Definition
A plot hole is an error in storytelling where events, character behavior, or established rules contradict each other or defy the logic the story has set up. They range from minor continuity slips to story-breaking gaps that unravel the entire premise. Readers might forgive small ones, but major plot holes pull them out of the story entirely.
Why It Matters
Readers are constantly building a mental model of your story. Every plot hole chips away at that model and weakens their immersion. Even readers who can't name the exact problem will feel something is off, and that vague unease erodes their trust in you as a storyteller.
Types of Plot Hole
Famous Examples
The 'why didn't the Eagles fly them to Mordor' debate is perhaps the most famous alleged plot hole in fiction, though Tolkien fans have spent decades arguing it isn't actually one.
The Marauder's Map should have shown Peter Pettigrew sleeping in Ron's bed every night for years, yet nobody noticed until the plot needed them to.
Bruce Wayne returns to a locked-down Gotham with no money, no resources, and no explanation of how he slipped past the military blockade.
Common Mistakes
Not everything needs to be explained. A plot hole is a contradiction, not a mystery. Leaving some things to the reader's imagination is intentional craft, not sloppy writing.
Patching a hole with a paragraph of explanation often creates clunky prose. Sometimes the better fix is restructuring the scene so the contradiction never arises.
Track your story's facts as you draft. A simple story bible or running notes document prevents most plot holes from forming in the first place.
Readers notice. Maybe not every reader, but the ones who do will lose trust in the rest of your story. Small holes tend to cluster around bigger structural problems.
Try It Yourself
Choose a pivotal scene in your current manuscript and list every fact it depends on: character knowledge, physical locations, timeline, and established rules. Then search your earlier chapters for each fact. Note any contradictions you find and draft a fix for the most serious one.
How many plot holes are hiding in your manuscript?
Novelium's Consistency Guardian cross-references character details, timeline events, and world rules across your entire manuscript. It catches the contradictions that slip past even careful rereading, so your readers never have to.