In a post on the Killzone blog, James Scott Bell examines the use and importance of the shadow story, what happens off the page when your main character is doing his thing. “When a scene is unfolding before us, characters who are not in the scene are still active,” he says. “They are reacting to plot developments, and planning and carrying out counter moves.”
Shadow action occurs whether or not you use it, so Bell suggests leveraging this tool. “When you identify the shadow players and track their moves, it offers abundant fodder for shocks, red herrings, and twists in the plot that is onscreen,” he says.
Bell finds it helpful to know the shadow story early in his process. “Knowing who the villain is from the jump, I can drop in all sorts of happenings that deepen the mystery and how it will all be wrapped up at the end,” he writes. As he plots, he identifies background scenes that won’t be shown in the novel, but will still affect the plot. “As I write, one of my scenes might need a twist or surprise,” he says. “I can then turn to my shadow story outline, and add to it, and use that for the twist.”
