The Plot & Subplot Tracker

The Exact System Taught in Joe Mynhardt’s Plots & Subplots Workshop

Every writer knows the feeling: a subplot that quietly vanishes for eighty pages. A romance thread that never actually affects the main plot. A story that feels like three separate books wearing one cover.

This workbook fixes that — built directly from the Shadows & Ink Mastermind session on Plots & Subplots, and shaped around the real pain points working authors actually face: making sure every subplot earns its place, knowing how much weight each thread deserves, and deciding what to resolve now versus carry into the next book.

What’s Inside:

Plot Dashboard — see every thread in your manuscript at a glance, colour-coded by type, with instant visibility into forgotten or stalled subplots.

Printable Scene Cards — print, cut, and physically move your scenes around your desk or a corkboard. For writers who need to hold their story in their hands, not just their screen.

Colour-Coded Timeline — a one-page, chapter-by-chapter visual strip of your entire manuscript’s rhythm. Spot at a glance if you’ve gone eighty pages without touching a thread.

Subplot Weight Calculator — built-in formulas check every thread against the 70/30 Rule, so you know instantly if a subplot is overstaying its welcome or too thin to matter.

Main Plot Connection Check — the single test every subplot must pass. If you can’t answer “how does this affect the main plot,” that’s your red flag, and this tool won’t let you skip past it.

Series Carry-Over Tracker — for series authors: decide what resolves now and what carries forward, with space to track what needs re-establishing in book two, three, and beyond.

Who This Is For:

Any writer who’s ever lost track of a subplot, over-stuffed a manuscript with threads that go nowhere, or simply wants a clearer, more visual way to see their story’s whole shape before the edit begins.

Format: Editable spreadsheet (Excel/Google Sheets compatible), including printable pages for the Scene Cards and Timeline.

One-time access. Yours to use on every manuscript that follows.