More on "Deus Ex Machina" Endings

Question

"I have a question about deus ex machina endings. In my story the main character ends up a quadriplegic, but with the aid of stem cells and lots of physio she walks again. Does that constitute what you call a contrived ending?"

- Rebecca Anne, Wolverhampton, UK

Answer

If anyone reading this has not read the main article on this type of novel ending, go read that first.

The simple answer to your question, Rebecca Anne, is that it could be a contrived ending. It all depends on how you handle it.

A deus ex machina ending, or a contrived ending, in a novel is one which arrives out of the blue and seems too convenient to be believable. It is one which fails to flow naturally and logically from the events that came before it.

In your own story, did you mention the possibility of a stem cell cure throughout the novel? Or did you suddenly spring it on the readers right at the end?

• In the first instance, the ending would certainly have a touch of the deus ex machina about it.
• In the second instance, it wouldn't.

However a novel ends, it is important to lay the groundwork for it, or foreshadow it, earlier in the novel. How? By planting little "signposts" along the way that this is the direction in which things are heading.

Be careful, though. While it is important to prepare readers for the ending (so that it strikes them as believable), you don't want to make the end obvious. So make the signposts subtle. And also plant some other, misleading signposts which will lead the audience to expect an ending which never actually occurs.

Here are a few thoughts on how you might avoid a contrived ending in your own book:

• Introduce the possibility of stem cells curing the character in several places throughout the novel - by having her discuss the issue with her doctor, for example. This will make the ending, when it comes, believable.

• The trick then is to lead the readers to expect a different kind of ending - one in which the main character commits suicide, say.

• So although she is aware of the possibility of a medical cure to her condition, have her reject it (due to ethical concerns, perhaps).

• To lead readers to expect the suicide ending, include several instances of her contemplating how she would end it all.

• Then, near the end of the novel, you would simply need to invent a situation which makes her put the ethical concerns to one side and agree to the treatment.

Now, I might be completely off track with these suggestions. Without knowing the details of your novel, it is impossible to know. Hopefully, though, I have told you enough about deus ex machina endings in general for you to be able to figure out the specifics for yourself.

Harvey