Back Fill Those Plot Holes

It's not uncommon to have a plot either in outline for or first draft form, where your characters are doing what they need to do for the story to unfold. But the reasons might be weak, or non-existent, and you want to find a way to make it all seem logical.

I ran into one of these the other day.

I had a scene in which Nya and the gang return to discover something they'd stolen was missing. (Sorry for being vague, but no spoilers!) But the reason for it was flimsy, and it really stretched credibility for things to unfold as they did. What I needed was a solid plot reason for this to happen as I needed it to.

So I looked back to find that reason.

Often you can change a detail in a previous scene so that a later scene makes sense. In this case, what was stolen was basically junk (to all by Nya) and not something anyone would notice. But what if I made it something of value? Something someone later would be happy to take? Something that fit perfectly with the reasons for taking it?

A few keystrokes later and my scene worked as intended. Better still, that tiny change gave me another idea that made the reason for the missing item even better, and helped connect future scenes.

Things to Look for to Back Fill Your Plot:

1. Is there a previous event or situation that can affect the problem scene?
Chances are your scene doesn't exist in a vacuum. Something had to happen for your characters to be at this point. Go back and look at each of the key scenes that led them in this direction. Is there anything you can do to nudge things in the right direction?

2. Can a character act differently somewhere and change the outcome?
A simple choice can change how a situation later unfolds. This is especially true if the problem scene involves an item of some type, or a piece of information. Having a character find or learn something early on that can simmer in the reader's mind until it's needed can set up what you need to have happen without it feeling contrived.

3. What variables need to work together to achieve the desired result?
Sometimes we just need to step back from the scene and look at it objectively. Forget what you wrote or planned. Ask yourself what steps need to happen for this scene to work. Then look back and see if there are any places where any of those steps might take place.

4. Don't be afraid to change things.
Once you've written something down, it can be hard to change it, but all you're really doing is connecting the dots of the same story. Give yourself the freedom to think about how a change affects scenes down the road. Sometimes that road is better than the one you were on. If it's not, you've lost nothing by thinking about it.

Sometimes it's not the scene that's "broken." It's what came before that scene that is tripping you up. Going back might be just what you need to move forward.

Theme Me Up: How to Develop Your Theme

One of the workshops I went to at the RWA Conference was on theme. It was a fascinating session, because the presenters were romance author Suzanne Brockmann and English professor and literary critic, Sarah Frantz, who studies romance in general, and Brockmann in particular. To see what the reader took away from the book versus what the author intended was quite interesting. They were similar, but not always exact. And that's okay, because everyone takes away something different from a book.

Just like what happened last week's adverb post, some of the things they said made me look at theme in a new light, and made me think about ways to discuss theme that can be directly applied to your work.

There were three nuggets of wisdom I'd like to share, and tell why I personally found them so enlightening.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Edit! How to Start Revising

A commenter asked...

I've been struggling to revise for the past couple months and don't seem to be getting anywhere. I've done very little revising and feel like I'm wandering blindly. Is there any system or particular things to look out for? Any launching pad to get oneself going?

This is a good question, and I talk a lot about revising in general (or specifically) but I've only done one or two "how to start" type posts. Those are:

First Look at a First Draft
This has a lot of advice on things to look for and should be a good first step once you've figured out how you want to start.

How to Be a Good Critiquer
This focuses on things to look for as you crit someone's work, but all the questions also apply to your own work, and are good things to double check yourself and make sure you're doing what needs to be done to tell a great story.

For today, let's take a step back and make sure you're in the right mindset to start revisions. Because I can offer all the advice in the world, but if you aren't sure where to start or what you want to do with your book, none of it will help much.

1. What do you want this book to be?
This may seem like a simple question, but it's more than just a "YA fantasy" or a "futuristic thriller." Do you want it to be funny? Scary? Romantic? A mix of several things? Do you want it to fall into a certain genre or subgenre? (Very important if you plan to submit it). Do you want it to just entertain or do you want folks to think deeper thoughts? If so, what thoughts?

What type of book you want it to be will help guide you on what aspects you want to revise. Adding humor, romance, tightening pacing, upping the tension. A character-driver literary novel will require different things than a hard-core thriller. Just as you wouldn't write them the same, you wouldn't revise them the same. Like adding spice to a meal, you want to find the aspects of your story that you want to bring out.

2. What story are you telling?
You have a core story there, a theme if you will, about something that intrigues you as a writer. I love stories that fall in the gray area, where right and wrong aren't so clear cut, and the stories I write usually involve characters in those situations. So when I start revising, I look for places where I can deeper that theme or idea. What core idea is at the heart of your story? What themes are running through it? (you can have more than one, and more on that later this week) Forget plot, forget characters, forget details specific to your story. Just think about the general underlying story.

This is important because it will likely be the unifying force tying your entire novel together. For The Shifter, it was about folks being trapped in bad situations and having to do bad things to achieve good things. Very simply, does the ends justify the means? You'll find this idea all through the book, and as I revised, I looked at every goal and choice my protag had to make and thought about it in those terms. That helped give the overall novel cohesiveness. It was "about" more than just the plot. Finding your core idea will give you a story compass that will guide you as you revise.

3. Who is this book for?
Your intended audience has varied tastes and needs, and what the middle grade romance lover wants is very different from what the political thriller reader wants. If your reader wants a fast pace, you'd look for places to up the stakes or tension, cut the fat, add more hooks. If your reader is looking for more word pictures or inner journeys, you might look for places to elaborate on setting, build deeper emotions, immerse yourself in the world.

There are also certain things that are common to a genre, that readers expect to see in a book in that genre. Knowing those helps you tailor your story so it satisfies readers wanting a good tale in a particular genre.

And even though we'd like to think our books are for "everyone who loves to read," that's not true. Readers have their own likes and dislikes, and the better we understand who we're targeting, the better we can give them a book they'll love. Trying to be all things to all readers will likely end up a mishmash of bleh that doesn't satisfy anyone.

Once you've figured out the type of book you want it to be, you'll be in a better position to go back to the First Look at a First Draft post and apply those tips to your work. You should (hopefully) have a better idea of the types of things you want to develop and what isn't as important as you first thought.

And my best tip on revising: Figure out the story first and get that right. The words are polished after. Don't worry about adverbs or clunky sentences or even slow scenes until your story is unfolding the way you want it. Once you get it right, then you can polish it til it shines. And you'll know the right words are being polished.

She's Such a Character: Creating Characters

Characters make the story. No matter how intriguing the idea or exciting the plot, if there isn't a character there we care about (even if it's just a little) the rest of it falls flat.

There are all kinds of ways to develop those characters. One of the more common tricks is the character worksheet. I'm sure most of you have seen these. Long lists of questions you fill out that determine physical characteristics, likes, dislikes, history, etc.

Well, these sheets have never worked for me. Details with no context have never helped me get to know my characters, and sometimes they even pigeonhole me into something I came up with because I needed to fill in that slot.

What I've found more useful, is to ask questions about my characters that pertain to their lives. This gives me answers that I can directly apply to my story. Now, it's important for me to point out here that I rarely know the answers to all these questions when I start. I'll know a few key points since those are what's driving my newbie character, but the rest develops as I write the story and watch my characters interact.

There's nothing wrong with starting a story with basic, underdeveloped characters. Part of the fun is discovering who these people are. And sometimes, you don't know the type of person your character needs to be (or is) until you see how the story unfolds.

Things I Find Useful to Know Before I Write

1. What are the critical needs of my character?
Chances are these will be connected to the core conflict of the story. For Nya, it was to stay alive, and to protect her sister. I didn't know that much more about her at the beginning. Knowing a few key needs are important because those needs are probably driving and influencing all of your character's decisions. You want them to be the kind of needs that will help your plot unfold.

2. What are the critical fears of my character?
Knowing what they're afraid of helps you flesh out what your conflicts might be. You won't just pick stuff to throw in their path, you'll pick stuff that will affect them on a deeper level, thus creating a more emotionally layered scene. And seeing how your character reacts to what they fear, helps you learn more about them so you can flesh them out more.

3. Who are their friends?
They say you can tell a lot about a person by who they hang around with, so what types of people are in your characters' lives? What are their key needs and fears? Do they have traits that your character finds appealing or soothing? Annoying or irritating?

4. Who are their enemies?
Who they avoid or can't stand says a lot about them, too. Why do they avoid these people? It's okay for them to have selfish or childish reasons. Not everything your character thinks has to be noble. Stuff that'll cause them trouble is actually a lot more fun, especially if their beliefs are flat out wrong sometimes.

Things I Look for as I Write

1. What personality trait helps them? What hurts them?
This is a different take on the old "strengths and weaknesses" question. I like to look at it as it pertains to the story at hand. What does your character do that usually gets them out of trouble or helps them find their way? What do they do that usually backfires, or gets them into trouble?

Once you've found these traits, ask yourself: "How did the character get that way?"
You'll draw from or create some backstory here, but that's okay. Because odds are, you'll know enough about your character and world now to see where in that world your character would have learned (or not learned) these skills to survive. That might even connect to something else in the story you can use to create more conflict or raise a stake.

2. What do they think is fair? Unfair?
This explores their moral beliefs. What have they found in your story that really ticked them off and made them want to act to fix it? (it doesn't have to be your plot, but it's okay if it is). What has made them happy, or feel safe? Their sense of justice can be found in how they feel about the situations around them.


Once you know that: You'll have a better sense of what they'd be willing to do or not do when faced with these situations, and that'll tell you even more about them.
In fact, knowing how they view justice can even give you ideas on how to put them into situations where those ideas are tested. Forcing them to make tough choices gives you further opportunities for character development, and gives you some nifty scenes to boot.

3. What do they like about their friends? Dislike about them?
Not everyone agrees all the time, especially friends. But the stuff we like and dislike about folks says just as much about us as our friends. These little spots will probably come up naturally as you write, because you're probably looking for places to add conflict or hash out different ideas to keep the tension up. What opinions have you given your characters without even realizing it? Use these to deepen emotions.


Once you know this: You're often more willing to agree to something if you like that person or believe the same thing. Even if that something is "wrong" or goes against the norm. Just like you'll rebel against doing something you disagree with, even if it seems like the most logical way of handling a situation. You can use these feelings to show other sides of your characters, both good and bad, and exploit their flaws and virtues.

4. How do they handle stress?
Some folks are calm under pressure, others fall apart. Since your characters are going to be in some stressful situation (I hope), knowing how they react and why can reveal more about them. Sometimes we naturally react one way, but other times it's because we've had experience or training in some way to handle things--good and bad. And we don't always handle them well.

Once you know this: You'll know the knee-jerk reactions your characters will have when faced with things. That first reaction often determines what they'll do next, which drives your story. It might be tempting to give them reactions that help them and always put them on the right path, but giving them traits that cause them to falter is usually way more interesting. And provides you with more fodder for the story.


Character development is all about throwing your characters into situations and seeing how they react. Sometimes you can decide that ahead of time, but a lot of times it shows up as you write. Don't worry if you don't know everything about a character when you start a story. Get to know them same as a reader would. One page at a time.