Finding Plot holes?

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vicky271

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How do you guys find plot holes in your stories? I'm unsure how to approach this. I want to keep my eyes out for plot holes as I work through the outline. I'm working on a series of six books. The series is split into two sections because Book #1-3's main character is different from Book #4-6 (main character's kid), but the events of #1-3 are linked to #4-6 indirectly (this isn't revealed until at some point in Book #4-6).

Sorry. I'm babbling.

But yes, plot holes. How do you find them?
 

Willer

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It is really hard work if your book series has six books each consisting of a thousand pages . Consistency is a clue. You may have to reread them (or better still the draft). Or the easy way out is to get a beta reader to pick up what you missed out due your familiarity with the subject matter.
 

LadyRedRover

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Personally, I can never seem to find plot holes until after the drafting process.

While drafting, I may go off on tangents, or have a solution not work out as believably as it should, or add in some important thing and forget to make a note of it for later. To me, these are plot holes because they make the story less believable.

You can spot some of these things in your outline by being honest with yourself (i.e. would it be believable to have a catapult full of kittens smash into the enemy at this particular moment?) but in general I would think that most plot holes would be discovered during the editing phase. Finding them usually requires a reader's eye though, which is why distance from your draft and beta readers are so important. For now, while drafting, I'd recommend just getting the draft done and not focusing on the big picture just yet.
 

Hbooks

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I tend to fixate on ideas a bit, so any new plot thread will get turned over and over in my head as I insert it into the story. So usually if there's a glaringly obvious hole, it gets caught. But then when I get to the editing process, that's where I can take a look at the overall manuscript and see what conflicts seem weak and need adjustment.

And then getting fresh eyes to take a look is always a great idea.
 

Bufty

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A plot hole is where an issue or problem is raised that doesn't make sense or is left up in the air -unresolved- no?

Not sure what tip can help apart from asking - on re-reading through after one has finished - How and when is this followed through or resolved?, when it first appears.

That's my approach, anyway.
 
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Barbara R.

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Try holding ms. under running tap to see where the holes are.

If that doesn't work...One method I use myself and teach in my classes involves following each subplot separately by reading only those scenes (in sequence) that deal with that particular subplot. Not only do holes show up, but also a lot of unnecessary repetition and other flaws. Reading out of order sharpens the eye.

I think that would be particularly helpful in a project like yours, with multiple volumes and subplots, and no doubt a cast of thousands. If the problem is in the main plot of the book, it may help to plot the story out, even after you've written it. When you boil it down to a line or two per scene, problems should jump out at you.
 

talktidy

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Speaking of my own experience, I worked from a very detailed outline I was happy with. Once I started writing, however, I deviated from it several times, as better, cooler ideas occurred to me, and realisations that the outline called for characters doing things that made no sense to their psychology. My story continues to evolve, which makes me queasy that I'll never get it done.

At this stage I would advise that you keep the Outline loose to give yourself room to manoeuvre and concentrate your energies on book one. Unless you have that squared away, the other books in the series will not come to pass. IMO major plot holes will only reveal themselves once you have a completed first draft.
 

Qwest

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Some great answers! I often spot plot-holes in films and books - I do find it odd that betas and agents and editors and directors don't pick them up? For instance, on a Hollywood film, how many people had to have read the script...?! So, rest-assured I think lots of plot-holes are easy to overlook.

Personally, once I've got a draft, I go back and make sure things work. It means having a good overview of your story - remembering details - and so I find best do it soon after I've finished drafting. However a bit of distance can help give you a better perspective too. Not really answering your question...

If you feel you're not such a good plot-hole spotter, never fear! A beta reader who's good with spotting plot-holes is the best one can probably hope for... I heard a well known writer talking at a writing event about how her husband is her first reader... and he points out humongous plot-holes.

Often I find a plot-hole can be solved with a quick explanation... bigger ones require some bigger edits.
 

Kiteya

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Usually talking to a friend about your story is a really good idea. Explain the plot to them, and ask if they have any questions. If they have time, asking them to read the book might be a good idea too. Sometimes other people see things we don't, and will start asking the right questions. Good luck!
 

Enlightened

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You might have an issue with finding readers/buyers. If YA demands characters from 14-18, MG younger, and such, you will be changing POV/viewpoint with the change in MC. Lots of fun Qs for agents/editors/publishers.... Who will buy the latter books? Will the readers of the first three continue with the latter three (if your change viewpoint, to suit the new MC)?

I had to re-work my series plans to fit these issues. These matters are addressed in Sanderson videos.
 

Harlequin

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Beta readers, other eyes, but that's after I've through it myself.

For specifically mid-write/mid-edit, I do developmental synopses as I go, to help me keep track of the flow of events. Usually, things that aren't gelling, stand out quite badly in synopses.
 

vicky271

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You might have an issue with finding readers/buyers. If YA demands characters from 14-18, MG younger, and such, you will be changing POV/viewpoint with the change in MC. Lots of fun Qs for agents/editors/publishers.... Who will buy the latter books? Will the readers of the first three continue with the latter three (if your change viewpoint, to suit the new MC)?

I had to re-work my series plans to fit these issues. These matters are addressed in Sanderson videos.

I've set the series up so both main characters are the same age when their phases start. So if MC #1 in Book 1-3 is 18, then MC #2 is 17 or 18 in Book #4-6. If worse comes to worse, I'll separate the series and both will be considered their own series. Just with interlinking stuff. They're also written as separate series. You don't need to read series #1 to understand #2. At best, one or two characters from series #1 will be cameo's in #2 if necessary. I've tried to keep them separate and yet connected at the same time.

I will take these things into account!
 
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vicky271

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Thank you all for all the tips so far. I'll respond to everyone when able <3
 

maggiee19

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I have trouble finding plot holes. Beta readers usually do it for me.
 

Layla Nahar

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Ok, to be that person (because somebody is always that person in these threads but) I deal with plot holes by not plotting. That is, I write the story as I go and I think everything through at each step of the way. That way you find the contradictions as they come up, and resolve them before you keep writing.
 

blackcat777

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This is not scientific, but I've learned to listen to subtle feelings I get when something "bugs" me. Even if I have a framework of events plotted from start to finish that makes sense, that nagging feeling often indicates where I've failed to explore conflict between the characters to their fullest. The Feeling doesn't tell me what the problem is or how to fix it, but it tells me where I have a problem, without fail. (Having people to bounce ideas with helps immensely.)

Sometimes fixing one bad feeling fixes all the other issues I had with questionable scenes like dominoes. So they could be related, if you have a few of these spots.

Another flag that something is wrong is if a solution to a problem requires too many steps to solve and becomes needlessly complicated. E.g., today I was wondering how A knows when B leaves a city, because B has to chase A, but A and B were in different cities. Instead of torturing myself with really complicated explanations involving espionage and magic, the answer was actually to put A and B in the same city at the same time (which eventually amounted to: duh! ;) ). When issues become absurdly complicated, it means I failed to notice threads that needed to connect somewhere before the problem cropped up.

Tune in to your iffy and unimpressed feelings. That is my Magical Psychic Intuitive Dowsing Rod for Plotholes.

I also perform other services, such as ACX readings for tea leaves and ghost writing for fortune cookies, starting at $5,000,000,000. PM me for details. ;)
 

cmhbob

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For a series, you really need to make use of a calendar or spreadsheet or some combination of the two. I use an Excel spreadsheet that lets me keep track of days and action and such. It would be easy enough to add columns for location, weather, or anything else. You could have one worksheet with a master timeline, then another worksheet for each book, to make them more manageable.

I've also experimented with the idea of making a wiki for a series bible. I'm not completely sold on the idea yet, but that's because my series was not planned. I only decided to write the second and third books after someone suggested it.
 

Kjbartolotta

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For specifically mid-write/mid-edit, I do developmental synopses as I go, to help me keep track of the flow of events. Usually, things that aren't gelling, stand out quite badly in synopses.

I would be curious in knowing more about these magical creatures.
 

GoSpeed

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For a series, you really need to make use of a calendar or spreadsheet or some combination of the two. I use an Excel spreadsheet that lets me keep track of days and action and such. It would be easy enough to add columns for location, weather, or anything else. You could have one worksheet with a master timeline, then another worksheet for each book, to make them more manageable.

I've also experimented with the idea of making a wiki for a series bible. I'm not completely sold on the idea yet, but that's because my series was not planned. I only decided to write the second and third books after someone suggested it.

I've used timestamps and locations at the beginning of scenes to help keep me on track (and help the reader too).

A Wiki is also a great idea that I have considered. I plan on writing a few related series inhabiting the same universe and a wiki would be a good solution for me and my fans to help track all the elements.
 

Harlequin

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