Plot Holes

[Subcreator]

I recently realized, through rereading my story, that I have a massive plot hole. It's not one where I'm just keeping a secret from the audience, but rather I forgot to include how the priests in the story stop the fomenting riot in the previous scene. Now, in this case, I'm also including a character who's been mentioned, yet not appeared. I'm trying to figure out how to characterize her for a scene where she is panicking (not her norm) without having included anything from before. This is important because she's a (minorly) important character in the sequel. At the same time, there's another character who's in a rather...drugged state, yet I only vaguely mention how he got into that. This point IS major to the story.

Does anyone have any suggestions on this? Should I include a scene earlier, even though I don't really have a place to put it in, or just try to run with it? How do you deal with plotholes?

 

[MadMadys]

I won't try and give any real advice to help you with your particular problem because I would need a ton more information to give a relevant, detailed answer.

When it comes to the problem itself, I try and minimize them as much as possible from initial plot inception. Usually plot holes become a problem when you have a starting point and you know the end point and you have to bridge the middle bits however you can. For me as a reader, or viewer, it's fairly obvious when these things occur and you know it was done just so the creator could include some great scene or twist ending the envisioned. Never start with your ending set in concrete otherwise you will likely always be trying to fill holes you've left behind throughout.

When it comes to fixing them, again, it really depends how big your problem is. The easy patch way would just throw a line of dialogue or description in to explain it all away. The always popular "a wizard did it" is cheap but sometimes can get done since this is fantasy though I would rely on that as little as possible.

Something I harp on is, especially if you're still in the draft process of your novel, don't feel like you're constrained by the plot you've all ready created. Any rule you've set forth can be changed by you at any time. Getting writer's block because you hamstrung yourself is always a silly thing to get caught up in. Yeah, sometimes this requires a lot of rewriting but you'd rather have a good story that took a while to make then a sub-par effort that was quicker. Try some small fixes, be self-critical of them and if they don't fly then you might need to change more than you originally intended but, hopefully, it will be worth it in the end.

 

[Keeper_of_Stonewood]

If you try to just "run with it" then your readers are still left with those holes. It's best to correct any issues you have now before everything is completed. I find it easier to tweak things while you are still in the writing process, it's easier to still make changes. If you wait til you are finished then it might become more difficult to accomodate things you have accidently left out.

Before I begin writing, I make point form notes about the plot for the entire book. Just a rough outline of how everything progresses from start to finish. Then I begin writing according to that plot outline. Now things do get rearranged during the writing process but I still have a guide of things that need to get addressed.

 

[ThinkerX]

Ah...plotholes. I spent a lot of time during the rewrite of 'Labrinth' jumping around from chapter to chapter tacking on a line here or dropping a few words there to circumvent these little buggers. Things like:

'why did they go to this port when they KNEW this one was a much better option?'

'what happened to so and so?'

And so on.

I'd put in *hours* or writing time, and produce a grand total of maybe a hundred or two hundred words each session. It got to be so annoying I've taken a bit of a break for the time being. Because...fix one plothole, and two more turn up.

 

[Rob P]

Before writing my first draft I sketched an outline with waypoints and critical plot devices. I believe anything major should have been identified at this point however, stories develop and evolve, or certain aspects do, so something major could turn up but generally you should be aware of them.

While writing, questions would get asked, what will happen to this person, what about that item, don't forget this relationship. These I tagged as notes to be followed up either in the short term, medium term or far longer.

This addressed most of any potential plot holes but sure enough as I'm editing I find a few here and there, all thankfully minor and easy to repair within either the scene or the chapter.

I agree that trying to iron out most of these issues while writing is preferable but if rewrites are required once a first draft is done then it is required.

 

[wordwalker]

One thing about plot holes: timing.

That is, when you fix a plot hole, it's better to position the fix right where the hole's situation starts to look likely to the characters (or before then, so it doesn't come up at all). Otherwise, every scene between then and the fix that would be haunted by "So we'll just do __" (or "Oh no, __ means we have no chance!"), which means they all need deep rewriting to account for it until you can bring in the fix. Better to knock it back on track fast.

On the other hand, scenes of "We're sure to do/ suffer-from __" and then not letting it happen after all are classic suspense and surprise-- or actually letting it happen can open up new doors. But the first needs those scenes in the middle to be all about that expectation, and the second needs it to take over even more.

(Edit: wow, that's my 500th post.)