Timothy Stringer's Blog: Timothy Stringer's Blog - Posts Tagged "plot-holes"

It happens, the plot is going smashingly. It is all working out until you realize that there is that one bit that makes no sense. There is no reason for a character to do what the writer is having them do. But I need that senseless action to make the rest of the plot work.

So, back to square one. Why would a character do something that I need them to do? First answer would be it is my character and they do what I want them to do. For the story to make sense there has to be a plausible reason for a character to do what I need them to do. In this case, it is as much when than what. Or that is the solution I came up with. Changing the when works.

My husband notices it all the time in movies and shows. Those plot holes that all but scream that there is something wonky. Yes it get characters from A to B, but even the slightest application of logic points to a problem.

Hollywood likes to gloss over those holes with special effects. Wow the audience and they'll forget that what the character is doing is random and pointless. There is no earthly reason for a character to go down that path but there they happily go heading straight into trouble.

Not so easy to gloss over the hole in writing. And yet writers do it too. The helpful stranger out of nowhere is a pretty common one. He or she just happens to be where our hero needs them and has just the solution our hero needs to resolve their current conundrum. It isn't a perfect solution but it works.

I cannot promise that I will never create plot holes. I can promise that I'll do my best to close them.