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
In WriteLoom
Three editors, in the order professionals use them
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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