Great stories often play with the truth, making us believe in something that later turns out to be completely different. That's the art of deception and is a crucial factor in making your story more engaging. The best kind of deception tricks readers and convinces them that it is the truth. But when the truth is finally revealed, readers feel shocked. The secret lies in perfect storytelling, adding enough misdirection, and choosing the right way and moment to reveal the truth.

1. The Art of a Believable Lie

Your lie has to feel real. Don't make it wild or over-the-top. Make it simple, make it natural, and flow with your story. Let the reader believe your character is real and they are revealing the truth—then flip the story. A great example is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. We follow Rachel, who honestly appears to be an unreliable drunk and obsessively jealous ex-wife. But as the plot develops, it becomes clear that not only has Rachel been manipulated, but the real villain is genuinely the real surprise. There is some power in the twist; the story takes its time to shift our perspective so that we ultimately see the truth. 

2. Mix the Truth with Lies

The best lies are mixed with truth. Give readers some details that are believable and significant to the story, and then sneak in a few things that aren't quite what they seem. Think of it like a magician's trick; your audience is watching one hand while the other is making the actual move. M. Night Shyamalan has a knack for this, and it's brilliantly employed in The Sixth Sense. The story sets us up to believe that Bruce Willis's character is interacting with the world, but subtle indicators (or their absence) make the final revelation hit hard. Similarly, in Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, we believe the first wife, Rebecca, was a saint until the truth unravels, showing her dark and manipulative nature.

3. Pick the Right Time to Reveal

A great twist needs perfect timing. If you do it too soon, the twist loses its impact. It's too late, and readers might feel bored or misled. The key is balance. One method is the midpoint shift, where the lie sustains the first half of the book before being flipped on its head. This structure is used in We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The story builds an illusion of a privileged family with a perfect summer retreat, only for the protagonist to uncover a tragic and devastating truth about what really happened there.

4. Be Fair to Your Reader

A plot twist should offer fair play to readers. If a reader feels completely blindsided with no breadcrumbs leading to the revelation, they might feel cheated. Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a good example. The narrator seems to be perfectly honest, but by the end, we find out he has been concealing the truth, just like the fusion of gaps in his narration later show the ultimate deception.

Tips to Make It Work

- Build Trust Early – Make your characters feel real and believable from the start.

- Hide Clues in Plain Sight – Add small hints that make sense later without making them too obvious.

- Control the Flow – Don't give away everything too soon. Let readers learn things little by little.

- Make It Worth Rereading – A good twist makes readers want to go back and see what they missed.

- Test It on Someone – Let a friend read it. Ask if they were surprised but still saw how it made sense.

Writing a twisty story is about making your readers believe the lies and then surprising them in the best way later by revealing the truth. The goal is to make them say, "Wow, I didn't see that coming!" So, next time you write, think about what your reader believes. And then, when the time is right, pull the rug out and show them the truth.