 Fantasy: July 09, 2014 Issue [#6416] |
  Fantasy
This week: Deus Ex Machina Edited by: Storm Machine  
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"All knowledge is worth having." ~Jacqueline Carey
“I am not a fan of the magical quick fix in any fiction, including fantasy, scifi and comic books. Unless Dr. Who is involved, and then only because we get to use the phrase 'Timey-wimey wibbliness' which, I'm sure you'll agree, there are not enough occasions to drop into ordinary adult conversation.” ~Chris Dee
“A deus ex machina will never appear in real life so you best make other arrangements.” ~Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics |
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Deus ex machina literally means "God from the machine." It started with the ancient Greeks and many examples can be found in mythology.
Today's meaning of deus ex machina is a bit broader. The plot conflict is resolved in a way that either a divine being intercedes or another intervention from a previously unknown source. That previously unknown source might be a character, event, ability, or object.
The problem with using deus ex machina leads to the readers, our audiences. Would they believe it? Will they buy it? Or are they going to throw (the paper copy at least) the book at the wall and never pick it up again?
While not all problems are solvable, writers aren't always allowed to go reaching beyond their world. We create rules and we stick our characters in them, and readers generally expect us to stay within those limits. There are always ways of pushing the limits.
Examples: Tolkien. Remember the giant eagles that save people in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings? We could argue whether or not that's an example, but technically it's an unknown that saves characters from certain death during the conflict. I also found a reference that would call those eagles a symbol of hope.
Paolini. The Eldunari become important to move the story forward in the third book Brisingr, and their presence had been unknown to both Eragon and Saphira, though Saphira is a dragon who would become one eventually. Ever notice Saphira never gives up the part that would make her Eldunari?
Rowling. Priori Incantatem (and everything else) can be explained away by Dumbledore later, but it wasn't part of anything until Harry faced Voldemort in Goblet of Fire. But readers and protagonist were all confused until we figured out what was crawling out of Voldemort's wand - and why.
Wells. Bacteria was the only thing that could stop the aliens in War of the Worlds. While it's something we live with all the time, it's not unbelievable that it could stop beings from another world as they introduce themselves into our environment. But perhaps they should have done a little more research.
Meyer. How about imprinting the werewolves on others? Oh, yes, true love beats everything! It neatly ties up the love triangle and creates a peace between werewolves and vampires who are sworn enemies in Breaking Dawn. Yet who'd want to be truly in love with an infant child when he's like 17?
Deus ex machina becomes a plot device to use when the writer has painted the characters into a corner. Not all of these examples bothered me - and I have read each of these in book form - so whether or not you choose to use this method might be up to the story you have to tell. Did you make an impossible situation? Have you exhausted all methods within the rules of your story? If you choose to employ it, make sure it's believable and allow your readers to come to terms with the new element. Also resign yourself to the fact that you might have to write in some foreshadowing earlier or some world building to allow for this hitch to be resolved.
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| |  | Bluefeather (ASR)
Strange things start happening in the bird community, and it's up to Shri to save the day.
#1409192 by BD Mitchell  |
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StephBee 
I review often, too. It really is a valuable tool to get feedback on what we've written. I usually post my reviews to my blog, Goodreads, Amazon and B&N.
Those are all great places to review. You never know who will start reading because they agree with your critique on books.
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping 
I did that already - did it with a few Redwall books during The StoryMaster  's Product Review Creation Challenge last year- got an Educational Merit Badge out of it.
Nicely done.
Quick-Quill 
Reviews are important. Writing a review for a site like Goodreads, B&N or Amazon, it must be succinct. Point out what you liked about the story, maybe something about the characters so the readers know you read the book and then sum it up with your personal thoughts. I look at reviews to see what the general feeling for the book is, but I don't want to know the whole story, why would I buy it? I don't want to know the spoilers. Tell me why YOU liked it. What character story line kept you turning the page? What was it about the plot that didn't let you go to sleep.
I think it might be a personal thing, whether you prefer succinct or drawn out. I prefer not to know spoilers for books I will read, but there are other people who must read the last page before seeing whether the book is worth the effort. |
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