: Re: Which plot should I use while outlining my plot beats? I'm writing a crime/mystery fiction novel. The main plot involves a murder at the start, a case that my protagonist, a police detective,

@Angie602

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This a fun story. The central conflict is "what did the murdered friend have to do with the wife's disappearance?" and, really, the present murder is the subplot that is an obstacle to the resolution of that real central conflict. Regardless, plots and subplots normally feature all or nearly all the usual beats, otherwise the subplot is really just an obstacle in the main plot.

Typically, these sorts of stories are resolved by the solution to the immediate crime producing the solution to the past crime, which is quite satisfying but can feel contrived. Other times, the present case is resolved relatively quickly, but clues to the larger conflict lead the hero into uncharted territory (the wife's secret past or affair, for example).

Ideally, you would at least get the two plots out of sync so that progress in one produces or coincides with a new obstacle in the other. One advantage to this approach is that neither plot needs to be perfect; they complement and complicate each other. Good luck!

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