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I don't think you quite have the sense of what a red herring is. It really isn't a general plot device. It is more a specific technique in a puzzle kind of plot, such as a who-done-it mystery. It i...
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#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26175 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
I don't think you quite have the sense of what a red herring is. It really isn't a general plot device. It is more a specific technique in a puzzle kind of plot, such as a who-done-it mystery. It is something that suggest, and leads the reader to believe, that the gardener did it, when in fact it was the butler who it. The entire plot around the gardener is than the red herring. What you are describing seems to be more generally a technique of maintaining suspense of the will-they, won't they variety. There is no red herring involved in your treatment of the soccer matches.