I really enjoyed Knives Out, even after a re-watch, but my friend was very annoyed with it because the time it takes the second character to die from a drug overdose is quite long, which makes it impossible to pinpoint the identity of the killer. Either the movie "cheated" or we're supposed to assume that one character can die quickly from a drug overdose and another can die slowly from an overdose of the same drug. Either way, I think it's a fun movie because I'm just along for the ride, but anyone who really examines the twist is going to be frustrated!
This was terrific. As I was reading that I was mentally grading my work on whether I made these errors or not. I feel like I passed but reflecting on this essay makes me want to pay more attention to plot issues in the future. Really enjoyed this read!
I get so many newsletters about craft, my eyes usually just glaze over them now. This piece was the exact opposite! I love your analysis. So smart. You drilled down prescriptively on each of these plot problems. Can't wait to read more from you.
Love a lot about this post. Pretty much nails all of the potential pitfalls in plot. I know I’ve definitely been guilty of “plot armor” with some of my characters over the years. There’s a fine line for that to work with readers. I’ve noticed there are times you can also test a reader’s patience if you don’t “plot armor” your characters enough, because that stuff can really slow down a story. A needlessly overcomplicated plot kind of ruined a wildly popular fantasy novel for me. I’m always worried about screwing up my plot, missing it, and someone calling me on it. That would be dreadful.
I really enjoyed Knives Out, even after a re-watch, but my friend was very annoyed with it because the time it takes the second character to die from a drug overdose is quite long, which makes it impossible to pinpoint the identity of the killer. Either the movie "cheated" or we're supposed to assume that one character can die quickly from a drug overdose and another can die slowly from an overdose of the same drug. Either way, I think it's a fun movie because I'm just along for the ride, but anyone who really examines the twist is going to be frustrated!
This was terrific. As I was reading that I was mentally grading my work on whether I made these errors or not. I feel like I passed but reflecting on this essay makes me want to pay more attention to plot issues in the future. Really enjoyed this read!
I get so many newsletters about craft, my eyes usually just glaze over them now. This piece was the exact opposite! I love your analysis. So smart. You drilled down prescriptively on each of these plot problems. Can't wait to read more from you.
Love a lot about this post. Pretty much nails all of the potential pitfalls in plot. I know I’ve definitely been guilty of “plot armor” with some of my characters over the years. There’s a fine line for that to work with readers. I’ve noticed there are times you can also test a reader’s patience if you don’t “plot armor” your characters enough, because that stuff can really slow down a story. A needlessly overcomplicated plot kind of ruined a wildly popular fantasy novel for me. I’m always worried about screwing up my plot, missing it, and someone calling me on it. That would be dreadful.
on plot armor, i want to write another post about authors falling in love with their characters and how this can both be positive and negative.