Keeping it Synchronous
Hello and welcome back!
This week’s #TuesdayTip is looking at Synchronicity within a story.
A basic definition of the word is as follows:
“The simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.”
Why is synchronicity a popular device? Why do writers decide that in one book, or a particular TV episode, there will be a theme of parents being ill?
Leaving aside the great Terry Pratchett’s assertion that million to one chances happen nine times out of ten, coincidences do happen. But there are other good reasons:
- Synchronicity allows writers to explore a particular issue in depth, by having more than one instance to compare.
- The details of one event might give characters insight into another similar, but unrelated event. The classic example being the detective having a eureka moment, when they realise that they ‘have seen this before’.
- It can be used as a way to bring two characters together. Eg two characters who have been stood-up, meeting at a bar.
Another example is when the lives of different characters seem to be following similar, yet unrelated trajectories.
For example, Character A‘s father is suffering from severe dementia, and they are likely to die soon.
Character B receives news that their father has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and they too are expected to die soon.
The two events are unlikely to be related and so can’t have any causal connection.
This gives us an opportunity to explore the individual characters’ psyches. How do different characters deal with ostensibly the same situation?
Take Character A. He has always been very close to his parents, supporting them throughout his father’s dementia journey. He cherishes the last few memories he will make with his dad. He decides to take a leave of absence to spend the last few weeks with his dad and to support his mother.
Character B found about her father’s illness via text message from her sister, who she rarely speaks to. Her father was a cruel man, and Character B couldn’t leave home fast enough. Her response to the text message is “good”. She goes to work as normal and refuses her sister’s entreaties to see her father one last time and clear the air.
These two characters are dealing with the largely the same problem in different ways. But what if they are friends? Character B hasn’t told anyone about her father, but Character A notices that something is wrong. Character B watches Character A as he deals with his father’s impending death and is struck by how, amidst the sadness, there is laughter and perhaps even relief, despite his deep love for his dad and his impending loss. On the other hand, she should be glad that the man she’s hated since childhood will soon be dead, yet she feels angry and frustrated at the world and struggles to concentrate at work. By contrasting the two characters, we see the difference between them. It also allows Character B to see her own issues through the prism of somebody else, and the reader learns more about her and her demons.
Another, related issue could be a Red Herring (#Tip153).
An example might be the neighbour of a murder victim hearing a scream at precisely 11:42 am. Detectives are confident that this was the victim being killed. CCTV from around the corner shows a young man, in coveralls apparently stained red, running hell-for-leather down the street a couple of minutes later.
After extensive investigations throughout the book, the young man is identified and arrested. The reason he was running? To catch the bus. The red stains? Paint.
The use of synchronicity is more than just the writers running out of ideas. It’s a powerful narrative device that can help an author explore issues in more depth.
What do you think about synchronicity? What other uses can you think of? As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Until next time,
Paul
PS: If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.
