Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls A-plots or B-plots

So, there I am, reading various comments folders -- and, yes, I know I should be reading the stories, too -- and I see that there is a strong demand for smoochies. Lots and lots of smoochies. The more the merrier.

But... Is there a place for that old fashioned thing, the A-plot? Does anyone like A-plots? Or are they simply extraneous material, taking up valuable WAFF space?

I'd love to know what people think about this, so please comment after you've voted. Thanks!

Chris

While I admire anyone who can create a well-crafted, intricate A-plot...it's all about Club Smoochie.

Okay, hold up. I've thought about it some more, and it really depends on *what* the A plot is...I guess I really can't generalize my vote...

Jen

There are other possibilities, too...

For example, while I prefer balanced stories, I enjoy the occasional B-plot-heavy fic; I could even see liking certain A-plot-primary stories. But overall, I'm for balance.

At least in fics...

Chris, I went with option #4, "A-plots should take second place to B-plots", but I really am not happy with my answer. Yet, as a self-proclaimed B-plot junkie , I cringed at saying a good balance between A and B, although that's probably the way I should have voted.

Obviously I assume that we're talking more than a vignette length story here; otherwise we really don't need *any* plot at all.

I truly do appreciate a well-crafted A-plot, as I think many L&C readers do. But every strong A-plot story has at least a few snippets of B-plot moments, and in some ways I find myself treasuring those moments more, simply because there are so few of them. Does that sound irrational?

KathyM

I too cry out for "smoochies", but truth be told, I enjoy them more when they are hanging on a good A-plot. So for mid and long length stories, I like a good A-plot. Pure B-plots are good for shorter stories. After all, they *have* to do something between smoochies

Artemis

I voted for a balance, although of course that's just a generalization. I tend to think that B-plots, on their own, can't carry a longer story -- they need help from an A-plot of *some* kind. Now, it might be the kind of A-plot that is designed solely to provide excuses for the B-plot but that's fun when it's done well. But I also enjoy good A-plots.

Smoochies can be fun, but they don't make up for otherwise lousy writing.

PJ

I also voted on a good balance between A- and B-plots. While I love a good romance story with plenty of smoochies, I also really enjoy the long A-plot stories including all the ones with WHAMs and serious cases of angst. The stories with a good balance and a happy ending (of course) are the ones I enjoy most. While vignettes are nice, I like the long ones best because they give the best opportunity for a well-developed story line.

That was a very difficult one to vote on, Chris. In the end I went for A plots taking second place to B plots, but I really hesitated a lot with the A/B balance. And here's why:

For me to be enthralled, I need the A plot to be mostly related to the B plot. The A plot prompts the story forward, and it's what enhances the characters' struggle towards their goal. And when I say that, I'm not necessarily talking about smoochies. So all in all, B over A because A is strongly dependent on B.

Kaethel

i'm sorry, chris. i can't vote here. i'm a fan of both a-plots and b-plots. i can't say that one should take precedence over the other, because it really depends on the individual story.

how much i like a story is based far more on the quality of the writing, the mood of the story, the specifics of the plot, etc than it is on a-plot vs b-plot.

personally, i tend to drift more towards happier, feel-good stories than i do towards tense and/or angsty stories. that's just a trend, and can be overcome by quality of writing (masques, for example). my point is that it's more the type of a-plot and the type of b-plot that makes a difference to me.

i think if you see a lot of demands for smoochies, it's probably because watching l&c kiss is a simple popular instant gratification sort of thing.

put differently, everyone wants dessert (and loves to ask for it), but you still need the main course to make it a proper meal.

Paul

I found I couldn't really vote. The balance option came closest, but I don't think a story needs an aplot, so I didn't feel right about choosing it.

I enjoy reading stories with aplots, but I also enjoy reading stories without.

LabRat

I voted for the balance as well. I like reading whaffy stories with smoochies, but then again, I also like the whams and angst, ocassionaly. So if it's all put into one story, I'm one happy girl.

And basically, the way I see it, the B-plot happens around the A-plot (for longer stories). Shorties should be B-plot only. And for the longer ones, first some good angst before going to the waffy parts.

Saskia (still too sleepy for this to sound logical)

I also hesitated between 'balance' and A taking second place to B, for precisely the reasons which Kaethel articulated. But that, of course, is just my personal preference, borne out of my choice of non-L&C reading matter as well, and shouldn't be taken as representative of anyone else!

Lots of readers do love a well-crafted A-plot, Chris, and I can certainly appreciate one, especially when it's done so well as you're doing it in EMII and previously in Love, Loyalty and Luthor. I just tend to treasure the relationship moments more.

I voted for balance. But it's a hard choice.
I have read stories with more a than b. Most of them I didn't like. I'm more a sucker for B-plots. Nonetheless I chose the balance between the two, because a well written a-plot in comibination with an excellent b-plot are the greatest stories.
Of course, there are also very good stories with mostly only a b-plot, but those are only possible for short stories. If you want something long you 'need' an a-plot!

I hope that wasn't too confusing!
~Sira

I want to vote, but am not sure of exactly what an A plot is.

Can it be the problems that Lois and Clark have found their relationship in? or is it outside of the relationship?

Does Faux Pas have an A plot? For the Greater Good? or is that expanded B plot? (Just a couple of my very favorites)

Once I figure this out, I can answer

Loosely speaking, Trenna, the A-plot is the part with the villain/investigation. The B-plot is the part with relationship stuff.

Faux Pas, I would say, has snippets of lots of different a-plots (the longest/most important was probably Trask's kidnapping plan, but there were references to many other first season eps along the way), but is very much b-plot driven. Second Thoughts, OTOH, has a unified a-plot -- to stop Luthor from destroying the Planet. The b-plot would be Lois re-evaluating her relationships with Lex and Clark. (As far as I remember, anyway think I need to re-read that one...).

PJ

Hi Trenna,

As I understand it, the B-plot refers to the relationship aspects of the story: usually Lois and Clark's relationship, but not always. In Alicia's Final Forgiveness, it was about Lois's relationship with her father.

The A-plot is the action or dramatic part - the 'villain of the week' in the episodes. So in TOGOM the A-plot was the gangsters, and the B-plot was all about Lois's reaction to Clark's 'death'.

Does Faux Pas have an A-plot? Only in passing; I took the A-plots of the episodes and let them run in the background. There was an A-plot for a while, where Clark and Lois were kidnapped by Trask; while it certainly counts as an A-plot, it was there - as Pam said earlier - to create opportunities for the B-plot. For The Greater Good? Yes, the asteroid is an A-plot, but the B-plot occupies much more space in the story.

I think The Healing Time is probably the best example of a very long story of mine with practically no A-plot; again, the episode A-plots play out in the background, but the only time I actually make use of them is to throw Lois and Clark together (raiding the Viologic offices in the middle of the night).

On the other hand, the stories in Nan's Dagger series all have very strong A-plots, and while she's including more B-plot these days, the main focus is on the A-plot a lot of the time - the story set on the island (sorry, title temporarily escapes me! ) is an excellent example of this.

Hope this helps you, Trenna!


Wendy

wasn't she named the Queen of A-plots? In the Home series too.

Charade?

Jose

José said:
I think that Nan and Jenni have shared that title over time.


Wendy

Yes, thanks. I'm still a B plot fan but A plot is fine if it pushes the "B" along

I also voted for a good balance.

My reasoning is this: a fanfic has to have a good, rounded B-plot to satisfy me. Most longer fics need something in the way of an A-plot, too, though it doesn't need to be as solid. But that doesn't mean the A-plot is taking second place; an A-plot with gaping holes will wreck a story just as quickly as a weak B-plot, maybe even quicker.

So a fanfic needs a good balance between A- and B-plots... but that doesn't have to mean equal time for each. A good balance could be a minimal A-plot in the background and a strong B-plot occupying centre stage.

Mere