If you are in Belize and stumble upon the famous Blue Hole, then yes, you can ooh and ahh and appreciate the beauty of a mysterious, massive, super deep hole. If we're discussing novels, the smallest holes can make a reader flail and send out a SOS.
I'm currently reading a YA novel that many people are raving about. I cannot positively rave about it. Therefore, I won't mention the title because my mother taught me, if you can't say something nice...
As writers don't we owe it to ourselves to catch the holes readers will find while reading our story? Or, if we can't see the gaping holes, shouldn't our betas catch them? My betas would. (But they do have unexplained superhero powers.) Or how about that editor? How did they not point out the polka-dotted elephant in the room?
e.g., If a handsome stallion wants to stop shape-shifting into a savage unicorn because he loves a mare and doesn't want to risk stabbing her with his horn during their frequent leapfrog romps, don't make the unicorn mutation trigger be something easily fixable. Because as a reader, if the stallion turns into a unicorn whenever it rains, I'm going to have lots of solutions for his problem. I won't need to read 300 pages to find out if the stallion and mare will be able to safely play leapfrog forever and ever. Plus, I'm going to be annoyed when the stallion gets angry at a character for suggesting the leapfrog-loving horses move out of Seattle to a drier climate and stay inside on rainy days.
You get the point (no unicorn pun intended).
I'm editing my latest WIP right now and it's a YA fantasy so I am on red alert for plot holes, unexplained polka dotted elephants, and unbelievable world-building.
What holes have you read or seen that drove you nuts? And don't say, "the two main characters fall madly and eternally in love with each other 5 minutes after meeting." (It makes me roll my eyes too, but sometimes the author has a limited number of words to get them to the leapfrog stage.)
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Oh man, I can't say "the two main characters fall madly, eternally in love with each other 5 minutes after meeting." That is the worst.
ReplyDeleteSince I know what you are reading I'm going to heartily agree with you. I hate it when I can think of an easy solution to a problem and the characters are completely clueless.
HAHAHA!!! I snorted at your unicorn example. Amaaazing. My mother also taught me to not say anything at all if I can't say something nice, so I'll refrain from mentioning a certain book I've read lately that was absolutely horrid. But there were definitely glaring plot holes. It almost seemed like the author didn't know her own character. One day the protagonist declares something, and then later on she does something that completely refutes what she declared!
ReplyDeleteMessy writing... always obvious, always painful. Great post!!
Your heading made me snicker. I get book-throwingly frustrated when a main character's big problem could be solved if only someone--anyone--would answer his/her questions, but "cant."
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post, Karen. The picture of the tropical blue water is gorgeous. I never knew such a hole existed. And the unicorn/horse debacle? Very entertaining. Dumb characters bother me more than anything. I will accept a few plot holes here and there if I'm intrigued by the people in the story. Unfortunately, I read many popular books in which the main characters seem to be losing IQ points in each scene.
ReplyDeleteI thought of another scenario that drives me nuts. When all the protagonist really needs to do is CALL THE POLICE, but for some reason he/she thinks it would be better if she solved the mystery herself. This can be done well if there is a good reason for not calling the police (like the police are in on the conspiracy, or something), but a lot of authors don't bother putting in the plot element that would make it believable.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Love the unicorn example AND the pretty blue hole! I agree that irritating plot holes are the worst. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Roxy: I can accept a few plot holes if the characters and the story are good and exciting. What I can't stand is protagonists that are passive....make it happen, people!! Don't sit around and wait for life to happen to you!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Natalie. I'm so tired of madly, obsessively falling in love at first sight. Drives me crazy.
ReplyDeleteHilarous unicorn story, maybe you can use that.
Awesome picture - I didn't know there is such a thing. Stupidity is my biggest pet peeve or blind stubbornness. This season of 24 is not holding my interest because I feel one of the characters is just stupid. Her sub-plot is annoying and could have been easily avoided by doing what Natalie suggested - Call the police.
ReplyDeleteoooh i'd love to know what book you're reading...
ReplyDeleteThere were minor holes in Interworld, but since i Love Neil Gaiman i could forgive him.
I cannot, however, forgive the holes in the lovely bones. I actually wrote a pretty long rant about it on my blog.
I had to jump in on my own comments!
ReplyDeleteStupidity seems to be a common dislike. I agree wholeheartedly.
Falen, YES! I had some issues with TLB too but there was some great writing so I forgave Alice. I'll email you the answer to referenced book.
Nat, you have great pet peeves and that's why I love having you as my beta. You point out all the stuff I miss.
Patti, I do love me some unicorns. Ya never know what my next story will be. ;)
Aubrie, my first WIP had a very passive MC. Everything happened TO her. My uber beta Meg pointed it out immediately (thank goodness) and now I agree. They have to make things happen or readers wanna throw the book.
Love all the holes! Helps me look for things in my current WIP. So thanks!
Oh you can't start off a post with Belize. It makes me sad/homesick. Ok, it's probably because I was looking at pictures of Belize myself last night and started missing it...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I completely agree with you. It's hard to enjoy a book when the whole premise hangs on something that's hard to believe. And you know that even if the leap-frog loving horses moved to a dry climate and stayed inside, someone might turn on a faucet and the condensation would ruin everything. :)
I have completed and enjoyed books in which the basic premise needed way too much suspension of belief, but have become very frustrated when a Big Event is preceded by some last-minute addition to early chapters (okay, I don't know for sure of when those passages were added, but it sure feels like hasty hole-patching ) and then these events have no tail (sorry, this is the closest I'll get to anything unicorn today)no consequences of any sort.
ReplyDeleteGrr.
I wish you WOULD say something not-so-nice about bad books you have read. It would save me a lot of time reading a broken plot! lol. Me thinks you should email me the name of the book you are reading and what's wrong with it. Just in cast I have it in my TBR pile :)
ReplyDeleteClearly I meant just in case* there. I've been editing so much lately, I think I'm forgetting to edit my own posts.
ReplyDeleteGreat post title and, oooo, that photo is delish! I hate when a book or movie makes me think, "Oh, come on!" The plausible justification must be written in if a character can't see what the reader does. And that means as writers we have to think of various scenarios and hope our betas will spot any we missed. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteI won't mention the book that comes to mind when I think of plot holes becasue, like you, if I can't say anything nice, I won't say anything at all. I'm with you about the editor. How can he/she not catch such a gaping hole?
ReplyDeleteTo me...this falls on the beta's shoulders. As the author its sometimes hard to separate what we know in our head and what we've put down on paper. This is especially true in mysteries. To us, there is no plot hole because we know how it should be explained, but we can't see it because we subconsciously fill it in. The beta's, the agent, the editors, don't have that excuse. Shame on them!
ReplyDeleteBTW...I admire all of you who refrain from poo-pooing the "nice"-challenged. Really.
It's really hard to understand how "annoying" books not only get published, but get awarded?
ReplyDeleteThankfully, there are a lot more great books out there than poor ones.
I just blogged about how so many books are starting to feel the same--same character/plot devices recycled and reused.
Im also reading a popular book that I dont like. It makes me curious why so many people do....
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the thing that annoys me the most is when something can be easily fixed, but it took the whole book to get there. That drives me insane! It makes me think, "Well, what was the point of me reading this if that's how you're going to solve it?!"
Couldn't agree more. I can't think of any specific examples right now (it's 5:00am here) but I do know that if I read a book and have this problem, I won't be reading any more books by that author.
ReplyDeleteI'm agreeing with Natalie on this one about not calling the police! I recently finished reading a two book series in which the MC should have called the police but never did...in both books. Yes, in both. I was so annoyed.
ReplyDeleteNot to be a parrot, but year - the intense, crazy we are so in love thing when it has not been developed at all kills me. I also hate when protagonists stumble into the perfect, high-paying dream job/alternative career without having to do any work. (but maybe I am just jealous)
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that I might know which book you're referring to. This book annoyed me because I kept thinking "Why can't he just..." It really frustrated me.
ReplyDeletePlot holes are irritating because they distract me. I'm so focused on the problem that the rest of the novel slips by. Not good.
Plot holes suck. Bane of my fantasy writing existence. Every time I turn around, there seems to be a new one--sometimes totally in my head because I'm just too tired to see that there actually is an explanation. But it really stinks to find plot holes in books you're reading because it's already set in stone!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know I’ve awarded you the Sunshine Blog Award for being an inspiring blogger who helps spread the sunshine. Please see my blog post for more details. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love that image. Wow. The colors are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I think I just started the book you're referencing because my first thought was why doesn't he just move?
ReplyDeleteTemperature is not a good trigger. Maybe something to do with the moon cycles would've been better??
Argh yes I absolutely agree with Natalie - when characters should simply go to the police but instead they decide to jump in and ruin everything further. Great. I shout at the page whenever I see this nonsense happening.
ReplyDeleteYour unicorn analogy was wonderful.
I'm annoyed by plot vacuums. Books where there should be a plot, but it's been sucked through a black hole and left me with a cold empty void scattered with a few sparkly bits in the distance. I just finished a book that ended without really resolving any of the conflict the author seemed to be setting up. Either I was reading more into the book than the author ever intended, or the woman got bored with her own novel and ended it two chapters too soon. I'll continue the nice trend and not mention titles, but beware free books for the Amazon Kindle that were written less than a hundred years ago. (Ah, well. You get what you pay for, right?) ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I know what book you're talking about and the author actually DOES come up with an explanation for that temperature-related plot hole. Give it a chance, people. Read the whole book first. I thought of the same thing while I was still reading the book, but I kept an open mind and waited for her to explain it. Her explanation does stretch your suspension of disbelief just a tad, but ultimately it works.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the second book (not yet pubbed), you find out all kinds of things that explain it better (if I'm wrong, I apologize, but when you said temperature I felt it was a giveaway). The book is so well-written, and I was so caught up in that escapist world, that I could forgive the straining of the plot. I'm trying to write a fantasy novel myself, and I realize how darned difficult writing is, so I'm certainly not going to criticize another writer who managed to get published for one slight problem in the plot. Now, those vampire books on the other hand...
In other books, though, those "why don't they call the police/their parents/some adult authority" moments always get me, too.
Ha! Belize's Blue Hole is sort of in my book. Does that make it a plot hole? :) Yes, I hate when things are obvious to me. Makes you feel like the author doesn't think much of you.
ReplyDeletePlot holes, snags and making them line up is, for me, the hardest part of writing a novel.
ReplyDeleteAlso the easiest thing for me to spot and fix when readign someone elses novel.
This is the precise reason for having excellent beta readers and a good editor.
This is my first time here. I'm adding you to my rss feed reader. I will be back.
Great blog!
This is precisely the reason I have a hard time finishing a story. I seem to catch every little hole and if I can't smooth it over with my metaphorical literary putty, then I stop. Ugh, writing is sooooooo not as easy as some people pretend that it is!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I really want to know what book it was you are referring to. You are allowed to not like something. It's all opinion anyway.
Please email me the book you don't like!! I want to know sooooo bad I'm shaking and my laptop is getting angry.
ReplyDeleteI have my own pet peeves with stories but I realized a long time ago that people with probably say something negative about my book when (notice the forward thinking) my book is published. Books are like people and people are like fruit, not everyone likes pineapples. :) Maybe I'll write a pineapple, maybe I'll write a banana. Regardless, someone out there will love it and someone will hate it.
Great post Karen! I hate it when the love interest/hero shows up just in the nick of time to save the heroine when there is no reason for him to be there other than the fact that he's stalking her. Sound familiar?
ReplyDeleteI really did love this post! Also there is an award waiting for you at my blog. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://hayleys-hollow.blogspot.com/2010/03/award.html
Great post...although I'm totally distracted because I want to go to Belize....
ReplyDeleteOooh, plot holes!
ReplyDeleteI left something small for you on my blog, (though I'm sure you have it/them already).
Good post.
ReplyDeleteI often miss plot holes the first time around, because it all made sense in my head. Then, on revision, a little voice in the back goes, "Well, wait, why don't they just do this other, simpler thing?" Then I have to add things to explain why Simpler Thing doesn't work. Definitely takes work.
This wasn't my get, but a friend asked me one day, "Okay, so, in Twilight, if Edward can't make blood, sweat, tears, or any other bodily fluid, how did he knock a girl up?" I was stumped by that one.
Was it Shiver, by any chance? I just did an analysis of writing craft in this book, on my blog, and it a few plot holes...
ReplyDelete