Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
are acceptable and which are damaging is a core skill for a successful
storyteller.
The first step is to admit you have a problem. That can be harder than it
sounds, because as already covered, there are some coincidences that
audiences barely notice and others that stick out like a sore thumb. And as
the person closest to the story, the writer may be the worst to judge which
is which.
So, a smart writer makes sure to get other eyes on the story. She'll ask
test readers their honest opinions. She'll find out which coincidences are
noticed and which others she might be getting away with. Then, after a
potential Bad Coincidence in the story is identified, the storyteller needs to
know what she can do about it.
Handling Coincidences
There are three main ways to deal with a coincidence that's attracting
negative attention in a story. Change the plot, retrofit, or downplay it.
1. Change the Plot
This is simple, if not necessarily easy. Change what actually happens. In
the Jurassic Park example, this could mean removing the T. rex from the
equation and forcing Grant to deal with the Velociraptors with his own
wits. Ideally, he would succeed based on his special knowledge of dino-
saurs and their traits, or even better, something he learned over the course
of the film up to this point. In other words, something that springs directly
from who he is or who he has become .
To be fair to Steven Spielberg, let's look at an example in which he and
his writers fixed a deus ex machina in the source material for his movie
version, by changing the plot. I'm talking about Jaws .
Peter Benchley's original, bestselling novel differs from the film in a
number of important ways. In the topic, police chief Martin Brody is the
only survivor of the fishing expedition. The boat, having been shredded by
the shark, completely sinks, leaving Brody alone and exposed in the water.
The great white approaches him, and Brody closes his eyes, thinking it's all
over. And then, at that exact moment, the shark inexplicably stops and
slowly sinks beneath the surface, apparently dead, leaving Brody befuddled
but alive. Coincidence. And arguably, a deus ex machina .
Search WWH ::




Custom Search