A blessing, and a curse

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the link to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

Do you find it is harder to not unpack a plot in a movie, predicting what will happen, now that you write your own stories?

I’ve always had an analytical mind. It meant that I used to spot inconsistencies in the plots of TV shows, way back when I was a child. I learnt to keep my thoughts to myself, as I was constantly reprimanded for pointing these things out.

Apparently, I was spoiling other people’s enjoyment.

This always puzzled me. If things were so obviously wrong, how could you enjoy that? Teachers were quick enough to tell me when I was wrong, yet if I said something was wrong, that was unacceptable.

Anyhow, now I’m older and create plots of my own as a way of passing the time, I see it even more.

And it becomes harder to ignore, knowing that I try my best to avoid doing the same things in my own writing (although I’d be the first to admit I occasionally lapse).

I can spot a plot hole approaching at least an episode or a chapter away. It’s usually when a character’s actions start to become physically impossible.

Like when they travel vast distances in the blink of an eye. Or when days seem to last several weeks. Guns with unlimited ammunition. The list goes on.

There are also the characters who never sleep, know everything, or can survive things that ought to lay them low.

Then there is the vital piece of information that is supposed to be a revelation, but is inconsistent with the rest of the story or the thing it is supposed to prove. Like the stigmata scene in The Butterfly Effect movie.

Another recent source of irritation was the physical description of an object that was impossible, given its location and what it was doing.

Also, I see continuity issues (a jacket on a chair in one shot suddenly moves to another chair in the next is a classic example, car number plates that change during a chase is another) everywhere.

Then we come to the predictability of outcomes. Sadly, the quality of Red Herrings has reduced. Gone are the days when everyone was a genuine suspect.

Very often, it’s so easy to spot who the bad guy (or girl) is, or how they will be unmasked.

I don’t know if it’s because standards have dropped or that writing and plotting have made me even more observant.

I still keep my observations to myself. Mostly. After all, nobody likes a smart a**e.

What do you think about this week’s subject?

Let me know by leaving me a comment.

While you’re here, please click the InLinkz link to check out what my fellow writers have to say about this week’s topic.

I’ll be back with another post on Thursday, see you then. Meanwhile, have a great week.

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