Verisimilitude

by Adam Huddleston

The use of verisimilitude in writing is key to absorbing the reader and keeping their attention throughout the work. The device can be defined as the intention to provide believability to the narrative. This can be done through careful attention to the authenticity of the setting, characters, etc. It is important to remember however that just because a subject has verisimilitude, it doesn’t mean it is necessarily true. It may just appear to be true. For example, a well-crafted lie can seem to be accurate, but still be far from the truth.