# Deus ex Machina



## ciaron (Aug 14, 2008)

Should this kind of "plot turning" device be shunned and placed in the trash receptacle? or should it be examined and worked with?

What is a Deus ex Machina?
   Deus ex Machina, translates into "God from the machine", it describes an unexpected, artificial or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama, in order to resolve an issue or untangle a plot.

Now, i've been debating, if this kind of plot device was used in a well-written story, would it make it more interesting, or just make you wanna toss the story aside and strangle the writer?
  From the top of my head, i can recall only one really well-placed Deus ex Machina, and several bad ones.
  So... should it be avoided at all costs? or useable if under the right circumstances?


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## Rhainor (Aug 14, 2008)

Depends on how it's used.  If you accidentally "write yourself into a corner" and _have_ to use a deus ex machina, then the d.e.m. itself is not your only problem.  If you did it on purpose, then it _can_ be a very well-executed trope.


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## Magikian (Aug 14, 2008)

It could be done... Though it probably should be avoided...

You'd need to be a damn good writer to pull it off.


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## kitreshawn (Aug 14, 2008)

The problem with a Deus ex Machina is that it literally comes out of nowhere.  It can work well for some forms of stories, such as fables or ferry tales and the like, but in general it should be avoided like the plague.

Really the Deus ex falls into two categories I have seen:

1) Some outside force comes to the rescue.  This cheats the story because it takes the action away from the main character and, more importantly, does so at a time when the main character should be in the spot light (the climax of a story).  Very bad and can make the reader feel slighted.

2) The main character suddenly gets powers/abilities they didn't have before (and/or haven't shown off before) to solve the main conflict.  This is bad because it ultimately feels like the main character cheated somehow in order to win, and again readers don't like that.


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## Poetigress (Aug 14, 2008)

Hey, why can't we vote for more than one?  I think it should be avoided AND I like tacos!  >^_^<


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## Chanticleer (Aug 14, 2008)

I've actually seen the Deus ex Machina work quite well.

The way one particular writer did it was by describing a big, scary, and very rare monster throughout the book and having it come into play and kill the villain at the very end. It worked because, while it was unexpected, it was still an established possibility.

I think that might be why the ancient Deus ex Machinas worked so well. The idea of gods interfering was well established. Perhaps that also explains why the famous western Deus ex Machina, the cavalry, worked.

Oh, and this one worked too:
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=747


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## Frasque (Aug 14, 2008)

If the author was hinting about it through the whole book, it wasn't a d.e.m.


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## Poetigress (Aug 14, 2008)

Frasque said:


> If the author was hinting about it through the whole book, it wasn't a d.e.m.



Yeah, I was thinking that, too.  Kind of a modified d.e.m. at best -- more of a skillfully-wielded surprise than something appearing entirely out of nowhere.


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## Azure (Aug 14, 2008)

Well done Deus Ex Machinas have tiny cameos and suggestions throughout the book, but the machina itself isn't really fully revealed until it performs it's task.  I've seen it done well in a few places, but it can be a chore to set such a thing up correctly.  I really have to start writing again.


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## StainMcGorver (Aug 14, 2008)

This is why I think ahead before I write. Try to avoid the DEM. Unless it was hinted in the rest of the story, of course...


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## Nargle (Aug 14, 2008)

Hmmm... I suppose it's possible, but unless you've got it set up just right, then don't do it. I think stories should flow, not jerk around. Otherwise it takes on a very soap-opera-y feel.

And I wanted to click "I like tacos" but... I hate tacos. I like sushi.


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## lobosabio (Aug 14, 2008)

It should generally be avoided because it is so, so easy for it to come off as artificial.  Anyways, the odds of it actually working are much like those involved in correctly picking the winners of the Super Bowl, U.S. Open, and Daytona 500 by pulling names from a jar.  Yes, it can be done, but odds are it won't work.


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## Vagabond (Aug 14, 2008)

Avoid it at all costs. You'll be a better writer if you can be clever without them. Don't cut corners.


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## M. LeRenard (Aug 15, 2008)

Eh... I think it's a tool that should mostly be reserved for Saturday morning cartoon shows, action-packed Hollywood blockbusters, and other kinds of entertainment that aren't exactly paragons of deep plot.  In other words, if your focus is intrigue rather than 'tackle you in the face'-style plot engineering, you probably shouldn't be using what is essentially just a cop-out to keep things moving in the right direction.
And I don't know if I'd call something you build up throughout the whole enterprise a 'deus ex machina'.  Webster is telling me that deus ex machina is contrived and wholly unexpected.  It's when Eragon suddenly completely grasps all the intricacies of magic so he can wipe out the whole hoard of Urgals without breaking a sweat, rather than the revelation that Pip's benefactor is the prisoner whom he helped to escape at the beginning of the book.
Oh... oops.  I'm picking on Paolini again.  I need to stop that.


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## makmakmob (Aug 15, 2008)

M. Le Renard said:


> Oh... oops.  I'm picking on Paolini again.  I need to stop that.



But he's such an asshole.


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## Stratelier (Aug 16, 2008)

> Eh... I think it's a tool that should mostly be reserved for Saturday morning cartoon shows, action-packed Hollywood blockbusters, and other kinds of entertainment that aren't exactly paragons of deep plot.


In other words, a deus-ex-machina _can_ be genre-dependent.  Satire would not suffer the same loss as an epic narrative.


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