The #1 Writing Mistake to Avoid…the Deus Ex Machina
What is a Deus Ex Machina?
Deus ex machina translates to God in the Machine. For writers, this means revealing to your readers that this story is being created and controlled by you.
Why is this a problem?
This is a glaring issue for your manuscript because it drags your reader out of the story and out of your world. It reminds them that this is all fiction, disconnecting them from your characters.
How are you revealing the Deus Ex Machina in your writing?
There are big and small ways authors reveal their presence in the story.
The biggest way is plotting. If you’ve made something happen in the plot because you want it to, not because your character would logically choose to do it, you are revealing yourself in the story.
For example: Your fiendish villain locks your two main characters in a cell together, forcing them into close proximity, building sexual tension and a deep connection that blooms into romance.
This might sound great in theory, but your villain has many other cells available, and there is no logical reason they would place two prisoners together, particularly when this increases their chances of plotting an escape.
This reveals the author’s desire to push the characters together in order to form a relationship. Your reader is intelligent enough to spot this and will be irritated by your villain’s lack of logic. You spot this in many Bond films where the villain takes the time to give a lengthy speech explaining all of his plans when in reality the most logical step would be to shoot Bond quickly.
Being a Plotter rather than a Pantser can lead you into this trap if you are too focused on crafting an exhilarating and immersive plot, and so fail to keep your characters’ emotions, drivers, intelligence levels at the forefront of your mind.
How do I fix it?
If you find you’ve already fallen into this trap, the fix is very doable but may be slightly laborious. List all your key plot points and ask yourself at each turn, would my characters instinctively do this? If it doesn’t match up, you either need to:
Change your character’s personality or motivations (hard to do but not impossible).
Does your villain have a vendetta against young lovers, and his ultimate plan is to push them together only to tear them apart later long, fulfilling his desire to shatter young hearts.
Add in a new complication that forces your character into this decision
Has a storm swept in, tearing apart half of your villain’s castle and decimating the rest of his prisons so that he is forced to place the young pair together despite his desire to keep them apart.
Change the direction of your plot.
The young pair are not placed in a prison cell together. Instead, the villain pits them against each other in a fight to the death. The winner goes free. They battle between their desire for freedom and their desire to cling to their humanity. In a whispered exchange while grappling, they plot to turn against the guards watching them and break out together. (Not my best twist, but you get the idea!)
How do I avoid it?
Avoiding this issue is far easier than fixing it. When Plotting or Pantsing, make sure you have a clear understanding of what your character’s motivations are and what choices they would or wouldn’t make. Keep this at the forefront of your mind as you write. Be led by them, not by the storyteller within you.
An extra win you get from this method is that you’re less likely to fall into tropes. Your characters don’t care about tropes. They aren’t interested in the sexy fight scene, enemies to lovers, found families. They have their own drivers. Be led by them and you’ll be in safer and likely more original waters.
