Why Is It So Hard To Spot Our Own Plot Holes?

I read an article explaining that there’s actually a scientific reason why your brain is bad at catching your own typos.

Your brain is trained to work efficiently and since it already knows what you’re trying to say, it assumes that that’s what is on the paper. Essentially, it scans over typos seeing what it thinks should be there and not what’s actually there. This is why you sometimes read teh and the exactly the same way when you’re editing.

The article said, “When we're proof reading our own work, we know the meaning we want to convey. Because we expect that meaning to be there, it's easier for us to miss when parts (or all) of it are absent. The reason we don't see our own typos is because what we see on the screen is competing with the version that exists in our heads.”

I think this is also really applicable when it comes to plot holes. When you’re working on a story, you’re constantly thinking about details, developing characters, and dreaming up settings and backstories. But not all of what happens in your head makes it onto the page. However, when you’re reading through your own work and trying to edit it, you still have all that extra knowledge in your brain, so things might make sense to you even though those details never made it into the actual story.

A developmental editor can serve as an extra set of eyes to help you track down the places where those details are missing on the page.

I once heard someone say that only bad storytellers need the help of developmental editors. But with this article as backup, I think it’s safe to say that’s not true at all. It’s not that you’re a bad storyteller. It’s that you’re brain has created such a good story that you need help making sure that’s the version that gets onto the paper.

Our brains are trained to work smarter, not harder. One of the smartest things we can do is use all the tools available to us. One of those tools is professional editing services, like developmental editors. Using a developmental editor is not a sign of weakness. It means you’re working smarter!

Stockton, Nick. 2014. “What’s up With That: Why It’s so Hard to Catch Your Own Typos.” WIRED, August 12, 2014. https://www.wired.com/2014/08/wuwt-typos/.