How do you identify plot inconsistencies?
- A dedicated consistency pass runs before submission, with the story bible in hand.
- Most plot inconsistencies fall into four categories: names, dates, descriptions, distances.
- Catching them before submission is cheaper than fixing them after publication.
- A 12-page story bible plus one weekend catches a typical twelve issues.
- The character index, place index, timeline, and glossary are the four core checks.
You identify plot inconsistencies by maintaining a story bible during the draft and running a dedicated consistency pass before submission with the bible in hand. The pass reads the manuscript chronologically and flags every contradiction — names spelled two ways, characters with two different ages, an in-story January that suddenly becomes March. A single pass catches most issues.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Plot inconsistencies do not change the story but they break reader trust. Readers and reviewers flag them publicly; agents reject manuscripts that show too many. The fix is mechanical — a checklist plus a story bible plus a weekend — but skipping it is the most common reason published novels read amateur.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A story bible covering characters, places, timeline, and rules.
- A consistency-pass checklist used before every draft handoff.
- A character index: physical description, age, family, key relationships.
- A place index: spellings, weather, distances.
- A timeline: in-story dates per chapter, character ages.
- A glossary: made-up words and brand-name capitalization.
Chapter iii·Example
A literary novelist runs a consistency pass on her 88,000-word draft. In one weekend she catches three spellings of a character’s last name, two ages given for the same child, an inconsistent winter described as both January and March, and a phone call to a character who died in chapter eight. All twelve issues get fixed before the manuscript goes to her agent.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom keeps a queryable character and place index next to your manuscript, so consistency checks take an evening instead of a weekend.
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