Tying up of sub-plots

I am writing something to a very tight deadline and have a draft that I am very pleased with but...

One of my sub-plots is not resolved by the end and is left hanging there. However it is a fairly small strand.

I could tie it up but it will mean more work to the story and leave little or no time for a bit of spit and polish.

My feeling is that this is probably ok as I have watched many things that have no proper resolution to the bloody main plot never mind the subs.

Have I just answered my own question here?

What do we think about this? Thoughts most welcome

Tie it up, if not for the sharp-eyed reader / viewers' sake, then for your own sake. I couldn't bear thinking I'd left something incomplete, it'd nag at me. The other solution is, if it is unresolved it's unimportant and can be removed completely. The thought behind this being that anything incapable of justifying its presence in a script shouldn't be there. If a sub-plot is unresolved it isn't justified.

Another solution would be to combine the 2 and resolve the sub-plot in the follow-up episode. However, you'd need to remind viewers and the continuation has to make sense to others who missed the earlier episode.

Congrats on having an opportunity to write to a deadline, too. I'd love that problem. You can always farm out work to me.

Blenkinsop, you know you have to tie it up. So it involves more than just tying a strand up, it could change the main plot, too, you have to do it. I was in your shoes last week. My script had to be at the BBC for the 18th; the producer called me at 3pm, told me I had until 5.05 pm to get it to her and here were a few changes, oh, and the other 5 episode outlines (a page and a half) needed filling out. I did it all under protest including the new plots (now 7 pages)and I felt better for it. And in my final go at it I stuck in two more laughs. It's all rush rush rush then - okay, we'll let you know in six months.

Hi SlagA

You have just mentioned everything that I have been wrestling with.

The diligent me wants to tie it up or it will indeed nag me.

However the lazy me asks: who will spot it?

The diligent me says: You will you lazy bastard! Get working.

I have considered cutting it on the grounds you say but feel what I have on it is good and worth keeping.

The third option is the one I'd prefer but there would be no guarantee that the chance to resolve it would present itself subsequently.

Here's the problem in broad brush strokes.

Basically it's somebody having an affair (minor character) and the wife character knows about it. She decides not to confront the man as she needs him to provide money for something she's doing. And that's were the strand ends, and the main action of the entire story ends just after the need for the money passes. So in the time frame of the piece there is no time available to resolve it.

Does that make sense?

I've PMed you, Blenkinsop.

Hi Charlie,

I have a feeling that you are probably right.

I'm worried that if I get stuck in and do it, then it will snowball out of control and upset the equilibrium that I have achieved in all the other strands.

I think I'll have a go and see where I get with it as, unlike your own experience, I still have a day or two not just hours.

But you're right about the next bit after that. Once it's in then it is indeed at least a 3-4 month wait to see if all has been worth it.

Who'd be a writer?

Cheers B

I don't know if it's a help, but I'd have the woman character doing nasty little things secretly to the guy so that she knew she was being avenged, but she didn't have to confront him and ruin the money issue. The bonus with this is that you wouldn't have to write a 'major confrontation' into yr script which would be a big undertaking. Just a few bits here and there with her using his toothbrush on the dog etc.

Maybe some random retribution/revenge in back-of-scene to reward eagle eyed viewers? I dunno. But I agree with the others: resolve it or lose it. Even if you only resolve it with some dialogue aside from another character. In my only written stuff to date, I got bogged down in the final act and wasted so much time trying to resolve a sub plot. After some advice I realised I could resolve it all with just a line of dialogue from the main character in the final scene.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

I had a late one last night and at 1.30-ish I finished it complete with loose end tied up. It took a bit of thinking and changing here and there but I think it was worth it.

I am a lot happier now and at least I won't have that nagging doubt during the waiting period.

Cheers All

B