5 Common Plot Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Summary

This video script offers a comprehensive guide to avoiding common plot pitfalls in novel writing. It identifies five key mistakes: convenient discoveries, vague timelines, narrative rabbit holes, lack of cohesion, and the snowball effect. The script provides practical advice on how to fix these issues, ensuring a compelling and believable plot that hooks readers from start to finish. The tips are aimed at enhancing the narrative flow and maintaining reader interest throughout the novel.

Takeaways

• 📚 A compelling and logical plot is crucial for engaging readers throughout a novel.
• 🔍 Avoiding 'convenient discoveries' helps maintain the story's believability; limit them to critical plot points.
• ⏳ Clarifying the timeline by indicating the passage of time at the start of chapters prevents reader confusion.
• 🚧 Steering clear of 'rabbit holes', or narrative diversions, ensures the story remains focused and engaging.
• 🔗 Ensuring 'cohesion' between different parts of the story prevents a disjointed reading experience.
• 🔄 Major plot shifts, like changing character perspectives or time jumps, should be introduced gradually to maintain reader interest.
• ❄️ The 'snowball effect', where revelations pile up towards the end, can overwhelm readers; space them out for clarity.
• 🔍 Revising with a 'fine-tooth comb' can help identify and enrich complex or challenging plot points.
• 📈 Use beta readers or editors to gain an outside perspective on potential plot issues that might not be apparent to the writer.
• 📝 After the climax, provide 'falling action' to show character evolution and reactions to the story's events.

Q & A

What are the five common plot mistakes mentioned in the script?

The five common plot mistakes mentioned are: 1) Convenient discoveries, 2) Vague timeline, 3) Rabbit holes, 4) Lack of cohesion, and 5) The snowball effect.

How can writers fix the issue of convenient discoveries in their plots?

Writers can fix convenient discoveries by limiting them to only the most critical moments and making the plot more complex or challenging where possible to maintain believability.

What is a vague timeline in a novel and how can it be fixed?

A vague timeline occurs when it's unclear when events are taking place in relation to each other. It can be fixed by clearly signaling the passage of time at the start of chapters or sections, or using dates in chapter headings.

What are 'rabbit holes' in a novel and how should they be addressed?

'Rabbit holes' refer to narrative diversions from the main storyline. They should be addressed by omitting them or having a third-party perspective, like a beta reader or editor, to identify and remove unnecessary diversions.

How can a lack of cohesion in a novel's plot be identified and resolved?

A lack of cohesion is identified when the first part of the story significantly differs from the rest. It can be resolved by ensuring a cohesive plotline from beginning to end, possibly by interweaving storylines earlier in the novel.

What is the 'snowball effect' in a novel's plot and how can it be managed?

The 'snowball effect' refers to a series of reveals or twists that build on each other rapidly, overwhelming the reader. It can be managed by spacing out these revelations and giving each its due time on the page.

Why is it important for a novel's plot to flow smoothly and effectively?

A smoothly flowing and effective plot is critical to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end, ensuring their interest and maintaining the story's authenticity and believability.

How can a writer ensure their plot maintains reader interest throughout the novel?

A writer can ensure reader interest by avoiding common plot mistakes, creating a cohesive storyline, and providing clear and engaging developments that logically progress from the beginning to the end of the novel.

What role can beta readers or professional editors play in identifying and fixing plot issues?

Beta readers or professional editors can provide an objective third-party perspective to identify plot issues such as rabbit holes or lack of cohesion, helping the writer make necessary revisions for a stronger narrative.

How can a writer signal the passage of time in their novel to avoid confusion?

A writer can signal the passage of time by using explicit language at the start of chapters or sections, or by incorporating dates or years in chapter headings if the timeline is crucial to the story.

What is the significance of having a clear and consistent timeline in a novel?

A clear and consistent timeline is significant as it helps the reader follow the plot developments and understand the sequence of events, which is crucial for maintaining the story's coherence and the reader's engagement.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Common Plot Mistakes in Novel Writing

This paragraph discusses the importance of a solid and engaging plot in novels and introduces the five common plot mistakes that the author often encounters during novel editing. The author emphasizes the significance of a smooth and effective plot for maintaining reader interest and offers tips to fix these mistakes. The paragraph also encourages writers to subscribe for more novel writing and publishing advice.

05:02

🔍 Identifying and Fixing Plot Mistakes

The paragraph delves into the first plot mistake: 'convenient discoveries,' where characters find crucial information too easily, affecting the story's believability. The author suggests limiting such discoveries to critical plot points and making them more complex. The second mistake is a 'vague timeline,' which confuses readers about the sequence of events. Solutions include using clear language or dates in chapter headings to signal time progression. The paragraph aims to help writers identify and correct these issues to improve their novels' plot structure.

10:02

🐇 Avoiding 'Rabbit Holes' and Ensuring Cohesion

The second paragraph continues by discussing 'rabbit holes,' which are narrative diversions from the main storyline that can disrupt the flow and reader engagement. The author advises omitting unnecessary diversions to maintain focus. The next issue is 'lack of cohesion,' where the novel's first and second halves feel disconnected, potentially leading to reader disappointment. The author recommends restructuring the plot for a cohesive narrative or interweaving storylines from the beginning to prevent this. The paragraph aims to guide writers in creating a unified and engaging story.

❄️ Managing the 'Snowball Effect' in Plot Climaxes

The final paragraph addresses the 'snowball effect,' where multiple plot revelations pile up towards the end of the novel, overwhelming the reader. The author illustrates how too many twists can make the climax feel unearned and the plot out of control. To fix this, the author suggests spacing out revelations to give readers time to process each one, ensuring a satisfying and believable conclusion. The paragraph concludes with advice on providing some falling action to show character evolution post-climax, aiming to help writers craft a more effective and enjoyable ending.

Keywords

💡Plot

A plot in literature refers to the sequence of events that make up a story. In the context of the video, the plot is central to engaging the reader and ensuring the novel is coherent and compelling. The script emphasizes the importance of a solid plot to hook the reader from the beginning to the end, highlighting that a well-crafted plot is a major component of a good novel.

💡Convenient Discoveries

Convenient discoveries are plot devices where characters find or stumble upon information or items that conveniently advance the story. The video warns against overusing these as they can undermine the believability of the story. An example from the script is a character finding a long-lost letter or diary that reveals important secrets, which, if overused, can make the plot feel less authentic.

💡Timeline

A clear timeline is crucial for following the progression of events in a novel. The video discusses the issue of a vague timeline, where it's unclear how much time has passed between scenes, which can confuse readers. To fix this, the script suggests signaling the passage of time at the start of chapters or using dates in chapter headings to maintain clarity.

💡Rabbit Holes

Rabbit holes in a narrative refer to detours from the main storyline that may not contribute significantly to the plot. The video describes these as divergences that can distract the reader and slow the narrative's pace. An example given is a backstory of a secondary character that doesn't tie back to the main plot, which should be omitted to maintain narrative focus.

💡Cohesion

Cohesion in a novel means that the different parts of the story are connected and flow together logically. The video addresses the issue of lack of cohesion, where the beginning of the story doesn't relate to the rest of the book, which can disorient the reader. To fix this, the script suggests ensuring a consistent plotline throughout the novel or cleverly interweaving storylines from the start.

💡Snowball Effect

The snowball effect in the context of the video refers to a series of revelations or plot twists that build upon each other rapidly, potentially overwhelming the reader. The script advises spacing out these revelations to give the reader time to process each one, ensuring a satisfying and believable climax to the story.

💡Believability

Believability pertains to the authenticity and plausibility of the events and characters in a story. The video stresses the importance of maintaining believability by limiting convenient discoveries and ensuring that the plot developments are credible. This helps the reader remain engaged and invested in the story.

💡Climax

The climax of a novel is the turning point where the conflict reaches its peak and is resolved. The video discusses the danger of too many plot twists in the climax, which can lead to a snowball effect and diminish the impact. The script advises spacing out revelations to build to a satisfying and comprehensible climax.

💡Falling Action

Falling action occurs after the climax and leads to the resolution of the story. The video suggests including some falling action to wrap up the story, showing how characters react to the events and changes that have occurred. This provides a sense of closure and allows the reader to see the aftermath of the climax.

💡Beta Reader

A beta reader is someone who reads a manuscript and provides feedback before publication. The video mentions employing a beta reader or a professional editor to help identify and eliminate rabbit holes in the narrative. This external perspective can be invaluable for recognizing areas of the story that may distract from the main plot.

Highlights

Ensuring an engaging plot is crucial for hooking readers in a novel.

Five common plot mistakes in novels are identified with tips to fix them.

Convenient discoveries, such as finding a long-lost letter, can be too coincidental.

Limit convenient discoveries to maintain the story's believability.

To enrich the plot, make convenient discoveries more complex or challenging.

A vague timeline can confuse readers and disrupt the flow of the story.

Use clear time markers at the start of chapters or sections to fix timeline issues.

Inconsistent chapter headings with dates can mislead readers about the timeline.

Rabbit holes, or divergent storylines, can distract from the main plot.

Omitting or revising rabbit holes can improve narrative flow.

Lack of cohesion between the first and second halves of a novel can disengage readers.

Interweaving storylines from the start can create cohesion throughout the novel.

The snowball effect, where revelations pile up, can overwhelm readers.

Spacing out revelations and providing reflection time can enhance the climax.

Including falling action after the climax helps provide closure for the reader.

Editing for plot mistakes can strengthen a manuscript's overall quality.

Engaging with the writing community can provide further insights and support.

Transcripts

a major component of writing a good

novel

is ensuring you have an interesting

solid engaging

plot that makes sense and really hooks

the reader

but that said plotting a novel can be

really challenging so today i'm going to

walk you through

the five most common plot mistakes that

i see

whenever i am editing novels and offer

you some tips on how to fix them because

ensuring that your plot flows smoothly

and effectively

is going to be extremely critical to

ensure that you

are keeping your reader interested from

the very beginning to the end

if you are working on a book consider

subscribing to my channel i offer a lot

of tips on how to

write novels especially as well as

publishing advice if you are hoping to

eventually bring your book into the

world

so let's dive right in with the first

plot mistake that i often see it is

convenient

discoveries so what i mean by this is

a character finding a long lost letter

or

a newspaper clipping that has a really

interesting tidbit of information that

pertains to their story

or maybe they stumble across a diary of

someone

that is important to them and it reveals

you know all kinds of juicy secrets

this could also be a character

conveniently running into someone

on the street and then the events of the

novel ensue from there

or someone randomly showing up at the

door at the exact perfect time

we see these types of convenient

discoveries in thrillers especially

just because there are often you know

different dominoes that have to fall in

thrillers in order for

the main point of suspense to unravel

however

all novels will have some of these

convenient elements in them and i want

to say

that having elements of convenience in

your plot is going to be a necessity

on some level i'm not saying that you

have to eliminate every element of

convenience or

every little convenient discovery that

you find in your manuscript what it's

about is

limiting those convenient discoveries so

that you can help maintain the

believability of your story because what

happens is

if you have too many of these you know

random sightings or you have too many of

these

really exciting things that the

characters just happen to stumble across

that's going to start to chip away at

your reader feeling like this is really

authentic and believable you just want

to make sure that you only limit them to

the moments that are extremely critical

to the plot and you cannot have them

happen in any other way

so what you're going to do to fix these

convenient discoveries

is go through your novel with a

fine-tooth comb

and determine where you can make a

convenient discovery

actually more complex or more

challenging what this is going to do

is it could actually enrich the plot

even further and make you explore an

avenue that maybe you haven't

and will add depth to the story and on

top of that it is going to

ultimately make the story more

believable because you're going to be

relying less and less on those chance

circumstances

the second plotting mistake i want to

talk about is a

vague timeline this happens when it's

really unclear when events in the novel

are taking place in relation to each

other

or it's unclear how much time has passed

between two subsequent scenes

this ultimately makes it really

difficult to follow the developments in

the plot

and the reader can just get mixed up in

their head and not really understand

how things are unfolding on the timeline

so

how you're going to fix this is at the

start of every single chapter or section

break

if you don't have delineated chapters

try to incorporate language that signals

the passing of time to the reader

so one example would be it had been

three months since i got the job so then

we know okay

we saw the character get that job you

know however many pages earlier

and we know that this scene happening

now is taking place three months after

that

and in some cases especially if time

plays a really important role in the

novel

and you need the reader to be able to

keep track of it or if the novel takes

place over a really significant amount

of time like

you know years or decades it can also be

really effective to use dates

and or years in the chapter headings

themselves again if you are using

chapters

what this would look like is you would

have chapter one and then right under it

it would say 1912.

we immediately know that this chapter is

taking place in 1912

and what that will do is then eliminate

the need for you to use that language

that i gave the example of to delineate

the passage of time you won't have to

then start the paragraph with

it was 1912 and so and so did this

because the reader already is going to

know it's 1912 because you included it

right in the chapter heading however if

you do go this route i caution you to

make sure you are consistent with it and

you

always always have the chapter heading

with the year or the date attached to it

because once you establish that as

something you're going to provide to the

reader the reader's going to rely on it

so if you have it in chapter 1 it says

1912

and then you go to chapter 2 the reader

needs to know is that also in 1912 or

are we now in 1914 for instance so just

be super consistent and reliable with it

if you do go that route

the next plotting mistake i want to talk

about is

one i see in probably every single novel

it's what i call rabbit holes this is

when the narrative

diverges from the main storyline to

discuss something else

for some amount of time it could be just

for one paragraph or

maybe in the worst cases several pages

or even a chapter

where it just isn't consistent with the

main storyline and it doesn't seem

significant or related

this could look like diving into a

secondary character's backstory

but that backstory doesn't actually

relate back to the main storyline in a

significant way

or it could look like you diverging to

provide a bunch of historical or

background context if it's a historical

fiction novel for example

this might be super interesting to you

and maybe you want to dive in

and tell the reader everything about the

year 1912 and what was going on in the

world at that time

but to the reader that could really just

feel distracting and feel like a

divergence from the storyline that

they're trying to follow

this might also appear as some type of

flashback that one of the characters is

having

or a dream sequence that actually

doesn't illuminate anything

significant to the main events of the

plot

the way to fix these is very

straightforward in most cases

it's going to be to omit them and i know

how difficult it can be to kill your

darlings so

you might need to employ a beta reader

or a professional editor

to help you identify those areas that

are going down rabbit holes

because to you they likely don't feel

like rabbit holes you wrote them for a

reason

but seeing it from that third party

perspective will help you identify them

and then you'll see once you cut them

out the narrative is going to flow much

more smoothly and swiftly the next plot

mistake i want to walk you through

is lack of cohesion what i mean by this

is that the first part of the story

maybe the first third or the first half

looks nothing like the rest of the book

so this could happen

if for instance you introduce a second

character perspective

one third or halfway through the novel

or if you potentially jump

really far ahead in time periods so

maybe the first

half of the novel takes place when the

protagonist is in high school

and then the second half you flip

forward to when they are actually an

adult

why this becomes an issue and why it

feels like a lack of cohesion

is because remember your reader is going

to become

invested in whatever you present to them

in those very first pages

so they're going to dive into this

character story

dive into what's going on in the

beginning part of the novel

and then they're gonna feel a little bit

cheated if the novel actually takes an

entirely different direction

that they didn't see coming when they

first were getting immersed in the story

in its beginnings

so fixing this can be a tough one

because it is often going to require

some major restructuring

so think about your novel and think

about what the first half looks like

what the focus areas are

and then think about what the second

half is and make sure that there is a

cohesive

crescendo of a plot line there make sure

that they don't feel like

two separate novels because that can be

an issue as well

you may end up realizing that you have

to actually lean

into one part of the story and omit the

other one entirely or save it for a

sequel maybe

or alternatively you might have to

cleverly switch between the storylines

earlier in the novel so let me give you

an example say

that the first half of your novel is

from

one character's perspective and the

second half of the novel

is from their sister's perspective what

you're going to do

is instead of having it be this

character and then their sister

it might make sense to from the very

beginning of the novel have that

main character and then the sister and

then the main character and the sister

and have their story lines interweave

and mingle in that way

what that's going to do is from the very

beginning when they are

diving into the book the reader is

already gonna know oh okay this is about

this character and their sister

both of them rather than in the original

plot structure you get the reader

extremely invested in

that first character and they're going

to think they're the only protagonist

so whenever the novel switches to

talking about the sister and showing her

point of view

they're going to be like i don't really

care about the sister i just read a

hundred pages from this other

character's perspective what happened to

them so try to think about it from the

reader's perspective what are they going

to be most interested in

what are you talking about in your first

50 pages and make sure that there

is a cohesiveness from beginning to end

so you don't disrupt the reader's

experience in that way

the last plotting mistake that i often

see

in writer's manuscripts is what i call

the snowball effect

what i mean here is reveals usually in

the like last third or last quarter of

the novel

that build on one another and get bigger

and bigger and bigger like a snowball

until they are just completely out of

control and the reader can really no

longer follow

what's actually happening what's

happening here is that you as the writer

are

trying to make a really awesome plot

climax right

you're trying to show the reader all of

these twists and turns and all of these

revelations

and make this really really exciting

read that you know

we've been building up to for the

entirety of the novel up to that point

however the way you're coming at it is

almost too strong

and you're not giving each of the

revelations their own breathing room

for the reader to really understand and

reflect on the implications

so it just results in the reader getting

overwhelmed and then feeling like those

revelations weren't really earned

it might be easier to again use an

example to kind of illustrate this

say that the biggest climactic point and

biggest twist in your novel

is the moment that two characters find

out they're related that's cool

and then they discovered that they're

siblings okay so that's another

revelation that the readers now having

to grapple with

and then they discover that they're

twins and then it just kind of feels

like

that snowball effect again is just

building and building and now there's

kind of three revelations that we're

having to grapple with all at once

instead of taking each of those

piecemeal and understanding them one by

one

this approach runs the risk of the

reader feeling like

the ending just didn't deliver that

satisfying conclusion that they were

looking for

they might say something like the ending

just really wasn't believable when all

of those things started happening at

once

or they might say it felt like the plot

got out of control in the last third

so you want to make sure that you do fix

this so that the reader feels like that

most climactic point of your novel is

also the most exciting

so what you're going to do in this

situation is really space out those

revelations

make sure that they're given their due

time on the page

have the characters reflect on them talk

about them think about them internally

before you hit the reader with another

revelation and then lastly whenever all

of the reveals are out on the table and

you know

the climax of the novel is over make

sure you do have a little bit of falling

action it doesn't have to be a ton

but just some closing passages that sum

everything up and show us how the

characters

have evolved and how they are reacting

to the changes that they have seen

over the course of the novel so i hope

me calling out these mistakes helps you

go back into your manuscript and see if

maybe you're falling into some of these

same errors

and ultimately i hope it helps you

strengthen your manuscript and feel

great about the plot that you've

developed and let me know in the

comments below if you've noticed any of

these similar mistakes in your book or

if you're having any other issues with

plot i'd love to

have a dialogue and hear about what

you're working on and if you have a

draft and you're in the process

of going back through and potentially

editing it i recommend checking out my

video on

mistakes that you can catch when you're

self-editing your own book if you found

this video helpful

it would mean a lot to me if you hit

that like button below as well as

subscribe to my channel

every week i post a new video either

with writing tips like this one on how

to strengthen your book or

tips on how to go about getting

published if that is something that

you're interested in down the line

thanks so much for watching and happy

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