If you want to sell a screenplay in Hollywood, it cannot read like an amateur wrote it on the page. It has to look like a professional did, no matter where you are in your career.
I’ve been reading a lot of amateur screenplays lately for notes, and one of the big things I’ve noticed across the board is the lack of B stories.
Today, I thought we should discuss the idea of a b story and examine why amateur writers seem to forget about it.
Let’s dive in.
What is a B-Story?
In screenwriting, a B-story (also often called a B-plot or subplot) is a secondary plotline that runs concurrently with the main plot (the A-story).
The Typical B-Stories
In many screenplays, your B-story usually focuses on supporting characters or explores a different facet of the protagonist’s life, separate from the main conflict driving the A-story.
For example, while the A-story might be about the hero trying to stop a villain, the B-story might be about the hero’s romantic relationship or family issues.
It’s there to make the worldbuilding feel bigger, help you get attached to side characters, or help mix in another genre into the storytelling.
Why Are Amateur Writers Forgetting B-Stories?
My thought here is that when I first started writing, I spent so much time getting the main plot right that I would often forget other things that needed to happen in a movie and a TV show.
It happens to me, too. There are multiple specs where I will write like 75 pages of one story, get to the end, and realize I don’t have enough. So I go back to page one and start thinking about what else should be happening in order to tie things together.
It’s actually a pretty cool exercise, and I find it often helps me unpack the themes along with it.
B-Stories Matter
The thing is, B-stories not only clue me into the fact that someone writing the screenplay is a professional, but they also deepen and widen the story so we get more of a breadth of the artist’s vision.
Here are a few ways that this happens on the page…
- Characterization: B-stories provide crucial opportunities to explore characters, especially the protagonist and key supporting figures, outside the direct conflict of the A-story. This allows the audience to see different facets of their personalities, vulnerabilities, relationships, and motivations, making them feel more three-dimensional, relatable, and human.
- Themes: A strong B-story often mirrors, contrasts, or comments on the central theme explored in the A-story. By presenting the theme through a different lens or situation (e.g., exploring “trust” in the main spy plot vs. exploring it in a romantic subplot), the narrative gains complexity and resonance. It reinforces the story’s message without being overly didactic.
- Pacing: Constant high stakes or relentless focus on the main plot can be exhausting for the audience. B-stories offer a change of pace, tone, and focus. They can provide moments of levity in a drama, introspection in an action story, or rising tension when the A-story hits a lull, keeping the audience engaged and preventing monotony.
- Engage a Broader Audience: By incorporating different types of conflict or relationships (e.g., adding romance to an action plot, or family drama to a sci-fi story), B-stories can offer additional points of connection for audience members who might be more invested in character relationships or personal struggles than the main external conflict.
B-Story Examples
As always, I think the best way to understand a lot of this is to look at examples of famous movies and how they use their B-stories.
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- A-Story: Batman’s conflict with the Joker.
- B-Story: The love triangle involving Bruce Wayne/Batman, Rachel Dawes, and Harvey Dent, AND Harvey Dent’s tragic transformation into Two-Face.
- Function: This B-story explores themes of heroism, sacrifice, corruption, and hope. It provides deep personal stakes for Bruce, connects directly to the Joker’s actions (Rachel’s death, Harvey’s disfigurement), and dramatically impacts the A-story’s resolution (Batman taking the fall for Harvey’s crimes).
- Titanic (1997)
- A-Story: The epic romance between lower-class artist Jack Dawson and upper-class young woman Rose DeWitt Bukater.
- B-Story: Rose’s struggle against the societal constraints is represented by her controlling fiancé Cal Hockley and her status-conscious mother. Also, the historical event of the ship sinking itself acts as a framework but the personal struggle against Cal is a distinct B-plot thread.
- Function: This B-story highlights the themes of freedom vs. repression and class differences. Rose’s conflict with Cal provides immediate obstacles to the romance (A-story) and fuels her desire for the liberation Jack represents. It raises the personal stakes beyond just the survival aspect of the sinking.
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- A-Story: Luke Skywalker’s journey from farm boy to Jedi apprentice joining the Rebel Alliance to destroy the Empire’s Death Star.
- B-Story: Han Solo’s character arc from a cynical, self-interested smuggler primarily concerned with his payment, to becoming a loyal friend and hero of the Rebellion. His developing rapport with Luke and Leia is part of this.
- Function: Han’s B-story provides thematic contrast (cynicism vs. idealism) and significant character development. His internal conflict (“Should I stay or should I go?”) culminates in a crucial intersection with the A-story when he returns to save Luke during the final Death Star trench run.
- When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
- A-Story: The long-term, evolving relationship between Harry Burns and Sally Albright.
- B-Story: The relationship between Harry and Sally’s respective best friends, Jess and Marie, who meet through them, quickly fall in love, and get married.
- Function: The Jess and Marie relationship provides a comedic counterpoint and contrast to Harry and Sally’s slow-burn, complex dynamic. It allows the film to explore different facets of relationships and highlights the central themes by showing a different path to love.
Summing Up B-Stories
Now that you have a grip on these B-stories go out and make sure you add them to your screenplays. Not only will they add to the world and the characters, but they can bring a whole new subset of an audience in to appreciate your work.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
