Avoiding Plot-Holes In the Road

I really wanted to make a joke about road-head up there, but I refrained due to politeness and the fact that it would have made my title ridiculously long.

Pardon my long absence – living in a rural area with no internet is a problem many of us in America and, indeed, many of us in the world share. I merely thank whatever deity that may or may not exist that there are such blessings as public libraries. Anywho. To the post.

Plot-holes are the parts of a story that go unresolved. Occasionally, plot-holes are a fabulous way to segue into a sequel, prequel, or another series altogether. And other times, they're the horrifying interruption to the amazing road-head of a good novel (see, there's my road-head joke.)

Sometimes, they're minor (why was there a knife in the bedroom, anyway?), and sometimes they're not (using a famous, copyrighted example here – why didn't E.T. just fly away from the government officials in the first place? And none of that crap about a heart-light, either.)

Step one to fixing plot-holes? Prevent them in the first place. Explain how the knife got into the bedroom, why Jillian couldn't use her magical cure-all to save Jimmy, what caused the sonic rainbow that gave everypony their Cutie Mark (bronies, thank me later). Maybe the main character was sharpening a pencil and couldn't find a sharpener, so he used a knife (very manly). Maybe Jillian used it all up on saving Ryan, and didn't have anything left for Jimmy. Maybe a Pegasus was in a race for another Pegasus' honour, and flew with all of her might and created a sonic rainbow with the power of her desire to win.

Step two? Resolve or explain the conflicts, but don't drop them. Suppose both Carrie-Ann and Alina are in love with Starship Commander Rufus, but he's too busy fighting an inter-stellar war to notice anyone but his Lieutenant, Mikel. Don't just say Carrie-Ann and Alina are in love with him – make it affect their actions, the way they interact with each other and the centre of Rufus' attention, Mikel.

Is that the only way to do it? Heck, no! Sometimes the deliciousness of a good novel comes from the fact that there are unresolved conflicts. Mikel never admits to his feelings for Rufus, Alina and Carrie-Ann never get the man of their dreams, Rufus (in typical oblivious superior fashion) never realises the nature of Mikel's loyalty to him. But notice that the conflicts are explained. We know that Mikel will never admit it, we know that Carrie-Ann and Alina are unfulfilled, we know that Rufus is so oblivious he wouldn't notice if Mikel danced in front of him wearing little more than a brown paper napkin around his manly bits.

Also? If you leave explained unresolved conflicts in your book/movie/play/graphic novel, it opens up a whole world for the fans who are dying to draw fan comics and write fanfiction. Take it from a fanfiction writer – it's true. There's much more to play with in series that have explained unresolved conflicts than ones where everything is tied up neatly like a package. Those are enjoyable, but they don't leave much room to wonder.

Step three, and this one's so tricky it requires all capslock – CRAFT THE STORY IN SUCH A WAY THAT THERE ARE NO PLOT-HOLES!!!!!

For those of you who aren't lying on the ground, bowled over by my enthusiasm, that means you have to be really good before you even start writing. You have to plan.

I see winces from my seat in little podunk Vermont. I can even hear you whining – 'But, Victory!!! I write best when I don't have a plan!'

Really? You just sit down and write, and masterpieces come out? Liar. You sit down with a scene in your head, or a character in mind, or a place to write about, or any number of things, and then it comes from there. But I'm asking you to take it to the next level.

In fact, I'm asking you to do something even published writers have trouble doing. I'm asking you to know where your story starts, and where it ends, and the major events that get the book from A to Z. No, seriously. You have to think about it before you can write it. And I don't mean you have to know everything – I could never tell you to do that, because I could never do that. But know the mechanics of the event before it happens. Does your main character kill off the villain with the Spear of Destiny in chapter forty three? Then it's safe to say that you really should have an idea of how they got the Spear of Destiny before, say, chapter forty two. Because that kind of sounds like the climax of your story, and you really should explain it.

So, the steps (in easy-to-reference format):

1. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. No, seriously. It is. And that's a quote from Ben Franklin, in case you haven't previously had this quote shoved down your throat.
2. Resolve or explain conflicts. Occasionally both, but never neither.
3. PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!!

There you go, the three steps to avoid plot-holes.

Got questions in particular or a writing topic you want me to address? Feel that such-and-such controversial topic could do with Victory's spicy-hot wit(?) Let me know, and if I find it interesting I'll write up a post for it.

Next up on Worlds of My Devising: Cultural Influences. Stay tuned!