Side Stories?

[Kureous]

First of all, what are they really? Are they substories separate from the plot? Or are they minor scenes you can't really devote a main chapter to, like two side characters going shopping together? Also, how much should they be used? Every ten chapters or so? How do you guys pace them, or do you not use them at all? I'm asking a lot of questions today.

 

[Cipiteca396]

To me, a side story is just anything that isn't directly related to the MC or the plot. POV chapters from 'side' characters, main events told from a random person's POV, and sure, random (possibly non-canon) slice of life episodes in a non- slice of life story.

There's no real right or wrong way to use them. Theoretically, you shouldn't ever use them, since they're by definition not important to the story. But they're good for tying up loose ends or helping to flesh out things that the readers might be curious about.

So just use them when you want to include something in the story, but can't sneak it in normally.

 

[Kureous]

To me, a side story is just anything that isn't directly related to the MC or the plot. POV chapters from 'side' characters, main events told from a random person's POV, and sure, random (possibly non-canon) slice of life episodes in a non- slice of life story.

There's no real right or wrong way to use them. Theoretically, you shouldn't ever use them, since they're by definition not important to the story. But they're good for tying up loose ends or helping to flesh out things that the readers might be curious about.

So just use them when you want to include something in the story, but can't sneak it in normally.

But if it isn't directly related to the MC but is related to the plot, what would that be called?

 

[DannyTheDaikon]

But if it isn't directly related to the MC but is related to the plot, what would that be called?

It's still a side story, imo.

 

[Cipiteca396]

But if it isn't directly related to the MC but is related to the plot, what would that be called?

I've never heard that given a specific name, but I'd argue it's not a side story. The plot is the Main Story. The MC is the Main Character.

 

[DannyTheDaikon]

I've never heard that given a specific name, but I'd argue it's not a side story. The plot is the Main Story. The MC is the Main Character.

If the main story is: A group of adventurers go on a quest to kill a demon lord in his tower. Then the story about the demon lord's past and origin is a side story. It is related to the main story. You can call it the villain origin story or whatever, but it's still a self contained story told on the side of the main events.

The main story is a line between point A and B.

• A - beginning of the story (adventurers gather and accept the quest)
• B - end of story (the demon lord is killed)

Everything that happens outside the two points will be a side story. Sure it can overlap with the main events, but as long as it's a self contained thing, it will be a side story.

Not that it really matters how it's called.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Look at my Sig.
Each and every one of those books is a side story that got out of control.
I have so many side stories, I don't have time to get around to writing the actual story I wanted to originally tell.

 

[KuruKinaar]

For me, I would just plan a short novel of the scenes that just don't fit in the main storyline. Sometimes the side scenes are nice, but if they don't benefit the main plot moving forward, they might not be necessary.

 

[2wordsperminute]

If you do side stories, doing them the So I'm a Spider so What way is good because they are very relevant to the plot.

 

[Mortrexo]

Side story = A story that moves in the same or related timeline and world of the Main Story. It usually doesn't have an influence on the Main Story. For example, the story of an apple store owner in the World of a Cultivation MC.
Main Story = the adventures of the MC and everything related to them. Even if you speak about a future, idk, assassin that is going to grow to attack the MC eventually, and you write their journey, etc., that's still part of the main story because it will have a palpable influence in the future.

Edit: Or, at least, that's how I see it.
ChatGPT answer.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Side stories are stories which are not directly related to what is happening to the plot. It's usually something that complements your universe, a device through which you better depict your universe. Your main characters might be a part of the stories, and even might be the "main" character in them.

A side story might later evolve into the main plot. Its main idea is to introduce elements through which you add immersion to the universe world instead of the main plot. If your story does not have a "main plot", it might instead be told in "side stories", where each one adds to the universe, creating a vivid picture of the story universe as a whole (Stories without Main Characters; Stories that follow Concepts instead of Characters) until it finds a focus.

How often you want to add one to your book is up to you. Some people add one at the every arc (Epilogues are sort of Side stories, same goes for Prologues) whereas others add "omake", which are also side-stories (at the end of every chapter). Some people might add complete "side-story arcs" to further add depth to the universe as a whole (and therefore where side-character arcs come from.) In the end, it's up to the author to decide when, how and whether to make use of these.

 

[Praybird]

Funnily enough, I hated side stories or fillers so much when I was little. But eventually, I came to realize that what I hated wasn't the side story content itself, it's the fact that the main story had to experience a lag for this side story to happen.

So now, I've resorted to just...updating side stories in addition to the main story. I don't let side story updates "replace" main story updates, I just make them go up together, and make it clear in the heading when an entry is a side story. That way, people who hate side stories don't have to bother with it, and no one has to experience the main story lagging behind for a side story to happen.

 

[CrimsonGenius]

I plan on having a Side Story book that focuses on ideas that I could not fit in the main book.

 

[ATRUNA]

Side stories? Usually i do them for fun or fleshing characters/worldbuilding. I don't really have a specific amount of chapters i write before making some bonus chapters with side characters. Though i do usually write them when i'm in a very complex point of my story and i need to have a small break (giving both a break for me and to the readers). I would say they are pretty useful to either showcase some worldbuilding or maybe using a character that is not needed anymore in the story (or that is present in the story but maybe you want to showcase it more). But i would say to pay attention and not use them too much, as they are essentially considered fillers.

 

[SurfAngel_1031]

First of all, what are they really? Are they substories separate from the plot? Or are they minor scenes you can't really devote a main chapter to, like two side characters going shopping together? Also, how much should they be used? Every ten chapters or so? How do you guys pace them, or do you not use them at all? I'm asking a lot of questions today.

To me a side story is a story that rather just pops in your head while writing your main story and plot. It really doesn't seem to fit in your current narrative.

This doesn't mean they aren't important in their own way, or you'd not had the thought in the first place.

It can be any character(s) doing something that doesn't relate in some way to the main story.

How much should they be used? In your main? My preference is zero. Save it. Put the idea in an outline and save it for a collection all their own. A separate series in the same shared universe. That way your main plot isn't side tracked my random thoughts that don't fit.

I'll give a little example. While I was writing my first book Vivienne, I came up with the character Sylvie. In the middle of bringing her into the story, I had a thought about her and what she saw after meeting everyone else. It had zero place in my narrative, but it was cool to see in my head. I outlined the thought and it ended up becoming the basis of her own story that I'm now writing.

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

First of all, what are they really? Are they substories separate from the plot? Or are they minor scenes you can't really devote a main chapter to, like two side characters going shopping together? Also, how much should they be used? Every ten chapters or so? How do you guys pace them, or do you not use them at all? I'm asking a lot of questions today.

A side story is another story that is told from a different person's perspective. Whether it's from an unknown side character or one of the secondary characters, it is a good way to tell the stories of the side characters while also greatly adding to their character development. It can be used to explain why this character behaves like this and all that goodness. It can also tell a different story diverging from the main plot line which can give more insights into the world you are writing.