[ShelleyM]

I have a question regarding story structure.
Recently, I have noticed a pattern in the Sookie Stackhouse books (and maybe others, but I have reread the SS series multiple times). Often, there is a big climax scene that seems like it could be the end, but then another crisis takes place and is resolved. For example, in Club Dead, Sookie rescues Bill (which seems like the big event), but then, after she gets back to the apartment, she realizes that Bubba is in danger and they have to figure out how to save him. The part where she gets locked in the trunk seems like a big bump in the road too.
Another example: in Dead to the World, there is the big fight with the witches, which seems like the climax. But then, Sookie goes home and has to face Debby. And then, she still has to figure out where Jason has been and rescue him.
So, my question is, do you use a structured format? And can you explain how you decide the order of the peaks in action?
My guess is that these are plot, subplot, subplot. But why does the main plot resolve before the subplot?
I’m a writer currently on submission with a cozy mystery. I’ve been working on a detective novel while I wait, and I’m trying to figure out how to make the plot complex enough to be interesting but not so complex as to be confusing or pointless.
Thanks for any advice you can share!
(also, can you remind me how long you were on sub with Sookie? I think I recall you saying in an interview that it was a year, and I find that encouraging. Been on sub since September)

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