The Devil is in the Details --- The Art of Deception

The Devil is in the Details --- The Art of Deception

An original story by

Thomas Hessler

It really wasn’t a wild prank. Nobody got hurt, some were entertained for a while, and the incident displayed a principle of human characteristics. I would do it again, and I think if you asked those who know me, they would say, “Uh, huh.” 

Every so often I pick up a book about writing. I mean, some of the authors might really have something to say that is helpful. One author was explaining that no matter how unbelievable the plot might be, you sell the reader by plying them with details. The author provided several examples. And, I remembered a novel that I had read. The back cover’s summary of “the Invasion” said that in this story, the Chinese invaded the United States and created havoc in doing so. Now, this was twenty years or so ago, and the Chinese military and technology were not as robust as now. So, I scoffed. It would be hard for me to believe. Nevertheless, I read the novel and, bit-by-bit, induced by references to actual situations, detailed accounts of confrontations, familiar political history, and scene-by-scene narration, I bought into it. I remember remarking, at the time, that the author had convinced me that Chinese invasion was not a warp of reality. It could be done. 

Well, sometimes you actually put into practice that which you have read and understood. Thereafter, when writing, I remembered to craft some detail to convince the reader when the plot might be stretching things. But, I yearned to prove the point in a bigger way.

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This story originally appeared in the anthology From a Writer's Finger to a Butterfly Wing