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-Sighs- We’re halfway through the True Blood season and most, if not all, of the storylines are starting to get holes. Sadly, this isn’t a problem unique to True Blood. There are plot holes in the Southern Vampire Mystery novels as well as in many of the RP SLs underway on Twitter. Further, plot holes are not just found in the Sookieverse. If you look you can find them in every role play universe, whether they are games, books, TV series, films or fan fiction. The question is: how do we stop them?
What is a plot hole?
When engaged in live collaborative storytelling it is almost impossible to avoid dropping details or introducing un expected characters, behavior or events. This is because no two people will even tell the same story in exactly the same way. That’s part of the fun and intrigue of role play. You don’t know what the other person or people involved are going to do. Sometimes the characters, behaviors or events serve no purpose. Other times they are necessary for the SL to reach the intended conclusion. It is when they are necessary to the SL that they become plot holes.
Most of the time, plot holes are bad things that storytellers and writers try to avoid. Unfortunately, when role playing, this isn’t always possible because sometimes the other people involved in an SL don’t realize their actions are creating one. Again, the uncertainty and potential for an SL to got in a totally unexpected direction is one of the lures of role play, particularly on Twitter.
What to do about plot holes
Plot holes pose a special problem for role players, so the best thing to do about them is to avoid them.This means communicating with the other people involved with the SL and not just online and in character. The people you are playing with need to know, preferably before the SL begins, where it is going to end and how. Every inch along the path doesn’t have to be laid out for them, however, they ought to have an idea where the SL is going and generally how it’s going to get there. If your fellow RPers know where the story is going they will be less likely to introduce plot holes.
Less likely, however, doesn’t mean “won’t” and that’s where the real challenge arises.
Unlike books or film of other media where editing and rewriting can eliminate plot holes before the audience sees them the “live” nature of RP makes that practically impossible. Chances are very good RP plot holes will develop before anyone realizes they are going to be plot holes.
Fortunately, most plot holes can be fixed, or at least patched, by adding some motive and a few consequences. Motive can be “discovered” after an action or event occurs. Consequences, by definition happen after the fact. Thus both can be used in role play. The key is recognizing the plot holes in time for the motive or the consequences to be tailored to fit both the situation and the plot of the SL which isn’t always easy in the heat of the moment. Even if the time for a motive or or adjusting the consequences have past, a vague statement like “I did the only thing I could think of at the time” or “I couldn’t think of what else to do” can go a long way in patching plot holes.
Secret weapon for fixing RP plot holes
Role players may not have the luxury of fixing plot holes before an audience sees them. More than any other medium, however, RPers have the ability to go back and change the past, not on stream but in blogs, on Facebook pages or other sites.
The main reason such back tracking is possible for RPers, especially those RPing on Twitter is the space limitations that Twitter imposes. Twitter is unsurpassed when it comes to conversations.But when it comes to setting a scene or describing everything that’s going on, it leaves a lot to be desired. Which is why so many role players maintain blogs or profiles elsewhere. It gives them a convenient place to expand on things not to mention someplace to store the details and it is accessible to others as well.
When it comes to filling in plot holes by blogging, role players have two choices: monologue or recap. The monologue can be internal, external or a combination of both and generally is told entirely from the character’s point of view. Monologues can be great for delving into motives and motivations as well as how the character feels about a situation or a setting. Recaps can also be told from the character’s point of view but they can also be narratives. Recaps often make use of the actual tweets but provide additional details or information. These can be useful when trying to reveal consequences and motives. It’s also possible to combine monologues and recaps.
Plot holes are not the end of the world. They aren’t even the end of a storyline. Further, not every unexpected character, situation or event is a plot hole that needs to be patched. Even if it is a plot hole, no one said you have to patch it. Good role players will probably try to patch any plot holes they may create. Not because the have to but because they understand the past affects the future and once you’ve started down a particular road with a character or an SL it can be difficult to change course. Resolving plot holes makes the RP experience easier and more rewarding. It also earn you the gratitude of fans and readers…if your looking for that kind of thing.