In a post on Killzone, Sue Coletta offers advice for deceiving your reader. “Fictional truth is never quite as clear as it seems on the surface,” she says. Murderers lie to cover up their crimes. Protagonists often lie to themselves. Some narrators are unreliable.
“Fail, and the reader feels tricked. Succeed, and reap the rewards,” Coletta writes. Writers have the advantage of the reader’s trust. Even though they’ve encountered unreliable narrators, they will believe yours, until convinced otherwise. And this applies to any character: protagonist, supporting character, antagonist.
One trick is understanding that everyone views life through a different lens, based on our experiences, trauma, religion, values, or politics. “When I look at an old mighty oak tree, I see a living, breathing being who’s survived for decades, maybe even hundreds of years, and has provided housing and comfort to thousands of animals. Someone else might only see firewood,” Coletta says.
Describing your story world through your character’s perspective is an easy way to deceive the audience. The reader will accept their version of events as true, but as they get to know your hero, the misperceptions and inaccuracies will become clear.
Characters can also disguise their actions, emotions, or a secret, while leaving subtle clues through body language, avoidance, indecisiveness, or apprehension. Dialogue also comes into play. “What characters say—and don’t say—can show a character acting evasive or blatantly lying,” Coletta says. “Tone of voice also disguises the truth, as does ambiguity.”
You can also use symbolism to trick the reader. While your reader might interpret a rainbow or a butterfly as optimistic, you can turn the symbol around so that it represents something negative. “Now, the reader will no longer be able to trust their own instincts,” Coletta explains. “You’re toying with their perception. Thus, able to deceive.”
