As a writer, you're an illusionist: you create brave new worlds for your
reader and go to great lengths to make them seem as real and as
plausible as possible -- that is what writing good fiction is all about.
The
subversive in me is interested in the effects of setting up an illusion
only to destroy it with a kind of devastating sleight of hand. It can
be the most fantastic plotting device and leave your reader open-mouthed
with astonishment. Sarah Waters is an absolute genius at this: without
wanting to give too much away, in her novel Fingersmith she
creates one reality only to whip the rug from under the reader's feet
and reveal another, different one in a way that can leave you feeling a little giddy.
So here's a challenge
for you: set a wheel turning within a wheel -- as you're weaving one
illusion, produce another like a string of bright silk handkerchiefs
hidden up your sleeve. Fiction is bluffing anyway, but take it a step
further and go for double bluff. It can be a circus trick: cue drumroll,
cue fanfare...
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