In this video, I dive into a challenge all writers face at one point in their writing career or another: tackling plot problems that arise midway through writing your novel.
Whether it’s a contrivance, a coincidence, a character acting on knowledge they shouldn’t yet have, or simply something that, in hindsight, doesn’t quite make sense, these issues can derail your story if left unresolved.
Plotting is undeniably hard work. I hope this video gives you some approaches you can use to ensure your plotting is the best it can be.
Jane Cleland here. When you discover a real plot problem—a crucial plot problem—and you’re midway through the novel, do you stop and fix it? Uh, do you give up? What do you do?
You know, it’s funny. One of these YouTube shorties talks about, uh, planting clues. You discover halfway through that you have to plant a clue or revise something in the earlier chapters. And yes, I do that all the time. I would say the same applies to something that is not just one little element, like planting a single clue, but a bigger issue of the plot.
Um, once you discover that you have a plot problem—and that could be a contrivance, something that reads as coincidental, or a character showcasing knowledge they don’t yet have—these are major issues. You have to stop, go back to the drawing board, redo it, reassess it, and really take your time to get the plot right.
You know, in a sense, the plot is the spine—like in a body. It’s the spine. It’s the thing that keeps it upright and solid. You can’t flesh it out (to stay with the metaphor) until you have a sturdy, solid spine. So I say: go back and do it as soon as you realize the problem, and take your time with it. Plotting is hard, but I know you can do it.
I’d love to hear how you’re approaching it now—your thoughts on plot problems that come up midway. How do you address them? I read all the comments, so please do put them down.
And if this tip had value for you—if you think you might be able to use it or it’s something you at least want to think about—would you like it? Would you share it? Would you subscribe to the channel? That opens up features that let us make these videos even more valuable for you.
*Transcripts are software-generated. To report any transcription errors, please use my contact form!
