Find out the types of logic in stories, and how you can avoid logic gaps and plot holes in your own screenplay.

Introduction

My wife and I attempted to watch the Italian Netflix series Luna Nera. It’s an intriguing fantasy concept set in Renaissance-era Italy about magic, witches, and superstition.

However, there were some moments of incredulity that pulled us out of the story and caused us to stop watching after the first two episodes. We were occasionally confused to the point of being frustrated by the story’s flow and were thrown off by nonsensical decisions by the protagonist.

We’re not alone; Joel Keller writing for Decider stated:

“The series is a jumble of characters in search of something to do, obscuring what can be a compelling main story. …There’s so much going on in the first episode, but not a lot of explanation as to who everyone is, that we were confused into boredom more than anything else.”

Finally, while it might seem like the nitpicking of a director, but I was struck by the inauthenticity of the blocking and fight choreography. All of these critiques bring to the surface a crucial skill for writers to master that is often difficult for viewers to articulate: logic in storytelling.

What is Story Logic?

“Story logic” need not be as rigorous as the philosophy surrounding logic, which is the formal study of reasoning. “Logic” and “logical” in this context simply refers to that which is rational and reasonable.

Also, when discussing story logic, I don’t necessarily mean determining if the story is “realistic” or not. Contrary to popular belief, realism is not the measure of artistic excellence. It can be an aspect of it, especially as it relates to historical stories, but I want to make it clear that “story logic” is not synonymous with a story’s “realism,” (whatever that means).

With relation to filmmaking, I’m not talking about visual continuity, eye lines, or screen direction (like the 180° rule). I’m not necessarily discussing sequential order, as non-sequential stories can be effective — if confusing. Memento, anyone?

Source: Summit Entertainment/Newmarket Films

No, the logic in storytelling that I’m talking about is about the believability of story beats and character actions on a conscious and subconscious level.

Illogical Characters

Let’s start with characters. Every real person, as a flawed human being, lacks flawless logic. Thus, illogical character choices in your story are acceptable if they are properly motivated by that character. If a viewer watching a show says, “That’s so dumb! I would never do that,” he’s probably right. However, that does not mean the action is indeed illogical. It’s only “illogical” from the viewer’s perspective, not the character’s!

“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility …The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

That’s the point of watching characters learn, act, and grow in stories. Their choices reveal their values and identity, and mistakes give them opportunities to learn. If characters only did exactly what we — the disinterested and supposedly logical viewer — wanted, stories would become unbelievably banal.

Even Spock makes “illogical” choices. Vulcans in the Star Trek universe even argue about what the most logical course of action is. Spock and his father Sarek are often at odds with one another’s reasoning:

If Vulcans can’t always get logic right, human characters won’t either. Therefore, judge a character’s choices by his or her internal logic, not your own, as a viewer or writer.

Levels of Story Logic

A point where there is a breach of narrative logic is often called a plot hole. As described by MoviePlotHoles.com, these gaps can be broken down into three categories:

Super Plot Holes destroy the logic of an entire story.
Major Plot Holes destroy the logic of the main characters.
Minor Plot Holes destroy the logic of small scenes.

This minor type of narrative problem is what I like to call “Refrigerator Questions.”

They are the type of musings that occurs to a viewer after he’s left the theater for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and reaches into the fridge for a beer when it dawns on him:

“Why didn’t Azog sink in the water since he was wearing heavy armor?”

Keep in mind that not all breaches of logic are plot holes. Some logical gaps relate to the craft of filmmaking (or whatever storytelling medium is at work). A mistake can come off as an inauthentic story beat in the moment-by-moment execution of a shot or scene. We’re talking here about granular elements like dialogue, blocking, musical cues, special and visual effects, continuity, and even lighting.

Plot Hole Problem

Here I’d like to make a distinction again between story gaps (plot holes) and other types of illogic. As helpful as plot holes are to spot inconsistencies, the concept of plot holes can miss the bigger picture.

The weakness of the plot hole concept assumes that all stories must be 100% logical when reality is often more strange and seemingly random. On the other hand, lack of consistency and coherence is the sign of bad writing. Where is the balance?

“Look no further than Monty Python and the Holy Grail for your paragon of narrative illogic run amok.”

Stories need logic, but not at the expense of the truth of the story itself. As fiction, a story should not be held to the standard of mathematical exactness or syllogistic truth claims. With that in mind, let’s examine how to make your story logical — to a point.

How to Make Your Story Logical

To make your story more logical there are two criteria that you need to meet: Consistency and Coherency.

Consistent: Your story must follow its own rules and norms, and it must not contradict itself.

These expectations are set at the opening of the story, and are informed by the genre and tone of any other related stories (since stories are not told or consumed in a cultural vacuum). Expectations according to story type are known as tropes, and if used correctly, they can be powerful tools. If used improperly, the story will fall flat.

Coherent: Your story must make sense when taken as a whole from beginning to end. The narrative must be understandable and harmonious.

To clarify the difference, consider a story that has (some) consistency but lacks overall coherence. Using Suicide Squad as our piñata, each of the story parts might logically follow from one to another, but since the story is disjointed as a whole when analyzed from a bird-eye view, the narrative lacks coherence.

Source: DC Films/RatPac/Atlas/Warner Bros. Pictures

Logic Hacks

If you have a logic problem you’re still unable to fix, try one of these two approaches: Plausible Deniability and the Lantern trick.

Plausible Deniability: This is the storytelling equivalent of an “absence of evidence.” You tell the story in such a way as to leave the viewer ignorant. The writer is innocent until proven guilty, so don’t give the viewer a reason to think you’re guilty.

When unanswered questions loom in the back of the reader’s mind, having room for plausible deniability will help spackle over the holes in your story. The larger a story becomes, the more difficult this is, especially when a narrative reaches levels of having “canon” like the Star Wars saga.

Think of how Collider bemoans Vader’s lack of recognition of R2-D2 and C-3P0, but it’s plausible he didn’t give them a second thought since A) they look like any other run-of-the-mill droids and B) he didn’t interact with them. Plausible deniability saves the day!

Hang a Lantern On It: This is a common screenwriting trick to help cover weak spots in a story. Having a character or shot state the logic problem is a way to highlight the issue without addressing it. Here’s an example:

It’s almost as if the Whedon is saying, “Yeah, I know this is a problem, but just go with it — it’ll be fun, I promise.”

These types of moments can also be used to humorous effect throughout a story. In fact, many absurd comedies utilize our desire for logicality and undermine it to create moments of humor. Look no further than Monty Python and the Holy Grail for your paragon of narrative illogic run amok. It’s full of hilarious non-sequiturs and smashing of the fourth wall!

Why Logic Matters in Stories

Illogical actions pull a viewer or reader out of a story and break her suspension of disbelief. This occurs because we live in a logical universe governed by natural laws and so we expect stories to contain a high level of verisimilitude to our world.Famed physicist Albert Einstein was struck by this unlikely fact: “The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility … The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle.”

This brings a question of why a random universe would also contain such order, fine-tuning, and logical laws: I believe the evidence points to an intelligent creator. Cosmology aside, logic in storytelling is important because it’s how we make sense of our world — even the random parts of it. As rational beings, we then apply that rationality (and a desire for it) to the stories that we share.

Summary

Logic in storytelling is based on a narrative being rational and reasonable, not necessarily realistic or exhaustive. This is especially true of a character’s actions, which should be logical from his or her point of view, not the audience’s. Plot holes come in a variety of sizes, some of which can swallow a story whole!

To be properly logical, a story must be consistent among its parts and coherent as a whole. If you’re writing a story or having logic issues with your screenplay, consider using plausible deniability or hanging a lantern on it. Finally, stories need to be logical to reflect the rationality we experience in our created universe and our human nature.

Do you think all stories need to have logic to succeed? Let’s discuss in the comments!

The Importance of Logic in Storytelling