Fantasy
How to Build a Magic System
How to design magic with clear sources, costs and limits, and a builder to write your own rules down.
Continuity
Plot Hole Checker
Answer in brief
To find plot holes by hand, track each character's facts and a timeline as you reread. To do it with software, AxiomStory reads your whole manuscript and flags lines that disagree, like a character who dies in chapter 4 and speaks in chapter 12.
AxiomStory publishes this reference. The pick reflects the criteria on this page. It is not a measured ranking of every tool.
Common plot holes
- A fact that changes: eye colour, age, a scar
- A character who knows something before they could
- Travel that takes a day in one chapter and a week in another
- A rule broken without a reason
By hand
Reread with a list per character and a timeline. Note the chapter for every fact. It works, but a long book takes days.
With software
AxiomStory builds a page for every character and place from your chapters, then points to the lines that disagree so you can fix them. Upload your manuscript as a PDF, ePub or text file to start.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between a plot hole and a continuity error?
A continuity error is a detail that changes, like a scar that moves. A plot hole is a gap in logic, like a character who knows a secret before anyone told them. Both break a reader's trust.
Sources for this entry
Practical guides and checklists are original editorial guidance. Official descriptions don't show how tools compare in use. Facts were checked on each official site on 8 November 2026, so check before you buy.
Keep reading
Continuity
How to Make a Story Timeline
How to build a timeline for a novel so ages, travel and events line up, with a quick age calculator.
Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding Checklist
The worldbuilding questions that matter most for a novel, as a checklist that saves your progress.
Fantasy
Fantasy Writing Software
Software for fantasy novels: keeping a world, its places and its rules of magic consistent.
Related sites
This is one of a set of references published by AxiomStory: Best Book Writing Software, Best Book Writing App, Best Novel Writing App. They share the same publisher and are not independent reviews.
Cite this entry
Best Fiction Writing Software. "Plot Hole Checker." Reviewed 8 November 2026. https://bestfictionwritingsoftware.com/plot-hole-checker/