Does anyone have experience when it comes to story execution and plot holes? How does one identify plot holes when it comes to writing fiction? One might write a true story and there are still plot holes that make the story become unbelievable. I feel that revision doesn’t help improve the story either as this does not help. The only advantage I see in the rewriting process is proofreading. And how does on know when to research a story if he/she can’t identify plot holes? Likewise, how does one go about story execution as well?
I fill them in as I write, because I notice them so much in books, especially TV, that I'm tuned to them.
Story execution like giving up on a story? Or story execution like crafting and completing a story? Execute the story when theres no chance of salvaging the current story (make sure to save the draft, it could be useful later). If you're talking about how to WRITE a story, just read every post on this website until you have a pretty good idea. Also, just write the first draft. Plot holes will be apparent when you re-read it before doing your first edit. Just fill them in as you notice them.
Some plot problems will be noticed as you work on the story. More so if you think carefully about each character's motivations. If you outline, you may need to outline from each POV even though you only write one. This technique can help point out cardboard characters (especially villains) who don't have adequate reason for their actions. In a complicated plot, there may be timing issues. I look for those by making a timeline chart, with parallel lines for each major character. I note events on the timeline and draw arrows from when one character does something to when another character finds out about it. This sort of analysis points out instances where people don't have enough time to get from point A to point B and where they appear to react to something before they could have heard of it. Other problems may not occur to you but to reviewers. That's as important a function for reviewers who read the whole piece as commenting on voice, descriptions, dialog, show/tell, grammar, etc. People with a wide background may pick up anachronisms in a story set in our world prior decades, violations of physics in a "real-world" story, wrong language attributed to a small country, wrong terminology and slang in a military setting, etc. Stuff you didn't think to research enough.
google.com It proves itself a valuable resource when writing, because no one is an expert on everything. When I don't know how to describe something, if it exists, I find an image of it and then run with it. As for story execution, as you get better, and grow in confidence, you'll learn how to write stories without holes in them. One option as a writer is to deliberately leave them, or paint yourself into a corner, leaving a small escape route, to play with the reader/viewer's head. Stephen Moffat, the executive producer and lead writer for Dr. Who is good for this. If a story doesn't work, then execute it, or break up the plot into something simpler. I've done that with a novel that I tried earlier, so I put it aside and have written two novels ahead of it in the time line. It allows you a chance to get your world set, and things in place before hitting that point.
In writing the first draft of my novel I over-looked a glaring plot-hole. There may be more but this one stood out when I started going over each chapter for the 2nd draft. Discovered that I needed to fill that in to allow the story to have more cohesion and flow. Thus ended up adding 2 additional chapters to keep the narrative going. I'm more careful now and while it's tedious at times, I at least get the satisfaction knowing that my reader won't end up scratching their head and say "huh?" "What?" It helps to have others read and give you critical feedback as you go. They're more likely to discover the holes you left behind than you are. My first novel was written as a weekly serial for a discussion forum much like this one. The feedback I got from each chapter was very helpful and encouraging. One member had far more experience in a field I was writing about and their feedback and correction(s) were immensely valuable to me. When I get published I'm sending him a signed copy of the hard-back, it was well earned.
What? You must write on an entirely different level than most anyone I know or have even heard of. I hope this comment is strictly speaking about identifying plot holes? I recommend giving a few people you trust a copy of your story. They will ask questions you won't and spot mistakes you'll miss. This is vital for anything you're writing, whether it's a story or an essay.
Plotholes can often be solved with a simple line or dialogue. Depending on what it was (I'm thinking of The Terminator time travel plothole), sometime the reader will just go with the flow. If it is going to be a factually watertight story, then the facts need to be right. I just finished a story and afterwards realised the timeline and distance travelled in it did not make sense. These were big parts of the story, and factually incorrect. There is also a scene where someone turns into something supernatural, but as the characters in the story had not got a clue what caused it, I didn't need to explain why. So the reader thinking "Eh, what the hell caused that man to change into a monster?", is fine, but if the reader thought "Eh, he travelled thirty miles in six minutes on foot?", they would probably put the book down. Thats my take on it anyway. Getting someone else to read it is useful as well. MY friend read mine and asked me questions he dind't get about it.
