How to Write Believable Liars

liar cross finger

There are numerous types of narrators, and Alexis Bass has mastered one of the trickiest kinds: the believable liar. Her newest book, An Education in Ruin is a lush and sophisticated tale of scandal, love, and revenge. It is, of course, rife with a cast of compelling liars.

While we wait in anticipation for her next thriller to drop, we’re revisiting Alexis’s post from NaNoWrimo last year where she spills her secrets on how she crafted the characters from her debut novel, Happily and Madly, to be believable liars.


opens in a new windoweducationbassBy Alexis Bass

I love writing characters that deal in deception and enjoy creating stories that expose them. In order to keep the many lies woven into Happily and Madly from unraveling, the characters had to be convincing even when their behavior was outlandish. I adopted the following traits to make believable liars:

Order Your Copy of An Education in Ruin:

 

Social Share