Plot holes: They’re the biggest crime a fiction writer can commit… except for all the real crimes they commit. And for a writer, they are the biggest source of worry we have… except for the worry of someone finding the evidence you left behind from your real crimes or that you’ll somehow contradict your alibi in your writing or interviews or YouTube videos by accident.

However, there’s a lot of common misunderstandings about what actually constitutes a plot hole. I can’t tell you how many times at book readings and book signings I’ve gotten into arguments and shouting matches and struggles that involved hair pulling over what readers thought was a plot hole in one of my stories. For example, plot holes are not characters acting stupidly or illogically. The scientists acting like dumbasses in Prometheus isn’t a plot hole. I mean, I’m basically a writing scientist and even I make dumb decisions. Like when I tried to make D&E Publishing a non-profit organization because I thought it would mean we wouldn’t have to pay taxes.

Plot holes are also not unanswered questions. Authors aren’t obligated to explain everything. In the film version of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, it’s never said who actually killed Sean Regan. In Pulp Fiction, we never know what’s in the briefcase. In my novel, Lone Mountain, we never discover where our hero Colt Action got the Comanche skull that he talks to throughout most of the story or why it’s child-sized.

Finally, it’s also not an obvious solution that the characters didn’t think of. Sure, characters that travel through time in stories shouldn’t go back to ten minutes before the bad thing happens, but instead hours, days or weeks in advance. In my story, The Things We Lost, if the new baby was going to be such a strain on the character’s marriage, why didn’t the character simply pull out early and blow his load all over the female’s stomach? But remember, characters don’t have perfect knowledge. They are flawed, and bad at planning, and they hate the way condoms feel just like us.

So, what is a plot hole, then? Well, it’s an inconsistency that breaks the rules, logic or timeline in the story you’ve established. And just like a jealous wife or the IRS, your reader will be relentless about pointing out those inconsistencies if you commit them. We’ll get good at explaining our lies on this edition of Stories’ Matter.

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Common Plot Hole 1 – Characters Acting in a Way They Shouldn’t

I’m starting with one that’s a bit of a gray area, but that’s because I’ve always strived for nuance on this channel. The thing is… storytelling is all about character transformations. Growth is what makes our characters compelling. And that connects us to the changes we make in real life. When my wife Cindy left me, I understood that we had grown apart, accepted it and moved on with my life.

However, characters who suddenly do a complete 180 just to serve the plotline is what readers hate. One example is Breaking Bad’s Mike Ermentraut abandons his granddaughter in the park when he knows the DEA is onto him. This rang false to a lot of fans. And as someone who loves their children and knows all of their names, I would never do something like this.

Common Plot Hole 2 – Breaking the Laws, Rules or Background That You’ve Previously Established

The bond between an author and a reader is sacred. This is why I’m always willing to listen to fan theories about my work, no matter how ridiculous.

In Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, one vampire is able to break into a house and kill two people, even though it is already established that vampires need to be invited into your home in this universe. Now, I usually don’t like to mention my own work on this channel, but just to show that I’m respectful of other authors, I will mention Out of the Woodwork, a story about an alternate reality where metal doesn’t exist and all technology is made out of wood. Anyway, the story ends with the protagonist killing the main villain with a pistol. Some readers felt that was a cheat.

Common Plot Hole 2 – Continuity Errors

These are minor discrepancies from one part of the story to the next. Individually, they may not matter much, but if you have several of them, they may hurt your chances of being published. When I started D&E Publishing in 2012, we had many authors clamoring to get published by us. If you watched this video, you’ll know the story of Evan Hayward. He was a great writer, even though not many people at our company liked him.

Anyway, Evan’s debut novel, A Story Told By An Idiot, had the characters being chased by a black sedan. But later in the scene, he described the vehicle as “charcoal.” It was then that Evan and I mutually decided it would be best if we went our separate ways, and nobody put anything in anyone’s gas tank to retaliate.

So, how can we avoid making these mistakes in the first place?

Fix 1 – Outline Before You Start Writing

I’ve always said that a writer should plan ahead. Frantically pulling a perfect book out of thin air while using a dangerous mix of amphetamines to fight off sleep deprivation never got anyone anywhere.

Fix 2 – Look for Characters Who Serve No Purpose

Because character inconsistency is a common plot hole, just eliminate characters that aren’t necessary. This has helped me immensely to avoid plot holes… and also why none of my books pass the Bechdel test.