A week has gone by with no time to write. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking about writing, how to fix plot holes, and worrying about any loose ends I've left. I know the bigger the plot hole, the easier it is to recognize and fix. It's the smaller ones that can make or break a manuscript. Readers are smart. They notice the small things. 

Yesterday I figured out how to look at my WIP in a different way. I went to see my 90 year old, very deaf dad yesterday. He's a chill guy. He still cuts down trees, splits the wood, and stacks it neatly in his barn. Anyway, off topic. I got to his house, and I saw this in his kitchen

Me: Um, Dad, what happened to your wall?

Dad: I don't know. It keeps getting bigger.

Me: Well, what do you think it is?

Dad: Mouse.

Me: I'll get a mouse trap.

Dad: Nah, I don't want to trap him.

Me: But the hole will keep getting bigger. And, you know, the wiring.

Dad: "laughs"

Of course, because it was a hole, it made me think about my plot holes. You know, mouse hole, plot hole. I thought about how looking at Dad's mouse hole from the front of the house or any other room, you don't see it, but it can still cause damage to the house.

Just like in a novel, you can't see certain loose ends and plot holes from the cover, or from some other chapters, but once you see it, it affects the entire story.

So now I'm home, with a few minutes to commit to writing, which means searching for holes. It won't be as easy as walking into Dad's kitchen and whoa, there it is. But the search has begun, and I know I need to look room by room (chapter by chapter), instead of sitting back trying to see the whole novel.

How do you make sure you've closed up your loose ends and plot holes? I keep a running list of all of them I can think of, but it's the ones that slip by me I worry and fret about.

I hope you have a wonderful writing weekend!