Plot Holes (Thoughts & Ideas)

A story is like a sweater. Fill it with enough holes and it falls apart, becoming worthless. It also requires a few holes to function though.

As a fiction writer your job is to tell a story. Your editor then marks the plot holes for you to see. (in addition to their other tasks) It’s your job as the storyteller to sew up the gaping holes and let a few minor ones stay. Because even in real life plot holes exist.

A plot hole isn’t a lack of something happening, or a lack of information. It’s a lack of explanation. The reader isn’t being told what they need to know. Sometimes this is easily avoided (explaining how the Maltese Falcon ended up in the hands of the villain), but other times it is unavoidable (you can’t feasibly explain a character’s complete life history).

Example:
The reader needs to know that the protagonist is in Paris, and why, but they don’t need to know how. How is unnecessary information within the context of the story, and thus can be skipped. It remains a plot hole, because information isn’t being shared, but it’s one the reader will overlook.

Many writers stress over the filling of plot holes. They pull out their hair trying to get rid of every single one. Other writers dig more plot holes as they rewrite, because they assume the reader will only care about what’s being written. Neither is a good approach.

You need to find a balance. Think like a reader as you read your story, and make note of the glaring holes that stand out. Have at least two others do the same, in addition to your editor looking for them. Now fill those in, as well as a few smaller ones. But leave a few small holes in your story. Unknown information adds a touch of realism, and allows for fan theories. (An integral part of the experience. The Pixar Theory is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read, with no basis in fact at all, yet it works because of plot holes and easter eggs.)