Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

If you are a writer who sometimes struggles with writing or making sense of what you have already put on paper, A Fiction Writer's Guide to Plot Holes by Ann Snizek could be a useful addition to your non-fiction library. The main target group of this book is authors who either fail to see how to get their characters from A to B and maybe even C, and authors who received negative feedback about the sense the plot of their book makes. Both have the same issue: their plot is a shambles. It either doesn't make sense or whole chunks of plot are missing to create a compelling story. Plot mistakes can range from subtle mistakes that make your readers stumble over what they have just read, to ask themselves, "Wait a second. Why does this feel wrong?" to huge errors that completely ruin a reader's enjoyment of a story. This book shows writers how to find these mistakes and how to deal with them.

I enjoyed reading A Fiction Writer's Guide to Plot Holes because it is straightforward, explains how plots generally work and how easy it can be to make mistakes. I have to admit I sometimes have issues with my books' plots - that might be the reason I never truly finished one so far. Only recently have I found the red string that ties everything together for one of my novels, and suddenly it's a lot easier to write it. From my own experience, I know how difficult writing can be if you have issues with your plot. A book like this one won't solve your problems and it won't write your book for you, but it will give you some tools to make life as a writer easier.

There are some fun things contained in the pages of this self-help book for writers. It's a helpful book, but written in a way that is really fun to read. I'm quite sure I'll keep some of the tools in mind when I have to plan a new plot. If you are a bit like me, or if you wonder why people say your plot is full of holes, then this is the book that can make a difference. You will learn that plot holes don't always have to do with the actions, but a plot hole can also have to do with a character's development. Even if you already know a lot about the theory behind plots, it never hurts to refresh what you know and do some fun exercises to put your own plots to the test!