties and taking names, while also fathering millions of clones) that we see unfolding throughout the main story, before ultimately ending in his death. It's made up of tiny glimpses; it's sneaky. We as the audience know that something is going on, but we aren't as "zoomed in" as we are with the main plot. It isn't one that Lucas paid as much attention to like he did with Anakin babysitting the cougar senator. 

For this article, we're going to talk about how to set up, and conclude a subplot. Because by the end of the book, subplots need to be closed, or they need to be big enough so that readers remember them while going into the sequel. 

Setting the bait...

I think we can all agree that a subplot is a small story, a short story basically, that is intertwined with the rest of your book. So, following that line of thinking, we should set up our subplot the same way. First things first, you need a foundation for readers to follow. 

Subplots can begin in three ways:

Sudden introduction: In Fantastic Beasts, the boy from the cult thingy, starts off as a sort of subplot. We're introduced to him on the steps of the bank, and then we see snippets of him throughout the story that grow bigger and bigger until, finally, he crosses paths once again with the main plot. One of the coolest things you can do with a subplot is to have it start off in a way that makes readers go, "Oh this is unimportant and boring," and then a few chapters later make them think, "OMG, so that's why so-and-so was doing this." Play on the unexpected.

Showing something unexpected: Looking back on your favorite stories,  have you ever seen the author break away from their MC and main plot and focus on another character? Maybe, someone you don't even know, but they're interacting with the same people the MC has been speaking with. It offers a different perspective it allows us to see the world through different eyes, and it may let us have new information that the MC doesn't have yet. 

Plotlines that converge: My favorite example of this comes from Eragon (I think it might be book 2, Eldest but who knows). Throughout the book we break away several times to see what is going on back in Eragon's village, mainly following E's cousin Roran. Over time, as we read, Roran and Eragon's stories grow closer and closer until at long last they converge and end up in the same place. This is the ultimate way to string a plotline through a story and have it broadened then concluded. 

Closing a subplot:

Now, I don't usually like to talk about my story, because most of you haven't read it but this will be easier on me to explain it out. (It might even help me get some inspiration to write this afternoon XD). 

EDIT: It totally did, so if you like The Sentinel be on the lookout for a chapter today!

So, one of my big subplots right now opens in chapter 1 with my male character Rowan (Viya, if you say anything about TOG I swear XD). In chapter one, I set the character up, I introduce the setting, and I show where they're going. Then I introduce a tiny conflict. The lord of the province the group is riding to is unfriendly and is known to give Sentinels (basically the region's police system) a hard time when they are looking for recruits. 

Rowan, roguish and naughty, pulls out a writ from the high king that demands the lord acquiesce to their requests. The only problem? It's a forgery, and if anyone finds out he made it, he'll be drawn and quartered. 

Closing out chapter one, that is all we know about it. It seems kinda like a big deal right? Well, we don't see or hear about the writ again until chapter 3 when it is delivered, signed and sealed to the lord. At the time, he buys it, thinks it's real and allows the Sentinels into his estate. 

See how I skipped a chapter there? I even switched pov's so that it's seen from someone else's view. Everyone thinks it's real. But my audience knows that it isn't.

Subplot closed? I don't think so. Mwhahahaa. 

Let's look at how I can end that subplot:

I can have Rowan be caught early in the book, reprimanded and demoted. 

I could have my female MC catch him. 

The lord could discover it was fake and sentence him to death (but then that would be a short story cause Rowan is kinda major). 

Rowan could be sent to prison or exiled. 

Or like some authors, I could forget about it all together, and create a plot hole.   

*Spoilers* one of these ^^ ^ is my actual plan on how to end it* ;)

The fact is that I have so many options, so many ways that I can close it, I just have to choose one. I also have to think about what would happen after I close. How will other characters react? What happens to that specific character afterward? Does it set other events into motion?

If I had Rowan killed, my story would die too. If I had him demoted, his relationship with my MC would change. If I have him exiled, where does the story go without him?

Sometimes you have to put as much planning into a subplot as you do with your main story. 

By the end of this, you may have come to the realization that without subplots we wouldn't have a story. These bookception tools are amazing because they allow us to round out our characters more, they provide more opportunities for opposition and conflict, they also work to help pace out the story. 

I hope this helped and maybe gave you some ideas to add more depth to your story!

Names you can't pronounce unless you're a linguist. 

I'm talking: Cthulu<--- how on earth do you even say that? O>O Is it like K (th) oo loo? I have no idea. The point is, why can't we just have names that are easy to pronounce? Like Brenna, Kesh, Rhys. They're kinda unique (Unless you're Viya and like to ruin everything with TOG remarks ;P). But I also don't have to work to read it. 

I think that may be something that author's don't get. Readers do not want to work to read your book. Unless you're Tolkien and I think we can all agree you're probably not Tolkien. Give us a break, guys, and find a name that doesn't sound like some alien on Star Trek. 

(For help on coming up with names refer to the previous article What's in a Name?)

Last week StarFireStories asked:

How do you go about writing a fight scene and where do you find inspiration? 

superwera answered:

Well I like to write fight scenes like they're being watched from above, your character is high on adrenaline and rage, he doesn't know what the f is going on! At the starting of the fight it can be a little clearer, as example when writing about a fist-fight started by mere anger it could begin with; "Before he could rationalize Samuel raised his fist and drew a punch at him, cutting into his sharp cheek bone. Drowning in the victory of Kade's hideous smirk wiped out as he fumbled to keep his balance, Samuel was too surprised to stop him when Kade stumbled clumsily but quickly towards him and collided his own fist with Samuel's nose." But then as the fight goes on it just gets blurrier and more confusing; "Samuel felt a sharp pain at his side but before another could emerge he drew a kick that collided with a part of a bony leg. He heard a groan and threw forth a punch which seemed to be dodged as he stumbled forwards after hitting nothing but air" Also don't point out the pain too much, as I said, adrenaline is pumping through his body, he can barely remember who he's slamming at, why would he be dwelling on the cuts on his fists or his eye that was starting to bruise? 

Illeandir answered:

As for finding inspiration, research. It's your best tool. Read fights scenes from other books, watch a few. If you have any experience fighting, draw from that. Look stuff up but don't necessarily follow it exactly. Unless your character has been fighting for years and years, even then. Fights are messy, things happen that can't be prepared for. Use that. How do they recover? How would you recover from that? Keep your sentences short. Note random details as you fight. Ignore the people watching the fight, unless they are somehow affecting it, they're not important. Remember that blunt blows,such as fists, are not going to do much damage to the trunk of the body. Aim for the face, hard to hit but does a lot of damage, the groin, knees, if you must, arms. Also remember to keep it short. Fights rarely last more than a few minutes, some are even won in seconds. Battles last much longer. Use what you would do in a fight, your imagination is the best thing you've got. If you want you can even make up your owns moves, just keep them realistic. Your characters aren't contortionist... maybe.

writing_s13 answered:

I, being a very clumsy person, draw upon my own experiences with pain to write fight scenes. I also try not to delve into too much detail, because fights are fast paced! Your characters aren't going to stand around, thinking of a word to accurately describe the color of their bruises before getting back to beating up each other. While I have never seen a fight in real life, if the character is experienced in fighting, I look up fighting techniques they would use. Same goes for swords and bows. If they are inexperienced, then don't look it up and just try write it as you would do it, unless you're experienced in fighting.

So, once again, no new questions from you guys. Naughty, naughty. I'm not even gonna ask one this week.

EDIT: Mansi says I have to ask a question so here goes:

What's a question you have about high fantasy?

Yes, Keanu, I did. 

There's no voting this week because next week's topic is Beating Writers Block and How to Write Titles!  

Now I'm going to sit in the library and write a new Sentinel chapter. 

Bye.