Genre--People Never Change

[JunkMonkey]

I've been reminded, reading this thread, of one of the things that endeared me to the Stargate universe. Often when presented with having to make some improbable decision the characters would bicker about which of the many possible courses of action they could take.

"Well we could do this...",
"are you crazy? that would mean... "

or

"How about...?",
"Yeah that would work if we hadn't already...".

It felt real. Because in a way I suspect it was. I suspect someone had just transcribed the writers' room conference about that episode then handed out the resulting dialogue to the characters.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I think there are two types of plothole. The continuity errors that make things look like they don't make sense (the original cut of Alien3 is a major culprit).

The other type is when the author forces their characters down a certain path in order for events to play out the way they intend. I don't see stupid actions as a problem, provided they make sense with the character of the person. So a greedy bank robber may stay in the vault longer than is wise.

Of course, even intelligent, rational people can make glaring errors for various reasons. And it is usually when someone makes an error, that a story that is worth reading is made. If Frankenstein had accepted that trying to create life was a stupid idea, or Dracula had decided to stay in his castle instead of travelling to England, it would have made for a dulller story.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I've been reminded, reading this thread, of one of the things that endeared me to the Stargate universe. Often when presented with having to make some improbable decision the characters would bicker about which of the many possible courses of action they could take.

"Well we could do this...",
"are you crazy? that would mean... "

or

"How about...?",
"Yeah that would work if we hadn't already...".

It felt real. Because in a way I suspect it was. I suspect someone had just transcribed the writers' room conference about that episode then handed out the resulting dialogue to the characters.

This reminds me of the Mitchell and Webb Stargate sketches; well worth checking out if you are a fan of the series.

 

[Ursa major]

I suspect someone had just transcribed the writers' room conference about that episode then handed out the resulting dialogue to the characters.

And, with novels and short stories written in first-person or a close third-person, the PoV character can review their options, with the added benefit that, as time can be flexible, it should be okay if it's not too long, even in an ostensibly action scene**.


** - Such a review could be split across the action, so it doesn't have to be in one big chunk.

 

[The Big Peat]

I'll pick Harry Potter simply because this is what I'm reading to the offspring right now. I expect there is a large economy for the processing and discussing of plot holes in the stories. Even my completely smitten 10 yo was able to ferret out a few. But what carries it along is that we kind of like the characters and the story in the large and we are willing to gloss over the problems.

I've found that I too can forgive and pass over difficult details if I'm in the flow of the story. OTOH the moment I begin to dislike a story I'll find fault with the smallest things.

Books are like people in many ways.

This is the one of the truest things to know about fiction for my money and it completely changed how I feel about plot holes. Obviously you can't just completely wing it but basically, if people like your fiction they won't care and if they don't they'll find plot holes you never dreamed existed.

So focus on the things that are going to make them like the story - which is sometimes excellent plot reveals and narrative pacing - rather than constantly tightening the nuts on the plot.