Instant Dramatica
Musings from Armando Saldaņa
Mora
Plot Holes
The term "Plot Hole" is a catchall word that includes several
common writing mistakes. Those can be:
A character inexplicably looses her personal drive, desire or need (or gains a new one)
A character starts acting and thinking in a new way suddenly and without explanation. An
event that has nothing to do with the story suddenly happens conveniently solving the
story or "thickening the plot". The author starts talking about a completely
different theme without finishing answering (or even questioning) the previous one.
Either way, a plot hole is sensed as if someone took out several pages of the book or
several feet of the film.
Dramatica wise it becomes a breeze to detect and prevent plot holes, just look at the
Table of Story Elements: if a character has an "Avoid" problem, and suddenly
starts having a "Pursue" problem, that would be felt by the reader as plot hole.
The same for a character who has a "consider" motivation and suddenly starts to
"reconsider".
However, if a "considering" character has an interaction with a
"reconsidering" character and you have a little scene where you show how the
"reconsiderer" trumps the "considerer", the "considerer" can
and will reconsider in the future (until someone or something sets her up straight again).
This works. I've done it a few times and got away with it. However, don't try it with the
OS problem, solution, focus or direction nor any of the Subjective appreciations.
