Avoiding Deus Ex Machina

Firstly, what is "deus ex machina"? It’s an issue that can occur in your writing when there’s a challenge or problem your characters are facing and it’s suddenly resolved with an unexpected solution that has come out of nowhere.

But doesn’t that make a good plot twist? Well, no, is the short answer and here’s why - nothing puts a reader off faster than a too convenient or contrived solution.

Picture this: you’ve carefully crafted a tense scene, your hero is backed into a corner by the antagonist and is about to die, lose the love of their life, or everyone they care about (insert any or all of these). Things are looking grim.

Your reader is turning the pages and wondering how they will ever get out of this. They're grasping the paperback version and their breath is bated. “Perhaps the hero will use their smarts?” They think. “What about that special skill they displayed back on page 23 that the antagonist doesn’t yet know about?”. The suspense is building. Time is ticking…and then bam, an emerald falls out of the sky.

But this isn’t just any emerald, you see, it’s unique. It allows whoever possesses it to time travel! Somehow aware of this, the hero uses the knowledge to their advantage, going back in time to rewrite history and change every decision they ever made leading up to the altercation they were previously in. They go back so far the antagonist never met them and so the hero is no longer on their radar. Phew! Despite tinkering with time, there’s no butterfly effect. Everyone the hero cares about is still alive and if there is a love interest, they still end up together. All the problems are solved. Everything’s fine. The hero has won! There’s even a cute paragraph on the last page where a proposal occurs. The happy couple set the emerald into a ring for safekeeping before making wedding plans and house-hunting…

Wait, what? At this point there’s a chance your reader is feeling somewhat confused. Especially if there’s been no mention of this mystical emerald until the climax and time travel never featured in the rules of the story world before now.

Origins

The term "deus ex machina" originates from ancient Greek theatre and translates from Latin to mean “god from the machine”. It was coined due to endings in plays that were resolved when actors were raised with cranes to appear as gods and solve a crisis. While the emerald in the example above isn’t a god, it’s certainly a plot device that doesn’t fit with the rest of the novel.

Synonyms associated with "deus ex machina" include gimmick, "divine intervention" and "happy coincidence".

Examples in Literature, Television and Film

*Warning: spoilers ahead due to the nature of this topic.

The War of the Worlds

In the science fiction novel by H. G. Wells, Martians invade the Earth and after much destruction, they’re defeated and wiped out by a pathogen they have no immunity from. Some view this ending as disappointing as the humans never succeeded in fighting them off directly but rather, there’s an environmental factor conveniently in place to take care of the issue.

Batman

In the 1966 series played by Adam West, a shark attacks Batman and he calls upon his sidekick, Robin, to toss him the “Shark Repellent Bat Spray” that they happen to have on hand in their helicopter. Upon using it, the shark unlatches from Batman, falls into the water and explodes.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Megatron kills Optimus Prime in the 2009 movie directed by Michael Bay. Later, Sam Witwicky, the protagonist, is also killed. While dead, the Dynasty of the Primes (ancient leaders), appear and talk about Sam’s courage and sacrifice before magically bringing him back to life so that in turn, he can restore Optimus Prime.

Using It for Effect

There’s a scene in the 2001 Donnie Darko movie where the protagonist has a knife at his throat on the roadside. He utters the line: “Deus ex machina, our savior” as a car pulls up, causing the fight to end and sending his attackers fleeing.

---

Tips for Prevention

Unless "deus ex machina" is being used for stylistic reasons, what can you do to avoid it or fix it in your writing?

• You’ve probably already guessed, but the question to ask is if the solution to a character’s problem is plausible. While it’s okay to have a twist or surprise, does it make sense? How much suspension of disbelief will the reader need to apply in this circumstance? While you don’t want aspects of your novel to be too predictable, is it logical for the story that’s been set up so far?

• Are the characters acting… well, within character? What are they most likely to think and do when they find themselves in a bind? What inner motivations are driving them?

• Foreshadowing. Did Vincent, prince of vampires, suddenly sprout wings during battle (because, by the way, he’s part of the cat-dragon bloodline that lives in the mountains)? Okay, but you need to drop some hints first in the lead up to this event so that it doesn’t feel like a random insertion. For example, in Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Series, the character Tove flips a table using Psychokinesis when enemies attack the palace ballroom. This ability also plays an important role in the climactic moment. The author ensures to lay the groundwork by including a scene much earlier in the book where the protagonist witnesses Tove spinning items with his ability during a dreary dinner they’re forced to attend.

• Does the victory to a problem feel earned? In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the well-known children’s novel ends abruptly with a paragraph that states:

“And I think you’ll never guess what happened next. The next thing was, Alice woke up out of her curious dream. And she found that the cards were only some leaves off the tree, that the wind had blown down upon her face.”

Although the author, Lewis Carroll, forewarns in his opening sentence that it’s a story about a girl and her curious dream, the “waking up to find it was all a dream” ending comes at a convenient time—right after the Queen of Hearts orders Alice’s beheading and cards are tumbling all over her. Little is needed for Alice to get out of her predicament other than a breeze causing her to wake.

If a reader has become emotionally invested in your book, what can you do to provide a satisfying solution so that they don’t feel robbed? Is everything over in a few lines? In what ways can your main character actively get themselves out of a mess rather than constantly relying on a third party or a convenient gimmick to save them just in time?