Editing Stage #2: Frame

As a quick recap, I'm posting a series on editing. In this series I am using a house as metaphoric language in describing the stages of editing. Last week we looked at stage one, the foundation, so this week we are focusing on stage two: the framework.

The "framework" in editing is logic, research, and plot holes.

Logic

Until I started getting feedback from my amazing beta readers and critique partners, I had never thought of logic as something to consider in any stage of writing. I thought the natural logic would be enough. But it wasn't.

For example, the protagonist goes through a traumatizing experience, is afloat at sea for a week or two, goes without food for four days and drink for two, and survives a day-long storm. Yet, in spite of this, she was able to walk around that same day, after only a few hours of rest. Looking back, I'm thinking, what was I thinking? That's madness! Viking or no, no one could get back on their feet in that amount of time.

Research

Another biggie. No matter what genre it is, you can't get away with no research. It ensures the realism, which in turn keeps your reader's disbelief suspended, but it also can add to the story itself.

Most of the stuff I've written is historical fiction, and the importance of research is probably more evident there than in any other genre. We don't live in the past, such as the 1800's, so it's extremely hard to portray life accurately without at least a little research. Everyday life, dates and times of events, train stations, business names. You name it, it needs to be researched. There are no details too small. Even the weather, if your story is set in a place you've never seen.

For example, the book I'm editing (I'll mention it a lot in this series, since that's the one I'm editing right now) is set in a fictional island in Scandinavia. I don't know what the environment is like there, so inevitably, I got some things wrong. Like black bears living in Europe and spring being a lot warmer than it actually is.

Even in fantasy, there is a little research that needs to be done. In the world that you're building, there are differences, and you have to think through them so you can stay consistent. And if you include animals and humans that are real and live on planet earth, you might need to know some things about them, like physical capabilities in certain situations.

The key is to research everything. Every little detail, double check to make sure it's true. Don't put black bears in Europe and give your Viking houses windows with glass.

Plot Holes

Every writer's worst nightmare. Plot holes can be a serious problem, or they can be insignificant. The reason why they are such a big issue, whether big or small, is because it adds a sense of doubt in your readers. No matter how impossible it might be for a story to come true, readers love to believe that there's a possibility they might actually be true. Doubt ruins that ability, and sends their suspension of disbelief crashing down around their ears. They might even (oh, horror!) put down your book and walk away.

But what are plot holes, exactly? They're inconsistencies or a place where something is missing or off. It's when things don't add up. This touches on logic, so you might actually catch plot holes while checking for logic instead. Or maybe when you're doing research.

An example of a plot he might be, a character is able to do something, then suddenly he isn't. If you want him to not be able to do what he could before, you need a reason. Maybe he's having a brain block or is out of the resources he needs. But when it comes to magic systems in high fantasy, you might need a different reason, like his powers got taken away, or the source of his powers is diminished or gone.

Another example of a plot hole is an unrealistic cause and effect, or a cause that was not paid off. Let's say you set up a fight, then it was never mentioned again. Or two people who were falling in love suddenly hate each other. None it these are necessarily bad. They can be great parts of your story.

What matters, with any plot hole, is that you have a reason for it that is shown in the story. With our set up for a fight scene, maybe the characters come to agreement somehow, or one gets killed off before he can fight. And with the lovers turning around and having each other, one could find out that she was duped into thinking he loved her, but he was actually using her for some plan of his. Maybe they both sincerely love each other, but one was fooled into getting the other into a trap. The possibilities are endless, but make sure they are relevant to the plot, and that they move the plot forward. Make sure you have all your walls. ;)

Like Samwise Gamgee said, "If this is a shelter, then one wall and no roof make a house."

Conclusion

We're making progress in our house! If the foundation is sure, and the structure is sure, the house will be able stand strong. It's a lot of work to make sure the frame is sturdy, but it is worth it in the end.

Writers, what do you think? How do you make sure your research is sound? Have you ever found any plot holes, and what did you do if you did?