Got stuck for a full week trying to fix a plot hole in my story

I was writing a mystery set in a small town, and my main character found a key piece of evidence. The problem was, I realized there was no good reason for the villain to have left it there. I spent about two days just moving the clue around different scenes. After that, I tried changing the villain's motive, which took another three days and made the whole middle part of the story fall apart. I finally solved it yesterday by having a secondary character accidentally move the evidence, which took a total of seven days to figure out. Has anyone else had a simple fix for a plot problem that took forever to find?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_ross6110d ago

Seven days just to have someone move a clue by accident? That's the kind of fix that makes you want to scream into a pillow. I get what xena_hernandez98 means about that mix of relief and frustration. You build up this huge, complex problem in your head, trying to rework the villain's whole life story, and the answer was just some clumsy side character bumping into a table the whole time. It feels so obvious once you see it.

xena_hernandez9810d ago

Ugh, that "aha" moment after days of overthinking is the worst and best feeling.

tessap9710d ago

I've started writing down every little detail that seems off, even if it feels silly. It helps to get those nagging thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Often the answer is hiding in one of those small notes I almost dismissed.