I’ve been reading 2012 and just came across a passage that struck me as particularly helpful in thinking about how and why fiction works. The author, Daniel Pinchbeck, is quoting F. David Peat and discussing the concept of synchronicity, that phenomenon that is usually brushed off as “just a weird coincidence.” Peat says:

It is as if the formation of patterns within the unconscious mind is accompanied by physical patterns in the outer world. In particular, as psychic patterns are on the point of reaching consciousness, then synchronicities reach their peak; moreover, they generally disappear as the individual becomes consciously aware of a new alignment of forces within his or her own personality … It is as if the internal restructuring produces external resonance, or as if a burst of ‘mental energy’ is propagated outward onto the world.

For me, this says something about plot in fictional stories. In order for most stories to work, there must be at least a few “weird coincidences.” Obviously, when this is carried too far, we cry “contrived” and throw the book. But when done right, the necessity is also believed. Perhaps we believe these coincidences in fiction because they are occuring at a time of psychological restructuring for the characters and so seem to fit with our own experiences (whether we dismiss these experiences as insignificant or not). We are ready to believe them in fiction because we understand–intuitively, perhaps unconsciously–that these kinds of things … these synchronicities … occur at moments of change and significance.

Perhaps this is also one reason we enjoy fiction: it allows us to experience reality in the context of change and psychological transformation without requiring us to experience the stress and fear that accompanies change. In doing this, we can view these moments from a safe distance and more carefully observe the resonance between the internal and the external.