Plot holes exist on a spectrum. Some are small enough that a reader will skim past them without a second thought—a character who was holding a coffee cup suddenly isn’t, a door that was locked in one scene is magically open in the next. These are the paper cuts of storytelling: tiny, annoying, but ultimately easy to fix.
Then there are the others. The ones that sit in the center of a story like a collapsed star, pulling everything into their gravity until nothing makes sense anymore. The ones that, once noticed, break the book. You know the kind—where the entire plot hinges on something that simply could not happen. Where the villain’s grand plan falls apart under the lightest scrutiny. Where the world’s rules contradict themselves so completely that you start questioning your own memory of what was established.
These are the plot hole singularities, the kind that don’t just need a quick edit to fix but demand structural reconstruction—sometimes at the cost of entire chapters, characters, or endings. The problem is, writers often don’t see them until the book is nearly done. And when they do, they’re faced with the worst question imaginable: Can this be saved?
The Most Common Types of Plot Holes (And How They Swallow Your Story Whole)
1. The “Wait, That Doesn’t Make Sense” Hole (Logical Contradictions)
This is the easiest one to spot—and the hardest to unsee once you do. It happens when the story violates its own internal logic.
- A character has never been to Paris, except for that one time they had a dramatic breakup in the middle of the Champs-Élysées.
- The murder mystery only works because every character conveniently forgot about security cameras.
- The hero had to go on a dangerous quest for a rare artifact… that was actually available at the local marketplace all along.
Readers catch these instantly. Nothing breaks immersion faster than a moment that makes them stop and think, “Wait, that’s not how that works.” The problem? These issues are usually baked into the foundation of the story. Fixing them means backtracking, rewriting, and making sure that in fixing this problem, you don’t create another contradiction.
Can it be fixed?
If the contradiction is isolated, yes—just rewrite the affected scenes. If the contradiction is holding up the entire book (say, the whole climax depends on a reveal that doesn’t actually make sense), then you’re in deep.
2. The “Why Would They Even Do That?” Hole (Character Motivation Gaps)
Nothing ruins a story faster than a character making a choice that feels forced by the plot instead of driven by their own personality and goals.
- The protagonist swears they’ll never kill… and then slaughters a dozen people with no hesitation.
- The villain’s plan is so convoluted that a simpler, smarter version would have gotten them exactly what they wanted.
- A character changes sides in a conflict, but the reason is so flimsy that it feels like the writer just needed them to switch teams.
People—even fictional ones—need consistent motivation. The second a character does something that doesn’t align with their established values, intelligence, or personality, the story starts feeling fake. Readers might not immediately say, “This is a plot hole,” but they will say, “Something about this feels off.”
Can it be fixed?
Yes—but only if you find a way to make the character’s decision make sense in hindsight. Sometimes this means going back and planting clues earlier in the story. Other times, it means reworking entire relationships or conflicts so the shift feels organic.
3. The “You Just Broke Your Own Rules” Hole (Worldbuilding Inconsistencies)
This is where speculative fiction writers get into the most trouble. The rules of your world have to be consistent. If magic requires years of training, your hero shouldn’t be able to master it overnight “because the plot demands it.” If time travel follows strict limitations, you can’t throw them out in the final act just because you need a dramatic climax.
- The sci-fi tech is impossible to hack… until it suddenly isn’t.
- The villain is completely invincible… until the hero lands a single, arbitrary blow.
- A dystopian society runs on strict, inescapable rules—except for that one guy who just ignores them with no consequences.
Readers will suspend disbelief for almost anything as long as the story plays fair with its own rules. The moment it doesn’t? That’s when they start questioning everything.
Can it be fixed?
Usually, yes. The easiest way is to go back and plant an explanation early on that makes the inconsistency feel intentional rather than accidental. If the world’s rules have to change, acknowledge it in the story itself—show characters struggling with it, questioning it, reacting to it.
4. The “This Was Avoidable” Hole (The Plot That Only Works Because of Artificial Stupidity)
Some plots only happen because every character involved makes the absolute dumbest choice possible.
- The entire conflict could be solved with one honest conversation.
- The protagonist ignores painfully obvious clues because the mystery needs to last 300 pages.
- The villain dies by monologuing for so long that they give the hero time to escape.
This is when the plot relies on characters acting irrationally just to keep things moving. The problem isn’t that characters make mistakes—mistakes are human. The problem is when they make dumb decisions just because the plot needs them to.
Can it be fixed?
Yes, but it requires making the conflict smarter. Give the characters real obstacles to prevent them from solving things too easily. Make sure their decisions make sense given what they know at the time. If they have to make a bad choice, show the reasoning behind it so the reader understands why.
How to Tell If a Plot Hole is Fixable or Fatal
Once you find a plot hole, the question is: Do you need to rebuild everything, or can you just patch it?
- If the issue is self-contained (affecting only a few scenes), you can usually fix it with adjustments.
- If the issue undermines the entire foundation of the story, you might have a full plot hole singularity—one that requires rethinking everything.
The best way to tell? Ask yourself what happens if you remove the problem entirely.
- If the story still works? You probably don’t need a full rewrite.
- If the entire book collapses? Congratulations, you’ve got a singularity.
Final Thoughts: Writing Through the Collapse
No writer wants to find a plot hole after finishing a book. But it happens. A lot. The key is to stay brutal in your editing process. Interrogate your own story like a reader would. If a plot twist only works because of convenience, or a character’s decision feels forced, or a world rule only applies when it’s useful… you’ve got a weak spot.
Fixing a plot hole always hurts, but leaving it in is worse. The best books are the ones that hold up under scrutiny—the ones where, no matter how much you poke and prod, everything holds together.
And if you do hit a plot hole singularity? Well. Sometimes you have to tear down a few walls to build something stronger.
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