Include Multiple Subplots

by E.M. Pasternak

This may seem an obvious thing, but adding a good strong subplot is easy to let slip. If your story is not complicated enough then the ending will become predictable. Add clues, twists, turns and surprises to your novel to keep the reader going.
Example:If your character has a nemesis, give it allies or resources that can make things more interesting. As the nemesis is plotting perhaps he is also recruiting? Maybe one of your characters has a secret?

Subplots give your story some complexity - but be sure not to be so complex that your reader looses track of where the story is going. Use your subplots to add those necessary things (such as comic relief) that won't fit in the main plot's given situation.

A book needs about everything - drama, action, romance - and subplots are a great way to supply that.