Real vs Believable

There aren't many rules that writers know instinctively not to break but NO COINCIDENCES is one of them. Coincidences are cheating and not allowed as a method of moving the plot forward. Too bad, because life if full of them.

For instance, police officer Andy Flitton, has the unlikely distinction of giving a speeding ticket to the same man, in two different countries (Britain and New Zealand), two years apart. Officer Flitton had this to say: "We must have some sort of connection. He only ever broke the law twice and both times I was the one to give him a ticket."

The bottom line is that plot and characters and settings have to be believable, not realistic. A fine distinction that opens up a world of possibilities. Consistency in the characters' qualities and what building the sun rises over achieves believability. Coincidence does not.