Have you ever been reading a story, and have found yourself confused or misled by the plot? This is called a plothole, and it's a fairly common occurrence when first starting out especially. This is when something is unexplained or forgotten about in the story, altering its outcome.
Writers face the issue of plotholes all the time. When I'm coming up with my plot, I try to think of all the key elements I'll need: characters, setting, story, motivations, etc. Then, I try to answer all the questions a potential reader could ask, so as to have the answers covered within the story.
When writing a more complex piece of fantasy (i.e. one with its own rules of magic, etc.), it's important to know the limits of your setting and characters. What would seem out-of-character in this situation? How does this piece of the story make sense? Foreshadowing is another common literary tool, but if not done right could cause plotholes or unnecessary confusion.
I have never heard of the term plotholes but I can see where writers can have issues with this. My biggest problem with writing however, is forgetting a really good idea because I get distracted easily. I am totally that person that will write things down on a napkin so that I do not forget things.
ReplyDeleteI know the pain of this! Sometimes I think of an idea right before falling asleep, and if I'm lucky, I'll remember some of it in the morning! That's why writing down any little idea is a good habit to get into, because then when you're piecing it all together, things are less likely to be left out or forgotten.
DeletePlotholes is a cute term for this, as I too have never heard of it. Plotholes seem like they can be very common for writers working on their drafts, but not necessarily working on their final copy.
ReplyDeleteIt is especially common in the earlier drafts, yes! However, some stories have definitely made it to publication (or even the big screen) with some pretty distracting plot holes.
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