: I really like this question and I think it points to an important idea. In fiction (I don't see this applying to non-fiction) a reader is generally going to have to have a certain suspension

@Jennifer354

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I really like this question and I think it points to an important idea. In fiction (I don't see this applying to non-fiction) a reader is generally going to have to have a certain suspension of disbelief, or simply, accept that highly improbable event occurred/s to facilitate a story.

The most obvious example I can think of comes from film actually...Transformers. If you aren't familiar there have been three movies made. In movie #1 an artifact drifts through space and lands on earth, the probability is minuscule of that happening of course but without it there is no reason for giant alien robots to be on earth and thus no story...so ok yeah I am good with that because I can accept that while it is unlikely the thing had to land somewhere right?

What killed me with the following two movies (aside from the terrible dialogue, and giant robot balls...Michael Bay I despise you...) is that equally improbable chance happenings occurred in both. Now I have a problem because not only did this artifact land on earth, but you also have ancient ancestors building sun eating machines on earth several millenia ago (which none of the current actors knew about) and you have a ship that crashed on the far side of the moon after also drifting through space for who knows how long...at this point the story is so ridiculous that even giant alien robot fights...which are hard not to love, can't save the movie from being terrible.

The scale of the event, or the likelihood of it occurring is important as well. World altering events...yeah probably shouldn't have more than one...two people that live in the same apartment building running into each other around the neighborhood...much more likely.

Your two accidents...maybe they dont happen on the same day. Maybe the comet falls and the character finds it. Then in the rush and excitement of it all the character runs into his/her old friend. Maybe that happens in reverse...depends on what purpose the friend plays. Now if that old friend is also and astro-physicist or astronomer...then you have to be more careful...if things seem far to convenient they probably are.

Really liked the question.

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