Coincidence in fiction

CaroGirl · Apr 2, 2007

Both my novels rely on coincidence to move the plot forward. Novel #1 was beta-read for me by 3 lovely people, and all said they had trouble swallowing the coincidence. I'm working now on making it more believable. The coincidence in question, incidentally, is based on a real-life story that inspired the whole novel.

Anyway, I'm reading a novel at the moment, an incredibly popular novel by a well known writer, that relies so heavily on so many coincidences that my suspension of disbelief is being stretched to breaking. Why does Famous Author get to use coincidence with so heavy a hand, but I have to work to make mine more believable?

MidnightMuse · Apr 2, 2007

I think you answered your own question with the term: Famous Author. :Shrug:

Toothpaste · Apr 2, 2007

Also the thing is, if we wrote about all the weird things that happened in our lives, chances are no one would believe us. Just because it's true doesn't make it believable. I think you are doing the right thing, working on it as you are, because to be honest, unless the book is about fate and coincidences themeatically, coincidences often read as a cop out (as you yourself noted reading the famous person's book).

I agree with Midnight too. It's because the author is established really. Way more freedom there. Still pity you find it so jarring!

Devil Ledbetter · Apr 2, 2007

I think it depends on how the coincidence is used to further the plot. A big, unbelievable coincidence would be difficult to pull off, especially if it resolved a plotting problem.

I have a coincidence in my WIP, where my MC meets someone from his childhood, now working at a hospital (not that far-fetched). That someone decides that the coincidence of running into him years later Means Something, and her belief in that causes her to become a something of a stone in his shoe. But as far as the story is concerned, the coincidence itself is meaningless -- it is only characters' reactions to it that matter.

maestrowork · Apr 2, 2007

Life sometimes is stranger than fiction. In life, we could say "I can't believe it, but it happened!" But in fiction, if you can't make them suspend their disbelief, then you'll lose them. Ms. Famous Author could do it because, well, she's Ms. Famous Author, so her fans are going to cut her some slack.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

I hate, hate, hate coincidence. It's the sign of a lazy author in my opinion. And I've heard so often the, "But this really happened!" line. I don't care. In real life it's hard to believe. So why use it in fiction that's supposed to have the ring of truth? It smacks of deus ex machina. In fact it is DEM. It doesn't matter if it happened in real life. We're not talking about real life. We're talking about fiction. Besides, fiction writers are supposed to make things up, not pull from actual events.

Plus, coincidence takes away the action from the characters. They didn't do anything to move the plot along. 'It just happened'. Ugh. Books with coincidence as a plot device make me so angry.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

maestrowork said:
Life sometimes is stranger than fiction. In life, we could say "I can't believe it, but it happened!" But in fiction, if you can't make them suspend their disbelief, then you'll lose them. Ms. Famous Author could do it because, well, she's Ms. Famous Author, so her fans are going to cut her some slack.

Or she'll lose fans.

maestrowork · Apr 2, 2007

But there's DEM and there's coincidence. They're not necessarily the same thing. A coincidence could be "A is thinking of B, and suddenly, they're at the same party together, and they're both now newly single..." That really does happen in real life, and I would be willing to suspend my disbelief to see where that goes. So it really depends on the coincidence.

I once bumped into a friend, whom I hadn't seen for years, in New York. Out of all places, out of 8 million people, I had to bump into him right there at that moment -- and we both didn't live in New York. It was the strangest coincidence, but it did happen.

In Woody Allen's Match Point, he relied on more than a handful of coincidences. Like, yeah, of all the millions of people in London, she had to bump into him... but the story was so fascinating that I kept watching. It was a good film, despite the fact that the coincidences did bug me. So in that sense, it's a great story despite of the use of coincidences, and not because of them.

Claudia Gray · Apr 2, 2007

It's all in how you handle it, I think. I don't know which Famous Author is straining your credulity, but I can think of writers who have used coincidence very skillfully -- Offred finding her old college buddy at the whorehouse in The Handmaid's Tale, for instance, or the entire string of weird coincidences that ties together The Deptford Trilogy. I think very skillful writers can use coincidence, either by framing it as a real part of life (which it is) that feels more real than contrived, or by using it in a more whimsical, surreal way -- I am thinking mostly of some fantasy and humor writers here.

That said, I think it's an incredibly difficult thing to use well.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

Yep, Ray. You're right.

My red-faced ire at both plot 'devices' made my brain blow a synapse or ten million. All better now.

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

My first novel has a few things that at first read seem like coincidences. But if you take a closer look, you will see that they were in fact NOT coincidences.

For instance: My female MC arrives in Southhampton harbour on a ship from Guyana on the very day the male MC arrives from India. They see each other, turn, look again - and lose each other. Nothing comes of that coincidence; but the reader knows they are meant to be together. It's just a tease.

They don't meet properly till several years later - but then it is a result of a carefully contrived string of events that made the meeting inevitable.

So try that - if something has to happen that seems like a coincidence, arrange it so that it's not.

maestrowork · Apr 2, 2007

aruna said:
For instance: My female MC arrives in Southhampton harbour on a ship from Guyana on the very day the male MC arrives from India. They see each other, turn, look again - and lose each other. Nothing comes of that coincidence; but the reader knows they are meant to be together. It's just a tease.

Reminds me of a Hong Kong movie: Tian Mi Mi (Comrades: Almost a Love Story). Despite its melodrama, it was a good film and these two characters kept bumping into each other. It was during the last shot (which was also the first shot of the film, but from a different angle) that you realized they were meant to be together... You should check it out.

There's a lot of fate/chance/coincidence stories in Asian literature and films. Another favorite of mine is a Japanese love story called "Love Letters." Beautiful film and entirely based on coincidence. Lovely.

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

maestrowork said:
I once bumped into a friend, whom I hadn't seen for years, in New York. Out of all places, out of 8 million people, I had to bump into him right there at that moment -- and we both didn't live in New York. It was the strangest coincidence, but it did happen.

.

My most memorable coincidence was when I needed to speak to my Aunt Z form America, but couldn't get hold of her. I was in South England.

I had a friend staying with me who had to catch a plane to France. I brought her to Stansted Airport, London to catch the plane.

Later she called me to say that the French airport workers were on strike and she couldn't fly. She and I spent the night in London and next day I took her to Gatwick airport for a different flight. I was in the airport for ten minutes. Who do I bump into? My cousin G, who is Aunt Z's daughter.

G. works for United Airlines at Heathrow Airport. She had not been to Gatwick Airport for 13 years, and had just come for an hour to fix some problem.

I told her I needed to talk to her mom. "Oh," says G, "Mom's in London, staying with me!"

That was the mnost amazing one, but I have experience several such coincidences. I think of a person, and they call, or I bump into them at the airport or in a big city or in the middle of nowhere. It happened more often than I can count, which is one of the reasons that I don't believe in coincidences. But in fiction they have to be handled carefully.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

This deserves its own thread, I think. 'Weird coincidences'. Office party maybe?

For what it's worth, I have experienced many a coincidence in my life, and I believe that's all they are - meaningless, random events. They only take on significance when the components (people or places involved) mean something to you.

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

maestrowork said:
There's a lot of fate/chance/coincidence stories in Asian literature and films. Another favorite of mine is a Japanese love story called "Love Letters." Beautiful film and entirely based on coincidence. Lovely.

Yes, and in Asian films these coincidences are really to show that such and such a thing is fate, or destiny, and so on.

In the case of my example, I could have made that first meeting at Southampton the one that brings them together. This would have worked if there was no other connection between them - if they were strangers meeting for the first time. But there IS a family connection they don't know about, which is the key element of the whole story, so that would have been simply too much of a coincidence.

But I wanted to have that feeling of them fated to be together, thus the initial fleeting glimpse on the dock.

maestrowork · Apr 2, 2007

I once bumped into a childhood friend in Hong Kong. I hadn't seen him for about eight years since we were just kids (in primary school). I went to college in the US and he went to London. There were 6 million people in Hong Kong at the time, and it was my first trip back to Hong Kong in the summer. And there, right on the street, we literally walked into each other. He was taking his first vacation back to Hong Kong in years as well. It was the most amazing coincidence.

Another incidence had me really freaked out.... Once I was walking to class at the university and as I was walking, I felt that I might see this person -- I had a feeling about her. And out of the blue, I turned around and looked, and there she was, about 100 yards away walking behind me. She was in as much shock to see me as I was. I almost thought I actually had sixth sense.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

Ah, but the fact that there IS that pre-existing connection through the family makes it a coincidence that they end up together, doesn't it?

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

I've had a lot of money coincidences - money appearing at the very moment when I needed it.

Last year, for example. My daughter's school was about to begin, and I hadn't paid last term's school fees. If the previous term has not been paid she could not reurn to school.

I kept this a secret from her - but I had no way of getting any money from anywhere. My credit card maxed out, everything gone. Ihad no idea what to do, but stayed calm. I do have this faith that what has to happen, will happen.

So the new term was approaching; on Monday school would open. I couldn't bear to tell her she couldn't go back. Then on Saturday I get one of those special envelopes form my agent - a very certain kind that makes my heart beat faster because it means "Payment Advice". I open it - and it's a notice that I had received £6000 in royalties from my French publisher! I had never, ever received Royalties in January before, and was absolutely NOT expecting anything till June.

That kind of thing happens all the time; I think I am deliberately kept short of cash so that I learn to trust.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 2, 2007

Coincidence

Coincidence is usually death in fiction. Unless, of course, it only seems to be coincidence, and later proves not to have been coincidence at all.

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
Ah, but the fact that there IS that pre-existing connection through the family makes it a coincidence that they end up together, doesn't it?

No; it's not a coincidence when your Aunt Prudence introduces you to your long-lost third cousin from Albania, (a natural kind of meeting) and you happen to fall in love with him. The coincidence is only if you meet a handsome guy on the 4.30 from Paddington, and he turns out to be your long-lost cousin from Albania.

CaroGirl · Apr 2, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Coincidence is usually death in fiction. Unless, of course, it only seems to be coincidence, and later proves not to have been coincidence at all.

Okay, then why can I name at least a dozen (off the top of my head) best-selling novels that rely on at least one coincidence? Not to mention The Bard.

josephwise · Apr 2, 2007

I'm fascinated by coincidence as a literary device. I'd like to experiment with it some time, but nothing of got on slate calls for it at the moment.

It's certainly not to be confused with "irony." Overblown and unbelievable coincidence can be used to good effect, but in those cases it's usually crossed the line into irony. Think of the YA novel Holes, for instance.

Otherwise, I think it works best when there's some reasoning behind it. Two people just happen to show up at the same bar at the same time? Well, if we know those characters well enough, maybe we'll understand that they both have a good REASON for being there, and nowhere else, at that moment.

But yes, coincidence is tricky. If not done well, it is a bit of a thorn. Even Shakespeare had trouble with it, in my opinion. Come on...ALL of Antonio's ships sank? All of them? Please. The lease he could have done is allude to it being a stormy time of year, and a reasonably dangerous gamble.

Toothpaste · Apr 2, 2007

I am a huge Shakespeare fan. Massive. But I will concede that many many of his plots are ridiculous and contrived. We must remember he was writing not only at a time where he had to keep the attention of his audiences or they would just ignore the play, but also to include stage bits for other stock actors who needed to do their comedy or sing their song.

But maybe we need a definition of coincidence. Why don't you share some of the coincidences you are referring to and then we can be a bit more specific instead of arguing generalisations . . .

aruna · Apr 2, 2007

Or: when Jane Eyre leaves Rochester at the alter, and gets taken in by this kind family - who turn out to be her long lost Eyre cousins! THAT was pushing the envelope - but no-one seems to mind.

scarletpeaches · Apr 2, 2007

CaroGirl said:
Okay, then why can I name at least a dozen (off the top of my head) best-selling novels that rely on at least one coincidence? Not to mention The Bard.

I know I'm sticking my neck out here but even when it comes to Dickens, I hate, hate, hate coincidence. I don't care if you're Dickens or Shakespeare, it's a lazy way to write.

Lazy might seem a strange word to use when I'm talking about Shakespeare and there are those who would lynch me for daring to criticise him, but there you go. Prolific he was, so definitely not a layabout (that's if it was him who wrote the plays), but he could also have written the plays in such a way that the same events took place, the same people fell in love, just not reliant on coincidence to get them from A to B.

Coincidence stretches credibility and when you're writing about fairies and ghosts you have to work hard to make that world believable. Why make things harder for yourself by risking yanking the reader out of the story?

Besides which, what was popular nearly 500 years ago might not be as acceptable today in new fiction.

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