Plot Holes Versus Unresolved Threads
Artwork by Celestial Creations
“Once upon a time there lived a woman who sought immortality. The elixir she needed was locked inside a safe at her enemy's mansion. The safe required a six-digit code and a key to open — both were needed, no exceptions.
One night she broke in, found the safe, and opened it with the six-digit code. Inside sat two potions, one red and one blue. She closed her eyes, grabbed the red one, and drank it down in a few seconds.
Her body began to buzz. A faint glow radiated from her skin. She took a knife and cut her hand open, watching the wound seal itself shut before her very eyes.
She was officially immortal.”
But wait—some details in here don’t make sense with the context given.
There are two significant issues present within this passage: A plot hole and an unresolved thread.
Plot holes and unresolved threads are both common in manuscripts and some even make their way through publishing without anyone catching them.
But what exactly are plot holes and unresolved threads and how do we fix them before publishing?
Let’s define these terms and then we’ll come back to this example.
Plot Holes
Have you ever read a book where one minute everything feels on track and the next, it’s like you’ve skipped a whole chapter? You go back and reread the last couple of pages in hopes that you missed something, but nope.
It seems there is a significant flaw that made it past the author and editor—a plot hole.
Plot holes can look like:
Inconsistent Timing: Somehow the story seems to jump forward without any development to support the process. This can also look like characters referencing a time period that does not make sense.
Example: A character references a tragedy that took place 5 years ago but it actually took place 7 years ago.
Inconsistent Character Development: This often looks like a character knowing things they shouldn’t because there is a gap in their storyline.
Example: A character knows the family secret without any details as to how they found out.
Not Using Vital Information: Sometimes ideas that have the potential to change the course of the story are introduced, but they are never used. The story takes a whole different route and leaves out the discovery made.
Example: A character discovers where to go to find the cure for a deadly disease but completely ignores it for seemingly no reason.
Broken Rules: Rules are sometimes established early in the story, but later get violated without an explanation of why. This is especially common in fantasy.
Example: A vampire died when a stake is driven through their heart, but somehow the vampire main character survived when it happened to them.
Unresolved Threads
These are a little harder to catch because they relate more to the details within the story rather than the bigger picture like plot holes. Because they’re harder to catch, they’re usually more common than plot holes as well.
We’ve all read a couple books that felt like a great journey and only after reflecting on it did we realize just how many loose ends were left hanging around.
Unresolved threads might not compromise the plot, but they can definitely affect the reader’s experience.
Unresolved threads can look like:
A character that makes an appearance and is never seen again
Example: A new character pops up out of nowhere, reveals vital information, and then mysteriously disappears, never to be mentioned again in the story.
A subplot that never fully develops (sometimes this is done intentionally to set the scene for the next book in a series)
Example: Two characters start off by having strong romantic chemistry, but it fizzles out halfway through the book or never truly goes anywhere.
Questions that were never answered (Also sometimes done intentionally for the next book or for the reader to draw their own conclusions)
Example: In a mystery, a character asks, “What do these symbols mean?” and the question remains unanswered.
Building suspense and using foreshadowing that doesn’t lead anywhere
Example: “If only Cassidy knew the explosive results of her actions.” But nothing dramatic happens to support that foreshadowing.
Do You Have Your Answers?
Now that we’re all caught up on the difference between plot holes and unresolved threads, let’s go back to the example at the start of this article. Can you identify what the plot hole was and what the unresolved thread was?
The passage said both a passcode and a key were required to open the safe, yet the character somehow only opened it with the passcode. This was the plot hole because it demonstrates a rule that was broken.
The blue elixir was the unresolved thread because it was mentioned and never expanded on. It served no purpose in the scene and left the reader with more questions than answers.
What would the blue elixir have done if the character had taken it? Why bring it up in the first place if the character was going to ignore it?
In a passage this short, it might feel somewhat easy to flag these issues. However, in a manuscript with over twenty-thousand words, it can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The longer the book the better these issues tend to camouflage themselves.
These Flaws Have One Thing in Common
Dissatisfaction. They both often leave the reader feeling confused and dissatisfied after finishing the book.
Plot holes are a structural issue while unresolved threads are missing details that can make a story feel incomplete.
Depending on how significant of a plot hole a story has, readers might stop reading before even finishing the book because they find it hard to follow. Unresolved threads on the other hand can sometimes be an artistic choice from the author, either to allow readers to create their own interpretations, or to follow up with in the next book within the series. However, if you choose to leave loose ends to set the scene for the next book in your series, you should at the very least add foreshadowing at the end of the book to let readers know that it was intentional.
Plot holes and unresolved threads don’t signal a bad writer; they show a writer whose mind is always five steps ahead. Their mind is swirling with ideas of where to take the story, and in excitement, they get these ideas out without connecting them to previous ones already written.
These writers are missing ideas in their stories, not talent. They need strategy, not a whole new plot.
When you’re writing a book, it can become quite easy to miss inconsistencies because in your head, you know exactly how the story plays out. You just aren’t able to effectively communicate those ideas into written language in a way that creates a fluent story.
You’re too immersed in your story. This is why books often go through a line of editors and beta readers before publishing. These individuals are able to read the book from the perspective it’s meant to be read from—a reader who has little to no idea how the story will play out.
Creating a solid structure and reinforcing that structure with details in your writing is usually the hardest part for authors.
If you believe you have developmental issues or would like to resolve or prevent these issues in your writing, book a free consultation with me and we’ll make your piece whole, impactful, and ready to publish.