A coincidence, according to Merriam-Webster, is "the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection."
As a writer, coincidences undermine the reality of your story. They can plant seeds of doubt in your reader's mind.
Does the writer really know what he's doing?
But are there ever situations where it's okay to use a coincidence?
Nancy Kress says yes.
A coincidence is okay if you're setting up a plot complication (but not resolving it).
A coincidence is okay when the event seems engineered at the time, but can be explained logically as more information is revealed to the reader.
A coincidence is okay if your story is humorous (i.e. not intended to represent reality).
In Cross My Heart (and its Collateral Damage counterpart), there's a scene where Parker and Blake get into it in the parking lot, and Jaden intervenes.
Coincidence?
Maybe. But we already know that Jaden works in the office last hour (we've seen her there), so the fact that she's running late isn't too much of a surprise. The tension has been building between Parker and Blake for a while, but CMH hints at a previous altercation between the two gentlemen which CD describes more fully--they're walking timebombs, basically. So while it might seem coincidental that everyone happens to be in the right place at the right time, ready for a fight, the stage was set long before the scene played out, which (I hope) allows for the reader to suspend their disbelief of that moment.
Because that's what fiction demands of us, right? To suspend our disbelief for while and invest in the narrative being spun.
So use those coincidences, but use them well.
A coincidence done poorly has the potential to raise the proverbial red flag.
A coincidence done right isn't really a "coincidence" at all.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
