Why is contrivance a bad way for a writer to move the plot forward?

Answer 1

Contrivance is using things like acts of god to solve the character's problems. It's a bad way to move the plot forward because it doesn't seem logical or rational and the reader feels cheated when the character doesn't have to work to obtain their reward. It just happens magically.

Answer 2

A contrivance is something that happens by coincidence to solve something in your story. For example, your character is being mugged by a robber with a gun. Suddenly, a brick falls from the sky and knocks the robber out.

The pitfalls of using this sort of solution are that your readers feel cheated and won't read your stories any more. Your story will be less interesting than it would have been if you'd shown the two characters standing by a construction site where you'd shown earlier that one of the workers had come to work drunk, and was now tossing bricks off the top of the building and laughing.

Answer 3

Contrivance can make the story seem forced or unrealistic, breaking the reader's immersion. It can feel artificial and diminish the impact of the plot developments. Readers may find it hard to relate to the characters or the story if events seem to happen for no reason other than to advance the plot.