@SailusGebel I tend to wait at least half the story to determine that. If there are no mentions by the author regarding those points ever again, nor any subtle suggestions that it will come back up, not even after asking about it, then yeah. Sure. But I can't decide that with a 100% certainty if I only read a few chapters. And I firmly believe that.
No offense to georgelee5786, but when I reviewed his novel, he fucked up the numbers. He wrote how his MC was four, then waited some years, and so on and so forth. He ended up with MC going adventuring at the age of 18(I don't remember the exact age, but I can look for it if you want), but when you combine all the dates he wrote, MC is like 16 or something.
@SailusGebel Sure. That is a mathematical error and a mistake that one can easily make. I also fell into stuff like that but with names. That is why I keep a glossary. But that is a mistake and not a plot hole. (part1)
@SailusGebel Plot holes -or I may perceive this wrongly- are plot elements, things related to the main story that remains unanswered yet had a correlation to the story, or they are forgotten or outright story breaking in their basic form yet they are just left ignored by the author. (part2)
@SailusGebel Mistakes can be fixed, plot holes too but they have to be caught early. The longer a story goes on they get deeper and deeper until they broke the axel of the whole novel. (end)
Might just be a pet peeve of mine, but I've come across too many authors mocking critics because the thing they're pointing out is supposedly intentional.
Whether this should be a mystery or just setup for a future development, if your readers take it as a plot hole instead, you're doing something wrong in presenting it.
@Zirrboy, I can see that happening. But you can't deny the fact that many readers also want instant gratification and everything written out plainly before them. I saw too many comments on different works, where people were quick to get angsty about something that was later on explained. Just had to wait for a little. I blame too many instant gratification impulses in today's world.
Whether a disparity in a scene ends up as "damn I can't wait to find out what's going on" or "shitty plot holes" depends on how it's written, and both is possible without explaining anything or being extremely elaborate respectively.
What you describe sounds more like willingness to put up with the stories rather than the ability to appreciate narratively optimal suspension.
@Zirrboy No. And let me make it clear; I am not saying plotholes do not exist, and everyone gets a pass. I am saying jumping to quick conclusions in a story after reading a few chapters only is bad, as I stated in the gif.
@Zirrboy But if you want to expand it, then okay– I am willing to see and wait for a little before jumping to conclusions about holes in a narrative. I like being informed before I take a stance on something or start criticizing.
Reader side:
But didn't you also mention that things are salvageable if mistakes are caught early? Waiting until the writing gives irrefutable proof that what irked you is an error is handy if you don't want to be wrong, but at that point it'll be much harder for the author to fix.
Of course there's the aspect of how you communicate your concerns, but that's unrelated to whether you do at all, in my opinion.
Author side:
This is a slight reiteration, but my point above is that you can work on presenting the intentional blank spots you put in as things you plan to expand later on.
What a reader explicitly criticizes doesn't have to be helpful at all, but there's no smoke without fire and the decision of whether that fire is of any importance to you should come from looking at the fire, not the smoke. If there's something to it, they're not going to stay the only reader you'll lose, and not all will be verbal about it.
To me, the argument outlined in the gif is pointless, no matter who's right.
And on a note of personal experience: I've yet to come across a novel that was received controversially without reason, even if some mattered less in my opinion than others.