Overheard a kid at the coffee shop say plot holes are lazy writing

I was sitting there waiting for my latte and this guy maybe 19 or 20 tells his friend that if a story has a plot hole the author just didn't care. Made me think about all those old paperbacks I read where characters conveniently find a horse or a door unlocks itself. Has anyone else noticed plot holes bug people way more now than they did 20 years ago?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_thompson3d ago

Yeah that line about "plot holes are lazy writing" really gets me. Ive run into this exact thing with younger readers who think every dropped thread is a mistake. Look, here's the thing: sometimes a "plot hole" is just the author trusting you to fill in the blanks. Like that door unlocking itself might mean the innkeeper forgot to lock it after the last guest left, not that the writer messed up. My advice is to ask yourself if the story still makes sense overall. If a character finds a horse in a pinch, maybe it's a small town where people leave their horses tied up all the time. Not every shortcut is a flaw, sometimes it's just efficient storytelling. If you can explain it with one simple sentence, it's probably not a real plot hole.

the_kevin3d agoMost Upvoted

Last time my rig broke down someone said I left a tool behind but I didn't.