On Sat, 28 Oct 2017 23:32:32 -0700, Rick wrote in message
<20171029063232.GD30423@???>:

> Quoting Steve Litt (slitt@???):
>
> > I don't know how to do the preceding, and I'm forever prioritizing
> > other things above learning it.
>
> Well, if you have a spare hour some time, try debhelper[1]

...and start writing a tutorial as you learn, we're here to help
(coach, bug-test etc) you thru writing the tutorial. :o)

..having you "just follow" Rick's advice means we have one more
.deb packager, "making" you write a tutorial, makes you a good
.deb packager, aaand, gives you an excellent recipe pointer to
shove down e.g. my throat. ;o)

> [1]
> https://faceted.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/howto-build-a-trivial-debian-package-with-dh_make/

..I'd be more verbose, e.g.:
#/bin/bash

mkdir -vp foo-0.1
cd foo-0.1
dh_make --createorig --indep # ..this should prompt you to hit enter

mkdir -vp essentials
mv -v debian/{changelog,compat,rules,control} essentials
rm -vr debian
mv -v essentials debian # ..here I gather we want "debian/essentials"?

echo './example-src/* ./' > debian/foo.install
mkdir -vp example-src/usr/share/example
touch example-src/usr/share/example/file # ..this should create
# the empty (git source?) file (or file tree) to be installed

dpkg-buildpackage -uc -tc -rfakeroot
dpkg --contents ../foo_0.1-1_all.deb # ..now you can inspect
# the resulting Devuan package
#
#
# Pay attention to Leif's note here: "For reasons I haven’t
# investigated, if you try to put files under /usr/local/ this
# recipe won’t work.
# (There are probably other directories this will also not work
# for; /usr/share and /var are all that I’ve tried successfully.)
<EOF>

..not yet tested, I too have questions. :o)

--
..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt Karlsen
...with a number of polar bear hunters in his ancestry...
Scenarios always come in sets of three:
best case, worst case, and just in case.