Thanks for this great piece on plot holes. I think you’re right that these are unavoidable to some degree. I don’t know how many times an editor/beta or an alert reader asked the “why doesn’t...” question.
I think you make a very good case for obviously flawed characters. That way, they can make flawed decisions, thus covering a multitude of plot holes.
Besides which, who wants to spend all their time hip deep in asphalt filling in plot holes? Oh, wait. Those are potholes.
Thank you so much for your encouraging comments. The ocean has so many themes and images to access, and they surely fit my mood as I wrote these. I’m so happy you found these and enjoyed them.
Should I have tacked on a warning? Not sure they went with the spice rack poems, but if they warmed your day, then so much the better. Thanks for reading these!
Armistice
How often have I told you of the tide
of molten heat that flows beneath my skin,
a flame untamed and uncontained therein
which could not be extinguished if I tried?
For decades has desire been denied;
I drowned my very self in warring din
with accusations of abhorrent sin,
and still against the carnage have I cried.
Today, I waved the flag to sue for peace,
as all my inner ramparts were revealed;
and in your arms I hoped to fi
I enjoyed reading this, and you gave me a great sense of place and scene. It feels unfinished, as if there is much more to be said or explained. In that sense, I’d hope for more.
You worked very hard at gauging and presenting the emotions present in all of these situations. This is a really good chapter to show us so much of the emotional baggage Jordan carries with him. Noah takes steps too, to mend his own heart. You paint his father’s outreach well, along with Noah’s justifiably cautious response. His going to Jordan’s house is an even bigger step, though I have no doubt he’s in for more heartbreak when Brody arrives. Perhaps it’s time for some hot new guy to hit on Noah.
I’m struck by the stability, the sureness of Don and Louis as they seek at bring Max into their lives. Max seems to be settling into the idea, at least until he has an attack of memory. Still, Louis and Don are present to support him, and to care. What seems like a stable landscape heaves again with a phone call at the end. Great chapter, and you leave me wanting more!
What an end of year blast - at Christmas in New York, and then to LA. Wow. I may never make it back to either place, but you’ve given me a vivid and happy tour of both. Nice of you to let us tag along.
It’s good to get all these things out, to tell those of us who care. I weep for your pain, my brother. I hold you in my thoughts, hoping for healing. If you did not write, how would we know what to hope for?