: Re: How can I make an in-universe random event feel like it was really random instead of just RNJesus' will? Some stories feature random events that bring about drastic change either to the characters

@Kristi637

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The simple answer: Coincidences in fiction feel like cheats when they solve problems for the character. But they feel like real life when they make things harder. If someone just happens to find a winning lottery ticket and it makes her life perfect, that feels like a cheat. But if that same lottery ticket ruins her life, that's a good story. It goes back to the educational value of fiction. We can't learn anything (much) from a story about receiving unexpected, unearned solutions to problems (unless that itself is a problem in disguise). But learning to deal with unexpected, unearned problems is a crucial life skill.

There's an important caveat to this, however. An unexplained coincidence that makes things harder for the character can still register as fake, if it's too obviously solving a problem for the writer. For instance, suppose the villain just happens to always stumble across the hero, no matter how well he's hidden. That's just in there to make things easier on the writer, so it's a cheat (even though it makes things harder for the character).

This advice is adapted, in large part from "Sanderson's First Law" (on the plausible use of magic in fantasy stories). Although his advice is specific to the fantasy context, I've found it a useful lens for viewing any kind of plot device that might strain credibility. As a corollary, I've found in my own writing that when a character welcomes any particular unexpected event or occurrence, it is both less believable and less compelling than when he or she resists it, or is initially distressed by it.

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