1. Spencer1990

    Spencer1990 Contributor Contributor

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    Coincidence

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Spencer1990, Jan 29, 2017.

    I've been thinking a lot lately about coincidence in life and how that can or cannot translate to our writing.

    I've been told numerous times that coincidence in fiction is not good, that those are the opportunities to dive into and really flesh out our characters/plots/ideas. That's fine. I understand the implication is not to NEVER use coincidence but to limit it. So, generally, I do.

    Then, I was listening to NPR yesterday, This American Life, and the show was about coincidences in life, what they mean, and how they affect us as people. Coincidences can be profound and have lasting impacts on people's lives.

    So I suppose I wanted to start this thread to discuss coincidence in fiction. When can it be powerful? When should we avoid it? How much of what I've heard about avoiding it is just one of those "rules" that don't really apply to writing?
     
  2. OJB

    OJB A Mean Old Man Contributor

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    This is a great question, and I was at a real life writer's meeting where this question came up. After a bit of debate, the general consensus was that coincidence could get your character into trouble, but not out of it.
     
  3. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    I think you are right in limiting it. And it can be done well
    if it does not come across as plot demand, but feels genuine
    in the off chance occurrence.
     
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  4. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    I think this falls under "truth is stranger than fiction." In real life we accept coincidences, no matter how coincidental, because we have no choice--it's happened, and can't be denied. In fiction, where we know the author is pulling the strings behind the stage, it's much harder to swallow.

    I avoid big coincidences in writing because they mean things are happening to your characters rather than your characters making things happen, and characters should be active. That's a lesson I learned early on. In my second novel I had two people running into each other by chance and it really didn't sit well with me. I eventually changed it so it was no longer a coincidence for them to be in the same place at the same time, and it read much better.

    But I do include small coincidences that aren't significant to the plot, because that's a great way to inject a little humour. For example, a character turning up to an event in a certain outfit and his sworn enemy turns up in the same one--that could be funny, especially if he's spitting angry at the idea that he and his enemy think alike. Weak example, but it's all I got right now. :)

    For some reason I've always remembered a certain English lesson in school. We were reading Holes, and the teacher asked us what is the crucial difference between adult fiction and children's fiction. The answer he was looking for was 'coincidence' - he said it was okay in children's fiction, but not in adult's. Since I still read MG books, I think he's right. I didn't question the ridiculous and highly-convenient coincidences when I read them as a child, but now they have me rolling my eyes.
     
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  5. Lew

    Lew Contributor Contributor

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    I set my coincidences up so that when the actual coincidence happens, it is plausible, maybe almost inevitable.
     
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  6. Mikmaxs

    Mikmaxs Senior Member

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    I really don't like that idea. It might be true in practice, but I'd like to think that it's not so much an actual rule as it is a byproduct of writers being lazy. (Also: I never actually read Holes, but if the book is anything like the movie, then the only coincidence that exists is in the setup.)


    To the general question: I think the rule of thumb should be 'Never use coincidence to solve a problem'. It's more broad than some other rules presented above, but allows for more wiggle room, too. You can use coincidence for everything else, just don't use it to fix your hero's issues, or else it'll look like Deus Ex Machina.
     
  7. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    Eh? He wasn't saying it's a rule to have coincidence in children's books. :confused:
     
  8. Mikmaxs

    Mikmaxs Senior Member

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    Okay, maybe I misspoke a bit, but he DID say that it was "okay" in Children's books. I disagree. Just because you won't get as much flak for it doesn't make it an acceptable practice, it just means that you won't be punished for being lazy.
     
  9. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    First thing that popped into my head was My Cousin Vinny. There's an entire story based on an analytical argument of coincidence vs. causation. You have protagonists wrongly accused of murder (causation) because they were spotted at the scene of the crime moments before the murder occurred (coincidence). Actually, just about every story of wrongful accusation or even mistaken identity is built entirely on coincidence. By that argument, you could say that coincidence is not only acceptable but is sometimes mandatory for a particular story line. Having said that, you wouldn't want you to structure a story where the hero finally caught the killer only because the killer happened to sit down next to the hero at a bar. That's lame sauce coincidence. Like @OJB said here:

     
  10. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I think that you can often get one "well, it had to happen to somebody" coincidence almost for free. Somebody had to win that contest with millions of competitors. Somebody had to develop that incredibly rare disease. In the case of My Cousin Vinny, there have probably been several legal injustices that resulted from a horrible coincidence. So the book chooses to show the story of that somebody. It doesn't get "billed" for the full value of the coincidence.

    Except that that one coincidence means that its coincidence budget is pretty much used up--it doesn't get any more. That's why it's only "almost" free.
     
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