How to Write Red Herrings to Mislead and Surprise Your Readers

Fans of horror and mystery shows, movies, and books all know how entertaining it is to guess the scenarios and plot points as the story progresses. When we’re able to correctly guess the perp’s motivation, the next victim, or - the best - when you’re able to guess the perp itself, there’s an exhilarating and prideful feeling that enters our body. What about the exact opposite feeling, when all the clues and the connections you made fall flat and you end up getting it wrong? When there’s an unexpected twist you would never have thought of because there were signs pointing to the exact opposite conclusion? Yeah, we feel a little disappointed in our deduction skills, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the way the creators were able to elude us. So, how do authors turn their readers in a different direction to elude them from the truth, but also make the plot twist believable and consistent? The answer is in the Red Herrings.

What is a Red Herring?

The term “Red Herring” is a simple way of saying “distraction” in the literary world. This term was originally coined in the early 1800s after William Cobbett wrote a story about using a strong-smelling smoked fish (red herring) to distract hunting dogs from chasing a rabbit. Another way to look at it is to imagine that you’re watching TV and the show is starting to get good, and then someone comes into the room, stands in front of the TV, and starts telling a compelling story that takes all your attention away from the TV show. This is essentially what a Red Herring feels like while reading.

The author purposely places fallacies for the readers to follow, which can lead to false conclusions, ultimately making reveals more impactful. Implementing this literary device allows the readers to have a more enjoyable experience since predictable novels tend to be less popular. Reading a predictable story can become redundant and boring, so these Red Herrings are essential to keeping the story lively and exciting.

When to Use Red Herrings

Red Herrings are a literary device that is specifically used in fictional writing. When you’re writing academic, formal, or professional papers, you want to stay clear of Red Herrings. They don’t make sense in a setting like that. On the other hand, Red Herrings can be used in any fictional genre but is primarily used when it comes to mysteries. For the sake of consistency, our examples will be used with mystery novels in mind, but all these tips and techniques can be used for all kinds of novels and short stories.

As previously discussed, you will use Red Herrings when you want to create a plot twist or wait to reveal something huge toward the end of your story. You won’t use Red Herrings at random as an attempt to add more to your story. Red Herrings cannot stand on their own and should be used with other writing techniques to enhance the reading experience. Onto the tricky part, how do we implement Red Herrings into our writing?

How to Use Red Herrings

Like all literary devices, it can be a bit difficult to understand how to begin writing Red Herrings into your stories. Even after understanding the “what” and “when” of Red Herrings, writing them into your story is a feat. Luckily, if you keep all these pointers in mind as you begin practicing writing Red Herrings, you’ll be a pro in no time!

I. Make it Make Sense

It can be tempting to insert a Red Herring out of nowhere when your plot seems to be falling flat. Anything to salvage your story, right? However, tempting this is, the readers can find a random character, piece of information, or a new plot line thrown into the mix as confusing and even frustrating in some cases. Your readers like to understand what’s happening in the story at all times, so tripping them up to the point where they’re questioning their own intelligence is a quick way to get people to stop reading.

How do we avoid this? The key is to implement your Red Herring into the story early on. Have the character, relic, or motivation be an integral part of the story that would be noticeable if it didn’t exist. A Red Herring is something that consistently keeps the reader’s attention, pulling them away from what’s actually happening. It’s a way to deceive the readers in a creative way that will impress them, not completely throw them off.

When it comes to making your Red Herring believable, you want to be sure that there are believable motivations and opportunities, especially if your Red Herring is a character. You want to make it realistic as if they could genuinely be the perpetrator. Since the goal is to lead your readers to a different trail, all the signs have to point to this Red Herring. Obviously, this character would still be innocent in the end, but the goal is to convince the readers that this Red Herring is the real deal.

II. Fool the Readers Ethically

An important thing to remember is that your goal here is to create an enjoyable reading experience for your readers. When Red Herrings are used correctly, it can be fun for the readers and the authors both. In order to make it fun, you have to be sure that you’re using your Red Herring correctly and providing all the information necessary to keep your readers informed. Deliberately keeping information from your readers is devious and unethical. You don’t want to lie to your readers, since that will end up breaking their trust in your writing abilities, ultimately making them frustrated or angry. Instead, a way to keep them on their toes while also being honest with them is to provide an excess of information or action that keeps their attention away from the truth. The evidence will still be there, but it won’t be obvious, which means you're using your Red Herring correctly.

Providing an excess of information can jumble up your reader’s brain, but not in a negative way. Doing this deliberately can make sure that your readers are overlooking the obvious clues that point towards the truth, keeping their attention on the Red Herring. Like most things, there needs to be a balance. It’s important to not put too much unnecessary information into your story. The information that you're using to distract the readers should be useful to the plot, even if it’s misleading to the reader.

If you want to have the characters lie to one another or have them find the wrong information, that’s perfectly ethical since it’s within the story. However, lying to your readers directly and feeding them wrong information about the characters, the story, or any other information is wrong.

III. Have the Main Character(s) be Fooled

In mystery novels, the main character tends to be a detective, cop, private investigator, or amateur who is attempting to solve a personal mystery. Regardless of who your main character is, it’s important that they are following the Red Herring trail to make the Red Herring seem more believable. If the main character isn’t fooled by the evidence, how can you expect the readers to be fooled by it?

The main character (or characters) can be an important tool to help distract the readers from the real culprit. Having them fully believe false information will cause the readers to believe the false information as well. The readers are meant to connect with the main character, some even viewing them as extensions of themselves if they’re relatable enough. If the main character is supposed to be intelligent, like Sherlock Holmes, then the reader has no reason to question their judgments or deductions.

On the other side of the coin, if you make your main character too suspicious of everything, second-guessing every piece of information that they receive, then it’ll make it far more difficult for the reader to believe anything as well. The reader internalizes the main character’s attitudes and will follow their lead. When creating a believable Red Herring, it’s important to show how the main character reacts to it.

IV. Coincidences… or are they?

Do you remember watching a crime show like Law and Order or Criminal Minds and seeing a suspect who was coincidentally everywhere the actual culprit was? Or was coincidentally linked to the culprit or the victim’s family? One coincidence is easy to shrug off as a weird occurrence. When there seems to be coincidence after coincidence though, it becomes suspicious. A person who was the last to see the victim, happened to be at the crime scene at a certain time, and has the motivation to commit the crime, it’s hard to think that they’re innocent.

How wild is it when you find out that they were innocent? When the actual murderer is revealed and all the bits of information begin to unfold? There’s a certain feeling you get in your chest and stomach, a mix of awe, excitement, and disgust.

These coincidences will grasp the reader’s attention, luring them away from any other information that might point toward the real culprit. However, be conscious of using obvious coincidences. If they’re too obvious, avid readers will notice this and become suspicious of the validity of these coincidences. The best way is to spread these instances throughout the story instead of having them come to light all at once. That way, the reader is slowly becoming suspicious of the Red Herring, rather than the Red Herring being forced into their face. Using happenstances like this will ensure you get to shock your readers in the best way, and that they’ll re-read your story in search of the clues they missed before.

Red Herring Practice Time!

The concept of Red Herrings can be confusing for any writer, especially beginners who have no experience with writing them before. It’s no surprise that it takes time, patience, and lengthy practice before you're able to become comfortable with Red Herrings. Writers who have been practicing for years still struggle to implement Red Herrings into their stories. Knowing some of these techniques on how to mislead and surprise your readers is another step towards becoming a better writer. Be sure to push your limits, try out new things, and, as always, give yourself grace as you learn this technique. Take your time, take a deep breath, and start your Red Herring journey!