Plot holes are one of the most annoying parts of writing a novel.
It takes so long to write a book that it’s easy to get events or timelines wrong when the details might be chapters apart.
The problems can be simple things, minor details, or a glaring inconsistency that readers will definitely notice.
But finding plot holes in your manuscript isn’t as easy as doing an automated writing check, or even a quick proofread. You have to hunt for them.
What are the most common plot holes?
When the plot of a story contains inconsistencies, they usually fall into a handful of general categories.
Timeline errors are one of the most common, such as a character being younger than mentioned earlier in a story.
If a novel is about a historical period, mentioning that a character zipped up their jacket against the cold night air might be a plot hole if the story is set before the zipper was invented.
Continuity errors occur when something is mentioned and then changes later. It might be that a character is left-handed early in a story, but right-handed in a later scene.
I recall finding a tiny but annoying error in one of my books, just in the nick of time before publishing. The character put a six-pack of beer in an empty refrigerator. But in the next chapter, he grabbed a beer from the dozen in the fridge.
Inconsistencies can occur when a character changes, acts, or reacts differently without explanation. Perhaps a strict vegetarian later eats a hot dog, or a university student suddenly becomes a university professor.
Unresolved questions or situations can happen when something in a story seems important but never appears again.
Chekhov’s gun explains this idea well. In essence, it suggests that elements introduced into a story should have a purpose rather than being unnecessary distractions.
The rules of the story’s world also matter. They can’t simply be broken without an explanation. If a planet is seven light-years away, getting there in a couple of hours might be a plot hole unless the story establishes a believable reason why it is possible.
While plot holes occur in different forms and situations, they all have one similarity. Something doesn’t make sense.
How to catch a plot hole
It’s not easy.
While you write a novel, your mind is full of the story.
But when your manuscript is finished, your brain can still refuse to let go of your creativity, and it often struggles to find fault.
When you read your story, this reaction can cause you to skip over or read through many minor problems.
You might catch a big one if you’re lucky, but it’s tough work for the rest.
The best way is to use beta readers if you can, or at least ask one extra pair of eyes to read your story.
You’ll rarely, if ever, find them using automated tools. Only a human reader can reliably spot something that doesn’t make sense in the context of the story.
Or, more specifically, something that doesn’t quite make sense. It could be as simple as two people drinking coffee, but later, clearing away the teacups and teapot.
Minor characters can sometimes cause inconsistencies because they appear infrequently.
Using the Find function in your word processor can help you skip to each part of the story where they appear.
For the main characters, profile builders are a very useful tool when writing a book.
But if you didn’t use them when writing your story, you can use a character profile builder to document the details as you read.
It’s one of the best ways to find problems or inconsistencies with the main characters in your story.
Reading is your only reliable hunter when trying to catch plot holes.
Will you find them all?
You only need to do a quick search on the web to find examples of minor, or even glaring, plot holes in very well-known books.
I won’t list them here because they are common knowledge.
That’s not an excuse to ignore them in your story.
But it does highlight how difficult it can be to catch some plot holes, even in books that have been professionally edited.
If you’re self-publishing without editorial support, you’ll need a lot of patience and perseverance to find the small, medium, and large holes as you edit your manuscript.
It’s not a process that will succeed with simply one or two quick proofreads. Nor should it be a task you combine with grammar, style, and typo checking.
You need to set your mind to the one task of finding timeline errors, continuity issues, inconsistencies, and unresolved elements in your story.
The best way is to take detailed notes as you read, so you can refer back to them as you progress through your story.
Plot holes are one of the challenges of long-form writing that don’t have an easy or quick fix.
It’s a laborious, meticulous, and long process that doesn’t have any shortcuts.
And will you find every single one?
Probably not is the honest answer. But that’s not an excuse to give up the hunt.
One of the best ways to miss obvious holes in your story is to be too impatient to publish your new book.
You need lots of time and patience to catch your prey.
Summary
Finding plot holes is a different job from proofreading your manuscript.
Grammar and spelling checks can help you find errors in your writing. However, they won’t necessarily tell you that a character couldn’t possibly be in two places at once, or that something introduced earlier in your story no longer makes sense.
Character profiles, timelines, setting notes, and detailed reading notes can all help you keep track of the little details that are easy to forget during a long writing project.
It’s a challenge and hard work, that’s for sure.
But taking the time to hunt for those little inconsistencies can make the difference between an okay story and a great story for readers.
Related Reading: How To Show Telling Adjectives In Fiction
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
