the reason your beta readers are confused? or why that one scene keeps breaking every time you revise it? probably isn’t because you’re a bad writer. it’s because your brain knows the plot but your draft forgot to mention it.
aka: you skipped the connective tissue.
aka: plot holes, logic gaps, missing scaffolding.
today’s post is a step-by-step on how to catch those invisible chaos gremlins before you hit send on your manuscript. let’s go:
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🧩 first, the difference between plot holes vs. logic gaps
a plot hole = a missing piece of information that creates a contradiction
example: if your character’s mom dies in chapter 2 but sends her a letter in chapter 9… bestie that’s necromancy or an error.
a logic gap = when something technically could happen, but we never see the reason why it does
example: if your character suddenly changes their mind about a huge decision with no setup? that’s not a plot hole, it’s a logic gap. your readers will feel “wait, what?” even if technically, it makes sense.
→ logic gaps = lack of narrative cause-and-effect
→ plot holes = missing or contradicting facts
they both break immersion. and neither are cute in chapter 25.
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🕵️♀️ how to actually catch them before anyone else does
here’s the method i use while revising that catches 90% of my structural issues:
✨ THE SCENE MAP METHOD ✨
(it’s kind of like reverse-engineering a script supervisor)
1. grab a notebook or blank doc
2. go through your manuscript scene by scene
3. for each scene, answer:
• what does the reader learn here?
• what changes?
• what causes that change?
• what does the character believe now that they didn’t before?
you’ll notice something real fast:
— some scenes have no causality
— some changes feel random
— some characters are reacting to things you forgot to show
this is where logic gaps LOVE to hide
✍ example:
chapter 4: kai leaves the rebellion
chapter 5: he’s back with a plan to save everyone
🧠 what changed?
🧠 why did he come back?
🧠 how did he learn the information needed to save anyone?
if you don’t answer these in the text? your reader’s brain will check out.
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💡 other questions to spot gaps faster:
• did this action have a setup + a consequence?
• did i earn this emotional reaction with earlier scenes?
• am i assuming the reader knows something that only i know from my outline?
(hint: yes. you probably are.)
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📌 here’s a weirdly powerful trick:
after you revise a scene, try to explain it out loud to someone who hasn’t read your book.
if you can’t explain the WHY behind what just happened in 1-2 sentences without sounding like “uhh… he just felt like it??” - that’s a gap.
your brain is trying to make the scene work. your draft isn’t giving it the materials.
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🛠 how to patch a logic gap or plot hole:
• add cause + effect
• insert one scene (or even one line!) to bridge the moment
• use character motivation to anchor logic
• pull out the exposition crutch and SHOW it play out instead
and listen. i’m all about vibes and mystery and letting readers infer stuff.
but the difference between ✨intentionally mysterious✨ and ❌confusing❌ is this:
→ mystery makes you curious
→ confusion makes you close the tab
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🎁 tiny checklist to keep:
☑ is every major action caused by a previous moment?
☑ does each character change have a clear trigger?
☑ are there any inconsistencies in timelines or character knowledge?
☑ am i skipping key steps because i already know how the story goes?
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at the end of the day, logic gaps aren’t about being smart or not. they’re about being too close to your own story. so don’t panic.
and don’t wait for a beta reader to bring it up. you can spot 90% of these issues just by asking: does the story earn this moment?
🧠 not could this happen,but did i give the reader the reason to believe it did
you got this.
💌 —rin t.
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this is in my free writing guide if you want more tips →
