Definition
Tracking subplots means keeping a running record of where each secondary storyline appears, develops, and resolves across your manuscript. During revision, you read specifically for each subplot in isolation, checking that it has a clear arc, connects meaningfully to the main plot, and doesn't vanish for a hundred pages without explanation. It's essentially quality control for the threads that make your story feel layered rather than thin.
Why It Matters
Dropped subplots are one of the most common complaints readers have about novels. When you're deep in drafting, it's easy to introduce a secondary storyline, get absorbed in the main plot, and forget to come back to it. Tracking subplots during revision ensures every thread you started actually goes somewhere - or gets intentionally cut before a reader notices it dangling.
Common Mistakes
Your memory is unreliable across a 90,000-word manuscript. Write it down. Use a spreadsheet, a scene list, or a dedicated tool to log every subplot appearance by chapter.
If a subplot vanishes for more than three or four chapters, readers forget about it. Add brief check-in moments or references to keep each thread alive.
A subplot that wraps up in a single paragraph after building for ten chapters feels rushed. Give secondary storylines proportional resolution.
More subplots does not mean a richer story. If you can't give each one adequate development, cut the weakest and strengthen the rest.
Try It Yourself
Open your current manuscript or a recent draft and list every subplot you can identify. For each one, write down the chapter numbers where it appears, where it's introduced, and where (or whether) it resolves. If any subplot goes missing for more than four consecutive chapters, flag it. You now have a subplot map you can use to guide your next revision pass.
Never lose track of a subplot again?
Novelium's plotting tools let you tag and follow every subplot thread across your full manuscript. See at a glance where each secondary storyline appears, where it goes quiet, and whether it resolves - so nothing falls through the cracks.