Plot Holes: How to Spot, Prevent, and Patch Them

By georgelthomas on 14 Jul 2026 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today, I’m talking plot holes. I’m examining what they are, why they occur, and how you can address them when they inevitably do. So, without further ado, let’s explore!

Plot Holes: How to Spot, Prevent, and Patch Them

Few things pull a reader out of a story faster than a plot hole.

One moment, they’re immersed. Next, they’re frowning at the page, thinking Hang on a minute… why would that happen? Or worse: That doesn’t make any sense at all!

So…

What Is a Plot Hole Really?

Plot holes aren’t always dramatic contradictions. More often, they’re small cracks in logic, motivation, or cause-and-effect — the kind that quietly erode trust in your readers over time. They may forgive a tiny bit of illogicality, but don’tcount on it!

The good news is that most plot holes are fixable more often than not, especially if you know what to look out for.

Those breaks in logic can look like:

Characters behaving in ways they shouldn’t or acting against motivations you’ve previously clearly laid out
Events happening without a good reason
Missing information that the reader requires to follow the chain of events
Outcomes that rely on coincidence rather than characters’ choices

In short: if something happens because the plot needs it to, rather than because the story has earned it, you’re probably looking at a plot hole.

How Plot Holes Happen in the First Place

When We Write Without a Destination
You don’t necessarily need a detailed outline, but you do need a sense of where the story is heading.

Without direction, writers often force resolutions that haven’t been adequately prepared for.

When We Protect a Favourite Moment
We all have those scenes that are exciting to write; the ones where the drama is high and the emotions are flowing all over the page — scenes we’ve worked hard on, love and want in the book, no matter what.

The problem is, if that scene doesn’t arise naturally from the story, or if we try to force it, it will create stress fractures around it.

Letting Plot Override Character
When events dictate behaviour instead of the other way around, logic collapses and with it, your credibility with your readers.

How to Spot Plot Holes
Most plot holes are invisible to the person who wrote them.
As the author, you are familiar with the backstory. You know the intention. You know what should connect all the dots — even if it never quite makes it onto the page.

However, your readers don’t have any of that context. They only have what you share with them.

That gap between what you intend to share with your readers and what you actually share is where plot holes live.

Here are some reliable ways to spot them:

Track Cause and Effect
For every major event in your story, ask yourself:

What caused this to happen?
Why does it happen now?
What changes because of it?

If an event doesn’t clearly grow out of what came before, or doesn’t meaningfully affect what follows, there’s likely a gap.

Interrogate Character Choices
As I hinted at earlier, characters are the engine of plot, and when they make decisions, those decisions must be:

understandable given what they know
consistent with who they are
connected to a clear want or fear

If a character does something purely to move the story along, readers will feel it — even if they can’t articulate why, and it will be jarring and pull them from the story.

Watch for Convenient Timing
Coincidences can get characters into trouble, but they shouldn’t get them out of it.
If the solution arrives at exactly the right moment, ask yourself whether you’ve replaced cause-and-effect with “luck”. If you have, you may need to rework the scene.

Look for Skipped Steps
As writers, we often compress the parts of the story we understand best.
If you jump from problem to solution without showing the work in between, readers may feel like they’ve missed something — because they have.

How to Patch Plot Holes (Without Rewriting Everything)

First, don’t panic! Not every plot hole requires major surgery. Here are a few ways to help with the patching:

Strengthen Motivation
Before adding new events, clarify why existing ones happen.
A single line revealing a fear, desire, or constraint can repair an entire sequence.

Seed Information Earlier
Many plot holes are really information problems.
If a solution feels unearned, ask whether the groundwork was laid early enough. Often, the fix is as simple as planting a hint, rule, or limitation earlier in the story.

Raise the Stakes
If something feels too easy, then it more than likely is.Adding consequences — emotional, physical, or moral — can restore logic without changing the plot itself.

Let the Character Pay for their Choices
When outcomes seem convenient, consider whether the character has sacrificed anything meaningful to achieve them.

Cost creates logic, and it also lends itself to compelling storytelling.

Here’s A Simple Plot Hole Checklist
When you’re revising your story, ask yourself:

Does every major event have a clear cause?
Are character decisions consistent with their wants and fears?
Is information revealed before it’s needed?
Do solutions arise from choice rather than coincidence?
Does success come at a cost?

If you can answer yes to most of these, you’re probably doing fairly well and have a nice, well-structured plot.

Overall, remember, plot holes aren’t a sign that you’re a bad writer.
They’re merely a sign that your story is missing some pieces which are large enough to strain its logic. But plot holes aren’t the end of the world. You’ve got this. You can put your thinking cap on and work it out!

As ever, I hope you’ve found this helpful! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

George