Elsewhere someone mentioned the problems inherent in having a story hang together. So, if you don’t happen to have an incredible memory for what you’ve written, what tricks can you use to ensure there are no plot holes, that the story makes sense from beginning to end?
Does the story hang together?
- Thread starter The Backward OX
- Start date
- Status
You can outline the work before you begin, and as you write, check your scenes against your outline to be sure it's going where you want it to go.
Also, it's a good idea to have a few beta readers who can go over your work for you and let you know if anything needs to be fixed, including continuity/plot holes. Beta readers will also tell you what you're doing well, so you know where your strong points are.
Also, it's a good idea to have a few beta readers who can go over your work for you and let you know if anything needs to be fixed, including continuity/plot holes. Beta readers will also tell you what you're doing well, so you know where your strong points are.
Keep notebook with you when editing. Jot down questions to yourself. Ex: pg 86: how does she know he's David's father, etc.
This is odd. The comment that prompted my thread came from one who I assumed would know all about outlining, so it appeared that even so, things could go pear-shaped. Most puzzling.
Stories evolve as you write them. I had ideas for quite a few scenes which are in my notes but were dropped. Likewise, scenes that weren't planned were added along the way.
And a deep problem can only be solved by a deep process - editing. There aren't any tricks that will do the same job.
What I was really getting at was having the ability to spot the inconsistencies in the first place.
Last edited:
When I sit down to write for the day, I go back and read what I wrote the day before. At most it's a couple thousand words, so it doesn't take long to look at.
I jot down a super-quick outline of what I previously wrote. I make any notes I think I need to remember.
Then I move on and write for the day. I'll make an outline for that on the following day.
By the end I have an outline of what's written, with some various notes in between.
That's interesting. I'd only thought of outlines in terms of what was still to be written, not what has already been written. I'll have to think about that.
It works for me on a few levels. First, it helps me get back into the story before I start writing for the day. Second, I track changes I want to make. I don't rewrite, I just jot a note and move on. And I also fix up the writing when I read through it, but only obvious first-glance kind of mistakes, like a bad punctuation or removing an unnecessary "that." Nothing really in depth; I save the heavy editing for when the manuscript is done.
And then, at the end of everything, I have the "outline" to look at for plot holes and other big changes I want to make. Bonus point!
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
- Messages
- 15,285
- Reaction score
- 5,629
- Age
- 60
- Location
- Australia
- Website
- www.australianflavour.net
I also reread what I wrote the day before - and if I am stuck I will read from the begining again. If something is missing, or not moving forward the right way, I think you feel it, you know that something is missing from the plot. Sometimes though, you can't be certain until you end your story, exactly what needs to be in it.
Post-it notes on the wall, and around the edges of the monitor, seem to help. I still give various dates for events, rename characters arbitrarily and change the location mid-chapter, but with small notes everywhere it is easy to check what I am doing. I also use files filled with references, just to keep the logic from going out the window.
Doesn't always work, but it is a safety net when things get out of control.
Doesn't always work, but it is a safety net when things get out of control.
Re-read it? Then have someone else read it.
I can't think of any other way than that tbh. When you've got rid of all the inconsistencies you spot, get a beta and they'll find more.
Then edit them.
I have a really big cork-board on the wall of my office. As I write, I jot any needed notes on 3x5 cards and post them on the board. Each chapter has a card and each card lists anything that I need to follow up, such as things I foreshadowed, etc. May not work for everyone, but it keeps me straight. 
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2005
- Messages
- 4,422
- Reaction score
- 641
- Location
- Metropolitan District of Washington
- Website
- www.linda-adams.com
Try critting. Not receiving crits, but giving them. A lot of times, a problem in someone else's manuscript will jump out at me, and then I'll realize I've done the same thing in my manuscript. I've learned a lot by doing crits, and I've spotted a number of problems in my writing just because I noticed it in someone else's.
For the small stuff, like keeping track of backstory, character names, and such, I use a style sheet. I saw it mentioned here (thanks, Gillhouhy!
, and it's turned out to be a huge help. To keep track of all those details, people always seem to suggest huge 3-ring binders with lots of pages. I needed something much simpler, and the style sheet is only 5 pages. Everything in one place for a quick reference. The book Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies has an excellent chapter on it.
Things can be very pear-shaped. It really depends on what style of outlining works well for you. My outlines tend to be very flexible. I really do let the story go where it wants to go. The outline is there just to show me what the major conflicts will be, and what in-between steps need to happen in order to get my characters to their points of conflict. After I write an outline, I read it through several times and have beta readers check it out, as well. That way I can be sure there aren't any plot holes or unanswered questions.
I personally do not outline so strictly that I plan every bit of the story in advance. I stay really vague. Like I said, just enough to show me where each conflict occurs, and how to move everybody from Point A to Point B.
Yes!! In my opinion, everybody who is serious about writing well really needs to be offering critiques to others. It's a great way to learn how to improve your own craft.
Ah. This just takes training and practice. Critiquing other people's work is a good learning tool. As you identify problems in other people's manuscripts, you'll be able to more easily see them in your own.
I don't outline. What I do do, however; is create an index card for characters when I introduce them with whatever information I have already written detailed on the card.
I also find doing a semi-comprehensive chapter synopsis as soon as I finish a chapter useful. It gives me a way to check what's been going on without having to read the whole bloomin' thing. I sometimes use the bookmark feature in MSWord as a quick way to get back to things without having to hunt too hard for them.
I also find doing a semi-comprehensive chapter synopsis as soon as I finish a chapter useful. It gives me a way to check what's been going on without having to read the whole bloomin' thing. I sometimes use the bookmark feature in MSWord as a quick way to get back to things without having to hunt too hard for them.
This. As Linda and a few others have said, critting other folks will help sharpen your own editorial eye.
I keep an open notebook as I write a first draft, and any time I hit a plot point or write something of note about a character/location/missing item/whatever, I jot it down. Keeping these notes handy helps me keep the story ordered in my mind, so that the plot doesn't get all tangled and confused. Since my UF novels basically thrillers/mysteries, it helps to keep track of things as I go.
I have a theory that a story should be condensible to a perfectly logical few pages. At its most brief telling-- the way you would tell someone who might be interested in buying the book, for instance-- If someone asks "what is your story about?" You should not say, "I don't know." I mean, there is a certain level of credibility you need to be a published writer. It is a professional field. In many cases you have to defend your decisions, and you can't if you have no idea what you are doing. You should be able to write a brief one page synopsis of the story-- every sailent feature intact. At this stage, you should see the entire story from a eagle's eye point of view. You're thinking of being on the ground in the bushes, so to speak. You need to rise to a height where you can see the entire story in a panorama...
I call this the "campfire version," but it can be also a kind of fairy tale.
My guess is if you cannot recite this shortened version, of if the logic breaks apart at this stage, then you have a flawed story that needs fixing before it is considered "done."
All but the most experimental of stories have an internal logic to them-- Just a rambling diary like bit of writing will not transform into a story unless you know what the logic is.
I really don't imagine that anyone who writes just writes without remembering what they have written, and how it fits in with the logic of the story.
Now what happens if you are published, and someone wants to interview you about your book. I can imagine it: "Tell me about your new book," asks the correspondent. "I really don't concern myself with what I write," you say, "in fact, I forget what I write as soon as I write it. I just put it in a box and ship it to the publisher and pray that it makes sence."
Tisk. Tisk.
I call this the "campfire version," but it can be also a kind of fairy tale.
My guess is if you cannot recite this shortened version, of if the logic breaks apart at this stage, then you have a flawed story that needs fixing before it is considered "done."
All but the most experimental of stories have an internal logic to them-- Just a rambling diary like bit of writing will not transform into a story unless you know what the logic is.
I really don't imagine that anyone who writes just writes without remembering what they have written, and how it fits in with the logic of the story.
Now what happens if you are published, and someone wants to interview you about your book. I can imagine it: "Tell me about your new book," asks the correspondent. "I really don't concern myself with what I write," you say, "in fact, I forget what I write as soon as I write it. I just put it in a box and ship it to the publisher and pray that it makes sence."
Tisk. Tisk.
Last edited:
- Status