Plot Holes

Without disparaging him, I believe I can reveal that the hunk is not even remotely a writing critic. So you know how bad any given television show is by the number of plot holes he mentions. Of course, he didn't understand the concept of plot holes when I first began writing, but after twelve years of my yammering, he's getting the idea.

A couple nights ago we were watching a show on Netflix and he started muttering. I wasn't paying much attention as I was splitting my time between watching and reading. Suddenly, he says, "Plot hole! They never tell you how they know this!"

I had to laugh. If my non-reading husband can point out the plot issues...well, you know it's a truck size hole.

Readers might wonder how that can happen. And I have the answer. The writer carts the story around in their head for the duration. From beginning to end, they have an idea of the general layout. They sit at their computer pounding away on the keyboard, making sure the basic parameters of the story are present, but often they miss the holes simply because they know in their brain what the story is about. And what they know never makes it into the written story.

It's easy to notice the holes if you've never read/watched the story. They're obvious. But when you've worked and reworked and revised and edited a story over a period of months, the questions fade into the overall noise and background. Then you leave the reader or watcher wondering what in the world you were thinking about.

I set my books aside for a couple months so I can approach them with a fresh perspective. I'm not always successful, but I do try because I know exactly how frustrating it is to wonder...how do they know that?