People will get bored of the main plot. A story may also have little side conflicts that maybe don't contribute to the climax, but still have some substance. These are called subplots or side plots. They too have a beginning, middle, and end, but it's not nearly as intricate as the central story. There's some buildup to a conflict, and then it gets solved.
A good example of this in the Warriors series is Graystripe's love for Silverstream in Fire and Ice and Forest of Secrets. In the beginning, Graystripe and Silverstream fall in love after an accident at the river. In the middle, the two start visiting regularly, and Silverstream expects their kits. In the end, Silverstream dies giving birth and Graystripe decides to move to RiverClan to raise his kits.
Subplots don't have to be thoroughly planned out like the main plot, but keeping a beginning>middle>end model in mind is a good idea.
Another type of plot is called an overarching plot. These types of plots span across an entire series, not just one story. The main plot is just one step closer to the real conflict. If one of the stories do not contribute to this buildup, it is called filler, and if it does, then it's called non-filler. Think of overarching plots like 'mega-plots' where each story is a plot point. Overarching plots take a lot of thought and planning. You need to consider the necessary steps needed to get to the overall conflict and how those will incorporate into your story. Things like foreshadowing (which we will get into later) greatly help.
The first 4 arcs of Warriors even have an overarching plot, that being Firestar defeating Tigerstar and saving the Clans. As each book comes out, Firestar rises to power, while his descendants also help. Meanwhile, Tigerstar also gains strength as he trains warriors in the Dark Forest. Finally, Firestar and the Clans have a giant war with Tigerstar and the Dark Forest, ending with Firestar finally killing Tigerstar once and for all.
Overarching plots have really high stakes and the impacts are huge. The basic outline should contain how the overarching plot got started off, major milestones in getting to the overall goal, how it all comes together and goes down, and finally the aftermath.
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Writing a Warriors Fanfiction: The Complete Guide
FanficWarriors is a massive and amazing series. Its stories have inspired some of us in the fandom to write our own adventures in this universe. If you're reading this, you're probably one of these people. But how do you go about writing a Warriors fanfic...
