˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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❛ 𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 TO THE 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑳
𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑾, 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬 YOU'RE WEARING
YOUR 𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻 CLOTHES. ❜

plot holes! fill them! ━━ no. 009
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     Quick Side Note: I give a lot of advice and talk so much in this chapter, so grab a snack or drink. This will take a hot minute to read. Also, take a shot every time I say the words keep, all of a sudden, mind, these, consistency, consistent, story, plot holes, and The Flash. I repeat myself so much, I'm so sorry.

     OKAY, SO THIS TIP SORT OF GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE LAST CHAPTER, WHICH WAS ON CONTINUITY ERRORS AND MESSY TIMELINES. By creating those elements in your story, you can inevitably develop plot holes that can, not only, confuse your readers, but also cause them to doubt that storylines will get resolved, there will be a satisfactory ending, and ultimately, doubt your abilities as a stable, functional, and serious writer.

     Now, for those who do not know, a plot hole can be defined as:

     𝟎𝟏. An "inconsistency in the narrative or character development of a book, film, television show, etc."

     𝟎𝟐. "A gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot."
          ━━ These inconsistencies can include "illogical, unlikely or impossible events, and statements or events that contradict earlier events in the storyline."

     Most of the time, when a plot hole is created, it is done so in an unintentional manner. I have, for sure, created plot holes that I didn't realize I made and a lot of the time, I only notice them after the fact. If you're like me, and notice them much later on in your story and are like "oh shit, I done fucked up," I feel you.

     Honestly, it sucks whenever I realize I created a plot hole because, not only, can I not go back and fix it, for I have already written and published chapters after the plot hole, I also don't know how to fix it and not screw up the other work I've created since then. Lastly, if I do decide to go back and try to sew together the hole, I wind up wanting to put my head through a wall and break down into tears.

     There is no perfect advice when it comes to solving plot holes. I'm going to be straight with you — there isn't and not all plot holes can be fixed. (That's an ironic statement given how unbelievably gay I am.) However, I believe that I have found a way to explain why plot holes are bad, small and simple plot holes, how you might be creating a plot hole by mistake, the five types of plot holes, and how to potentially prevent/fix them!

     First, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐝?
          ࿐ This is partially inspired by an article on Ink and Quills and I added my own input.

     𝟎𝟏. The primary problem with plot holes is that they can shatter your reader's belief in the story that you're trying to tell. We've all experienced this. Everyone knows that feeling where they've become completely and utterly sucked into a book that they're reading. They've become lost, and all of a sudden, the elements, characters, and settings of the story become real. The outside world is tuned out, and all background noise and distractions fade away. Then, without warning, there's a bump in the road. Sometimes this doesn't happen — sometimes it's just smoothing sailing the whole way around — and other times, that bump turns into a tumble and fall.

     There's a problem with the story that doesn't make sense and all of a sudden, you're not lost in the story — you're lost in confusion. You're yanked from that fictional dream and dumped back into the real world. The magic of the story is gone and you realize, "oh fuck, this is just a book." That problem is a plot hole and that plot hole has now become a distraction. That distraction can cause some people to stop being sucked into the story and to continue reading just to find more mistakes and inconsistencies. They are no longer reading because they love the story — they're reading to pick apart your work.

     𝟎𝟐. The other problem with plot holes is that they make you look bad as an author. I will touch on this more later, but nobody wants to look like a bad author. We all want to be seen as great writers with brilliant minds, but our plot holes can ruin that desired illusion or perception. Our readers can grow to believe that we are sloppy and don't truly care about our work if we don't take the time to fix or prevent plot holes. That's not good.

     Second, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞? Plot holes can be intimidating to try and fix, so here are some small and simple ones that are easily fixable! Although, these examples can also become larger problems than you realize, so be careful.
          ࿐ I got these examples from an article on Ink and Quills and I added my own input.

     𝟎𝟏. Factual Errors. Let's say you're writing a historical story, and your protagonist arms his fort with cannons to fend off the "bad guys." However, the problem is your story is set in the 12th century, and cannons weren't invented until the 13th century. Well, shit. You've got yourself a plot hole. (Do your research! Go to Chapter 5 for more information on why you should do research for your books!)

     𝟎𝟐. Contradictions. Now, these are fairly simple and not too difficult to point out. Let's say that you're writing a fantasy story and early on, you established that wizards can only perform magic with a wand. However, halfway through the story, a wizard casts a spell with the wave of his hand. That's not good. That's a direct contradiction to a "rule" that you established early on. Your readers will notice this.

     𝟎𝟑. Inconsistencies. (One of my favorite things to talk about, given how much I fucking mention them.) Let's say in Chapter One of your book, you mention that your main character is left-handed. Then, all of a sudden, in Chapter Ten, he's writing with his right hand. Oh shit, I didn't realize that character was ambidextrous. Or, let's say in Chapter Three, it takes your characters five days to drive to a different state, but then in Chapter 13, it takes them two days. Like, damn. I didn't realize they were traveling with the Flash. Those don't make sense now... do they?

     𝟎𝟒. Illogical scenarios. I discuss this more in-depth later, but here's a simple example. Let's say the hero of your story has the ability to light anything on fire. (They have pyrokinesis.) This hero is taken hostage and tied up to a chair with ropes. While held hostage, they manage to find a shard of broken glass and slowly saw their way through the ropes, but why don't they just use their ability of pyrokinesis to burn through the ropes? Why use a shard of glass? Sure, sawing through the ropes creates more story tension, but it's illogical. If someone has powers, their first instinct is to use those powers to get out of situations they find themselves in. So, why wouldn't your hero do the same? Using their abilities is the more logical route to take.

     𝟎𝟓. Impossible scenarios. This is one that annoys a lot of people, I included. Let's say the hero of your story falls off a fifty-story building and survives. (Check out The Flash, Season 5 Episode 5, if you want to see this because it's so stupid and a perfect example. I'm sorry, Candice Patton. I love you, but the writers did you so dirty by writing that scene. I know Iris loves Barry, but come on. Keep in mind, this is my opinion.) Or let's say the hero becomes a master archer within two days. (I'm calling myself out on this because yes, I pulled this shit. This happened in Act Two of Expedite with my main character. No one is perfect and I will admit to all my mistakes. What I will add though, is that my main character had an innate and natural ability at being good at archery. However, it's also unrealistic because no one is naturally good at archery. I did my best to make this plot hole in my story work and make sense, and most people were fine with my explanation.)

     The point is: if something defies the laws of science or human capabilities, that can't be explained by the powers a character has or the rules of the story, it's going to create a plot hole.

     Third, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞:

     𝟎𝟏. The personality of a character suddenly changes. In your story, you want to know your characters and know their personalities. If you, all of a sudden, deviate from their typical behavior, habits, morals, and personality — your readers will notice. However, if you are doing this because of a character arc that you are giving your character and having them react to something, it makes more sense and your readers will catch on.

     For example, in my book Expedite, in Act Two, I have my main character (Piper Lita) go through an extensive personality, mentality, and morality change. I wrote her to be the complete opposite of how she normally is and the readers noticed. I wrote, in detail, her thoughts and what she'd been through, and how her coping mechanisms were slowly shifting due to what happened to her. This was done for a reason, and sure, my audience didn't know that at first, but as time went on, the bigger picture came into frame and gave them a satisfactory explanation that didn't leave any plot holes. (None that I have found anyway.) In the end, this character arc and personality switch left the main character stronger, more experienced, and caused her to become a better woman in the end. She overcame her past and defeated the main antagonist of that Act. However, she couldn't have done that if I hadn't put her through that personality change.

     So, you see, if you're going to have your character change — make it for a good reason that will pan out and wrap up your story in a fashion that leaves the audience satisfied and confident.

     𝟎𝟐. A secondary character in your story has their own troubling story, but it's never concluded. Oh, wow, does this ruffle my feathers. If you're going to go through the trouble of adding a conflict or storyline for a secondary character, make sure you don't forget about it and wrap it up. Also, make sure it either connects to the main plot and affects the main character(s) or causes that secondary character to go through a change that will cause them either become a better or worse person. Don't add it just to add drama that doesn't contribute anything to your story. It's annoying and can cause some readers to become frustrated. Especially if that secondary character is one that they like and they want to see have some sort of story.

     An example of this, that is done correctly, in my opinion, is one from my book She. (Spoilers for the future of the book. So if you read it, skip over this if you don't want to be spoiled.) In Chapter 1 of the book, one of the secondary characters (Sunny Miguel) is asked out by the class clown (Ashton Mercer) in her class. She says yes, believing that the person asking her was only joking around when in reality, they were being serious. Now, after that chapter, I never mentioned the class clown again, for he doesn't play into the side plot of the story until Act Two. In Act Two, he is brought back into the story and it is revealed that he and the secondary character have been dating ever since they went on that first date. The secondary character is having trouble telling him that she loves him and this causes her to go to the main character and their group of friends, and ask for advice. By doing this, she causes the main character to reveal that she and her significant other are on a break and that there was a major conflict that affects the secondary character, and other characters, as well.

     Now, this is a small side story in the overall story of She, but it's one that I went through the unnecessary trouble and effort of introducing, so it's my responsibility to keep it going and wrap it up at some point. I can't just leave it hanging because if anyone were to ever bring it up, I would have to go, "Oh yeah, I did do that... Sorry, I kind of forgot and left it there." That makes me look like an author who doesn't care about her characters and just leaves small things laying around like they're insignificant objects. That's not good.

     𝟎𝟑. Illogical events are rarely forgiven by your readers/audience. This is one that I have discovered while watching The Flash for the past five years. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love this show and I rewatch it just as much as I rewatch Criminal Minds, Person of Interest, and the Harry Potter movies. (Which is almost every day.) Season One and Two of The Flash are it. They slap hardcore and are some of the most perfect seasons of television history. Yes, I know that's a big statement, but for me, it's true.

     However, as time has progressed, the show has fallen down a never-ending rabbit hole of plot holes, continuity errors, too many messy timelines, stupid writing decisions, personality changes and tweaks that don't add up nor make sense, and the inclusion of characters that don't contribute to the story in any way (looking at you, Allegra Garcia and Nash Wells. I'm sorry, Tom Cavanagh. I love you so much, Nash just isn't it for me. Please, bring Harry back. I miss my favorite white man with anger issues). Although, I do acknowledge the fact that the CW has rotated its — more than fair — share of showrunners and screenwriters for its DC-related properties.

     This inconsistency of showrunners and screenwriters has caused the show to develop these problems, and it's not the actors' fault in any way, they're just doing their job. The fault is of that the people who write and run the show. Granted, there is a lot to keep in mind and remember when writing the Flash, but if you're going to do your job correctly and maintain that sense of consistency and reliability, you need to do your research, know your characters, and remember what show you're writing. (I swear, some of the writers write like The Flash is DC Legends of Tomorrow when it's not. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with DC Legends of Tomorrow, I watch that show as well, but the writing for it isn't all that great. Keep in mind, this is my opinion.)

     On The Flash, the writers tend to include illogical events that don't make any sense whatsoever and it's so frustrating. It's not that hard to be consistent and stick to the rules and regulations of the story you write. For example, the Flash, himself, has a lot of scenes with other meta-humans where he is easily defeated when realistically, he could run, put meta-dampening cuffs on them, and race them to S.T.A.R. Labs in less than thirty seconds. Now, I get that they don't do this to add conflict, but it's the Flash. ThE fAsTEsT mAn ALivE. (If you get why I wrote it like that, I love you.) It's so frustrating to watch Barry Allen get his ass handed to him on a 24-karat gold platter by a meta-human whose powers are incredibly weak and is inexperienced. The amount of times that they dumbed down Barry's abilities and powers is ridiculous and so many people hate the show for doing it.

     There are so many more examples I could give, but I'm going to stop there. The point is: don't write scenes that don't make sense at all. Your readers will notice and if it happens enough times, they won't forgive any excuses you give. I stopped forgiving the showrunners of The Flash a long time ago. (Try Season 3 type of long ago.)

     𝟎𝟒. One of your characters has forgotten an important fact that they knew earlier in the storyline. This is a super simple one, but it happens so much that I thought I'd include it. There isn't a need for much of an explanation here, as it's sort of self-explanatory.

     Fourth, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬:
          ࿐ I got the definitions of these plot holes from an article on Screencraft and added my own input. These apply the most to screenwriting and digital media, but they also work and apply to fictional works.

     𝟎𝟏. MacGuffin Plot Holes. MacGuffin's are those "goals, desired objects, or any other motivators that the protagonist (and often the antagonist as well) is either tasked with pursuing or drawn to pursuing, for whatever reasons. They are the motivating element that exists only to drive the plot and is usually the cause and effect of each character's conflict that they are dealing with throughout the story."

     MacGuffin Plot Holes are those that directly relate to the MacGuffin. "Keen eyes can always find such plot holes and pick them apart, whether it's the Ark of the Covenant (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Ruby Slippers (The Wizard of Oz), or something as simple as a microwave emitter device (Batman Begins)." People with these keen eyes will ask questions such as:

          Raiders of the Lost Ark⠀━━⠀𝙎𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙯𝙞'𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣 — 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙣 — 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙧𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚?

          The Wizard of Oz⠀━━⠀𝙎𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘿𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩? 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣?

          Batman Begins⠀━━⠀𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙂𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢, 𝙫𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬'𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣? 𝙄𝙛 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙛 75% 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢'𝙨 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡?

     These types of nitpickers will always exist. (I can be one of them, so what's up.) They will always question things but don't worry too much about them.

     These types of plot holes typically do not impact the story as much as other types will. They are also not as problematic and noticeable. As an author, you are not obligated to explain every little aspect of your MacGuffins when you use them. Yes, you want to ensure and maintain a keen sense of logic when developing them, but in the end, the sole purpose of them is to get/keep the story moving. Don't get so hung up on them that you end up creating other plot holes. Remember, your characters care about the MacGuffin whereas the audience usually doesn't, in most cases. So, if you want them to care, make sure the characters care.

     Also, yes, it's best to know as much as you can when it comes to the details behind your MacGuffins, but you should also know when the details don't matter. The thing is, in your stories, you give the audience the rules and outlines of what keeps your book stable, and they're either going to invest in them or dismiss them — and this typically relies on how well you, as an author, deliver on the plot, story, and characters.

     𝟎𝟐. Logic Plot Holes. These types of plot holes are the ones that are very polarizing to audiences. Not all of them matter, but some can destroy the stakes that you, the author, has tried to create. "We logically know that in space, there is no fire. Yet in Star Wars we see it all of the time when a ship is destroyed in a space battle. When the Death Star blew up, we even saw endless sparks flutter through the vacuum of space, lingering for dramatic effect. It's not logical. Then again, it's not science fiction either — Star Wars is science fantasy. And in any fantasy, logic is out the window due to established "rules" that are set by the writer. Now, if in one Star Wars movie, we clearly saw explosions in space and then in another movie we didn't under the same or similar circumstances, then we have a bad plot hole. Do you see the point there?"

     In writing, logic is defined "by the rules that are set within the universe of each and every story" that an author writes. Following the previous example, George Lucas knew that there was no fire in space, but shit, it looked fucking good on screen. He set the rules and he (usually — take me using that word lightly) stuck with them.

     If we, as writers, broke our own set rules, we'd be falling on the opposite side of the spectrum — enraging audiences and disengaging them. Something that we see happen a lot on TV shows. (Oh, my God, I wonder if Grayson is going to @ The Flash again. Yes, I am because this happens in every episode. Don't fight me on this. It's true. If you don't agree, go watch from the Pilot to the Season 6 finale. Then, we'll talk. I swear I don't hate the show. I love it so much, but it really pisses me off.) Logic within a story is what you want it to be. You make the rules, but remember, with great power comes great... you know.

     Now, that power of choosing what is logical and what is not can, and will, dictate how invested your audience will be. If you set your story within the real world, keep it real. If your story is set within a fictional world, create the rules, and stick to them. The key is to always be aware of whatever logic you are and are not willing to apply within your story — and keep it consistent.

     𝟎𝟑. Character Plot Holes. These types of plot holes are the ones that get my engine running. These are some of the most infuriating ones and I talked about them earlier, but let's go over them one more time for those who may not understand the importance of them.

     Character Plot Holes range from big to small with the same wide range of repercussions. The most noticeable ones are those that deal with choices a character makes and deviations from their typical personality. These are often attributed as "general logic, so they could fall under the Logic Plot Holes umbrella, but these are specifically attached to characters and the decisions they make" and who they are.

     Concerning decisions, most are considered forgivable by readers if they were made under tense, dangerous, stressful, pressuring, or scary moments. Anything other than that is unforgivable. I have found that this is sort of an unspoken rule that we all stick to when reading. Whenever a character makes an out-of-character decision, we only forgive it if it was under "understandable circumstances" rather than looking at the author and going, "Uh, what the hell?"

     I'm not saying to attack any writers, I'm not saying that AT ALL, but what I'm saying is that even under bad circumstances that can cause people to bend their morals and who they are, there should still be a shred of them shining through. If an author doesn't show that their character is still themselves, that's not good. You want to remain consistent. Unless a character is going through a personality change that is influenced by their horrific past, PTSD, the betrayal of their best friend who killed their family, boyfriend, friends, team, boss, and who they ultimately killed, a false relationship with a murderer who is the doppelgänger of the man they love, and being injected with a drug that turns them into a violent being — don't make it seem as if they're a completely different person. (Shoutout to my homegirl Piper Lita from Expedite.) Make sure you're still in character when writing your character making a decision.

     𝟎𝟒. Narrative Plot Holes. These are honestly the easiest plot holes to sniff out. Oftentimes, these are the result of lazy or careless writing, bad editing, or the sheer hope that readers will be dumb enough to not notice. News flash — your readers aren't as dumb as a box of rocks. They're pretty fucking smart. However, you might be if you see them that way.

     For those who may not know, Narrative Plot Holes occur when there is a "gap or inconsistency in a storyline. It can directly affect the logic established within the plot, as we've discussed above, or it can be a glaring hole that halts the audience's engagement of the story as they question it." Per usual, these types of plot holes can range from big to small. Typically, the small ones can slip by undetected by the average reader.

     Let's take The Karate Kid for example. Throughout the climactic tournament, the referee repeatedly specifies that kicks to the head are not allowed. However, when Daniel and Johnny face off against each other in the final round, how does Daniel win? With a kick to the head. This isn't forgivable because it goes literally against the rules set up by the script. Sure, Daniel's girlfriend briefly mentions that anything above the waist, including the head, counts, but in later scenes, you can hear the ref say otherwise. However, it's small enough that it's forgettable by most viewers. (Although you'll now likely never watch that scene again the same way. My bad.)

     No book or story is flawless, mine especially, and plot holes occur due to a multitude of reasons, but Narrative Plot Holes are the most common and obvious.

     𝟎𝟓. Lastly, we have Deus Ex Machina Plot Holes. Out of the five types of plot holes in this section, this is, in my opinion, the one that most people deem as universally unforgivable. The term Deus Ex Machina refers to a "plot device where a seemingly unsolvable problem or situation is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object."

     To demonstrate the use of this plot hole in pop culture media, I have two cinematic examples that a lot of people recognize. First, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (as well as The Hobbit trilogy), "giant eagles suddenly appear to rescue Gandalf, and then later to rescue Frodo and Sam from the side of Mount Doom. Yes, Aragorn needs to set a distraction at the gates, but with this power, it was unnecessary to force Frodo and Sam to risk their lives over the course of three films when they could have been flown to Mount Doom." Sure, the novels kind of explain why that would have been impossible, but people need to remember that books and movies are two entirely separate entities. Thus, they need to do their own jobs at explaining things such as this.

     Second, in Superman, "after Lois dies, Superman flies into the skies in a rage, into space, and begins to fly around Earth over and over and over, either changing its rotation — the visual that is represented on screen — or flying so fast that he somehow goes back in time." This power, and scene, is never fully divulged nor explained before this event beyond his father stating that he cannot interfere with human history. However, he does... somehow.

     Lastly, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠) 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬:

     𝟎𝟏. Be objective when you're editing. The easiest way, I find, to do this is to step away from your current, and finished, chapter, and leave it for a few days, or longer. I typically take a day or two before I come back to a chapter. Sometimes, especially if the book isn't published yet, I've even taken up to six months to come back to the chapter. I did this a lot with my book Ablocate before I published it because I wanted to get everything just right and staring at it every day became frustrating. Whenever you come back, you'll have fresh eyes and it'll help you edit a lot more objectively.

     𝟎𝟐. Edit from the perspective of your characters. Don't edit as if this is a story about you. This is a story including/or about your characters, so edit it as such. Don't allow yourself to be influenced by your own opinions and emotions. Emotionally detach yourself from the story and edit as if you're the character.

     𝟎𝟑. It's okay to edit a chapter multiple times. There's no shame in editing a chapter more than once. I do this a lot and honestly, it's helpful. As time passes, I become a better writer and when I go back to edit, that new knowledge is beneficial.

     𝟎𝟒. Keep notes on your revised edits. Whenever you edit a chapter, write/type out notes to the side and keep them. They may open up a future plot hole that needs managing.

     𝟎𝟓. Create a list of your chapters and write out a sentence or two about the storyline or events of that chapter. Picture this as if you're creating a synopsis of each chapter — similar to the way there is a synopsis of every episode of a TV show. Take this from an OCD, perfectionistic, and INTJ personality. Writing lists is helpful as hell and so beneficial. This is a tip that I use for all of my books and it helps manage the contents of it so much. Not only does it help me keep my stories consistent, but it also helps me prevent plot holes and inconsistencies. Along with writing out a sentence or two, I also make a note of the month or time of year that the chapter takes place and which characters are included.

     𝟎𝟔. Take the time to question the logic of your plot(s). Does the previous storyline or events lead to that following moment or has a conflict, situation, or question gone unanswered? Have your characters made choices or said things that don't reflect their personality? Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly. Don't lie to yourself just because you don't want to take the time to go back and fix your errors. An honest writer is a good writer.

     𝟎𝟕. Keep a checklist of your subplots and make sure all of them are filled or will be by the time the book ends. Unlike some authors, I don't believe that all subplots should be closed right away. As long as you don't continuously drag it out without any sort of resolution, mention it when appropriate, and give it the respect it deserves, close it when you feel it is the right time. Remember, you know your books better than anybody, but make sure you close all open ends.

     Wow, that was a lot. I hope anyone finds this helpful! Let me know if you all like it when I talk more and add more of my own opinions and commentary!

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❛ YOU 𝑪𝑨𝑵'𝑻 𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑩𝑬 THE DOOR
ON 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑾𝑨𝒀 TO THE 𝚂𝙺𝚈. ❜
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