Adventures of a Writer

Welcome to Week D of the A to Z Writing Series. My post for the week is 'Deus Ex Machina'.  Did you say, what the heck is that? So, here's a little definition. Deus ex Machina is a Latin term which actually means 'God from the Machine' . The term originated in Roman and Greek Drama where at a certain point in the climax of the story God would drop down from the sky (via a crane, and hence the reference to machine) to provide a resolution to the story.  In modern story telling using the Deus Ex Machina - or divine intervention - is considered to be poor writing. While it may be argued that in life, coincidences and random events do happen, when you're telling a story, use of such a device to resolve the protagonist's dilemma or crisis can often leave your reader dissatisfied. Whether your story is a romance or a thriller, your protagonist is the one who drives the story with his/her choices. To keep the reader engaged and turning the pages, the

Photo by Tanja Heffner on Unsplash.com Life imitates art. Or does art imitate life? Whichever way you may look at it, you can’t get away from the fact that in life and in art, there is conflict.  While in real life you do your best to avoid conflict, if you did the same in your writing, your story would be dull, drab and downright unreadable or unwatchable.  Imagine a movie where all characters live happily and there is no conflict.   Or a novel where page after page is a no-conflict-zone?   Boring, right?  Conflict in your story ENGAGES your reader/viewer. That’s the top reason why you need conflict in your story.   It keeps them watching the movie or turning the pages.   It gives them reason to root for your hero, fear for him and hope that he will be able to bring down the villain or triumph over the obstacles.  Different types of conflict Having conflict however does not mean that every scene needs to be a ‘fight’ scene. Conflict can be   about   o