Advice to resolve major inconsistencies in the plot?

[JoshRaed]

Like when there's a need for a certain thing to happen a certain way but don't know how to make it fit together naturally.

I've been told to explain the issue aloud to nobody and that will help me fix it, but that didn't really work for me.

[joannekwan]

Just so you know, you're getting into that cycle again where you make a bunch of topics and people are starting to flag for spam.

It's very difficult for a person to get the entire context of what you're asking because all the pieces are spread out in your multiple topics, and frankly very few people are going to expend the time to riffle through it all to help you.

For those that happen to have seen most of your topics and have a general sense of what you're asking, I foresee them getting frustrated as well with everything that's addressed leading to a new question, new topic.

[Stargazer31]

Just sit down and write the story. "After" got 4 books and a film deal, so if people will read that stuff it doesn't matter how bad you think your work is, because something far worse has already got a publishing contract

[morganicfoods]

Here's a method I sometimes do if talking it out doesn't work. Write down as many potential solutions to your problem, no matter how ridiculous it is. You may find a solution quicker if you get the ball rolling in your mind.

For example:
Two characters are trapped in a large metal box. Solutions:

• One character repetitively throws the other into wall, eventually breaking it
• A third character breaks them out with a metal cutting saw
• They find a vent in the box, and crawl out of it.
• The box is actually sentient, and one of the characters gives life advice in exchange for freedom
• One of the characters figures out how to extend their magic abilities to moving metal
• The door to the box has a lock, which one of the characters picks.
• A character uses scrap materials on them to make a shrink ray gun, and then shrinks them and the other character to escape.
• There's a toliet in the box, which is taken out of the ground and then used as weapon to break out of the box

Some of these ideas are stupid, some of them are a bit boring, but I find it leads me to keep coming up with ideas until I find one that works without getting into my head too much.

[NickRowler]

Do you actually want advice or are you just bored and want to chat with people?

I feel like people have told you to write an outline and it seems like you have started that. So what do you want people to tell you?

Maybe you should join a Discord and just chat with people because I don't think you get much out of these boards.

[JoshRaed]

Uh... if I can make my story better I'd rather not not do that.

[JoshRaed]

I don't know what I want people to tell me.

I guess something like

"think of which thing is more important than the other thing and choose to go with that"

"If your character needs to do something they don't want to do, then force them into a situation where they have to do it"

"if you can't figure it out at all no matter what, just start the script over from a new angle, either that or let the plot happen with the plot hole"

things like that maybe. Not necessarily these exact things, but something similar to it.

Also at this point I have an entire finished first draft and am now in the process of editing it into a second draft.

[vapidink]

I mean, you're asking a very basic question here, but also it's kinda unclear. We don't know what inconsistencies you mean because we don't know your plot so we can only give general advice, but when we do that you keep asking questions and adding info. Then you asked how to write a sequence of events that makes sense, which is really just what writing a story is. Because I think it still applies, here's what I told you in another thread in regards to making threads to ask questions:

Can the question be answered by googling it? Can the question be answered by you sitting down and thinking about your story/characters and brainstorming? Can the question be answered only by someone who has read the story/comic or has a deep knowledge about it? Have you asked that question or a variation of it before?

If the answer to these is yes then you do not need to ask it.

[NickRowler]

"If your character needs to do something they don't want to do, then force them into a situation where they have to do it"

What you are looking for is an inciting incident. Something that motivates the hero to start the adventure. If the plot is not something your character would do, then put them in a situation that makes the adventure their only choice.

Examples:
- Grandma is dying, MC has to get medicine
- Princess was kidnapped, now she has to try to get back home
- Nepo baby's parents suddenly die, now he has to be in a poor foster home.
- Shrek's swamp is full of people, he has to save the princess to get them out

[JoshRaed]

What you are looking for is an inciting incident. Something that motivates the hero to start the adventure. If the plot is not something your character would do, then put them in a situation that makes the adventure their only choice.

I wasn't talking about anything specific, just a hypothetical thing you could say. There are other examples of this that can happen other than an inciting incident. My story is full of things like this right now.

[joannekwan]

"think of which thing is more important than the other thing and choose to go with that"

"If your character needs to do something they don't want to do, then force them into a situation where they have to do it"

"if you can't figure it out at all no matter what, just start the script over from a new angle, either that or let the plot happen with the plot hole"

I mean, you pretty much answered your own question? Especially since you say you aren't thinking of anything specific

I wasn't talking about anything specific, just a hypothetical thing you could say.

[JoshRaed]

I mean, you pretty much answered your own question?

Not entirely. Most of these are not things I want to do to my writing for various reasons, and another one I was kind of expecting to do anyway.

[NickRowler]

Again, I do really feel like you make these board when your are bored. I really do recommend trying Discord or something. I think the chat systems is better suited for "random thoughts" conversations.

I think for your writing, you should just focus on your one project and finish it up to post.

[JoshRaed]

I really do recommend trying Discord or something. I think the chat systems is better suited for "random thoughts" conversations.

What makes this a random thought conversation? I don't want any random thoughts. I just wanted advice, not to explain the basics of what this forum post was. Does anyone actually have advice on this subject aside from morganic foods?

[joannekwan]

It's impossible to give the advice you seek because you just want to know about the topic question "in general" about nothing specific.

And when I pointed out the own-answers you gave earlier, it sounded like you do have something specific in mind, but you aren't elaborating on it.

And this is why people get frustrated interacting with your posts.

[abigaillmartin]

Kid, please, for the love of god! Work it out amongst yourself.

[JoshRaed]

Okay I admit I have a specific thing I'm thinking of, a situation where I need a character to be in a fight scene, but he was just told to stay where he is and his entire motivation is avoiding the exact people he'd be fighting, so I really can't make it make sense.

But I don't want to ask people to write my story for me, I want to solve this plot hole myself. That's why I'm not asking about the exact literal thing. I'm asking for general advice so I can fix this problem myself and also fix any problems like it that might come later. It also means I don't have to stop and explain every little story detail.

But for some reason even though me asking "how do I get x character to do y action" annoys people, every time I avoid that people demand I reword my question as that because they're confused as to what literal plot points I want them to write for me, when I don't even want that, I just want to hear about potential tools that can help me with my writing.

[joannekwan]

"If your character needs to do something they don't want to do, then force them into a situation where they have to do it"

Have the people he'll be fighting bring the fight to him. They corner him and he can't escape so he has to fight his way out. He doesn't have to win whole-handedly. He may just be scrambling to try and escape them, but it is human nature to fight when cornered and there is no easy way of fleeing.

[JoshRaed]

Have the people he'll be fighting bring the fight to him.

I've already decided on that, and this is the exact kind of thing I explicitly said I did not want people to say. Also the question I just asked still stands.

[JoshRaed]

Thank you, I will use this method the next time I have a big issue with my storytelling.