: Re: What's the difference between Deus Ex Machina and coincidence? I've read 1, 2, 3 and of course, 4. Then I read 5 and 6 and even 7. I was blissfully ignorant about coincidence, DEM and plot-convenience;

@LarsenBagley300

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Deus Ex Machina is when a chance event serves the purposes of the plot, leading to some outcome that is intended by the author or even sometimes desired by the audience or at any rate increases the dramatic effect of the whole story to the audience. Coincidence is when an event simply adds to the story-telling without significantly altering the plot.
As a result, coincidence is very rarely employed. In older story-telling, there was almost never any coincidence, only Deus Ex Machina. In modern story-telling, you do some times see coincidence, usually employed in order to add realism to the story.

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