-9: Plot hole

So now I know what the climax is, as well as when and where it happens, and obviously I need Finn to be there. But in real life, he couldn’t be. That scenario defies belief. So now what?

In order for him to be where I want him to be, Finn will have to defy the evacuation order. I’ve just written a great long scene in which he does just that. The military try to explain to him the importance of leaving and his grandmother is distraught, but Finn remains defiant. Now, there is a core of local men remaining behind with the military to mind the dikes. Finn’s become really good at checking for leaks – could he be known as some sort of expert in this? And that’s why a thirteen-year-old is allowed to stay with the men?

Or, could he be foolish enough to run away and hide in his house? Why would he do that? Just what is so important that he can’t leave? Armstrong’s secret? It would have to be a good enough reason to counteract his stupidity, especially after the incident in Morris. ( A little foreshadowing there.)

Is there any way I can connect him with the event from a distance? It feels unlikely to me, as there needs to be an element of the eyewitness in this scene for the climax to ring true. There has to be immediacy.

There may have to be a suspension of disbelief. How far can I take it before readers will throw down the book in disgust and say, “That could never happen!”?