The Magic of Layering

Little edits and a lot of patience

When I first started writing, I got a little frustrated because I couldn’t get the quality I wanted out of my first drafts. Not only was my writing pretty bad due to my craft ignorance, but it was missing so many elements that paint a story.

As I’ve learned more about craft over the years, I’ve learned to be patient with my creations.

My first attempt at writing a chapter of my novel is usually dialogue-heavy. What characters are saying to each other helps me learn their agendas and their personalities. I’ll also have some action to bridge the dialogue and to further the characters agendas.

As you can imagine, my first drafts are clunky and bare. Sometimes they just plain stink.

So I give it a little time. I work on another chapter or another book.

When I return to the original chapter, I’ll add more action, and maybe more dialogue, too. I’ll start to fill in a little setting, and maybe add some other details. I’ll start thinking about what the character feels and what they say to themselves in their head.

Next round, more description, more details, more setting, and more visceral experience for the point of view character. The dialogue gets crisper, and reflects more of each character’s agenda and personality. The action takes on more meaning. I also start to cut out the junk that has no bearing on the story or slows the pacing.

Round and round I go, adding and tweaking and thinking. Often times, I’ll find I have to jump to another chapter to alter something there because of an idea I had while working on the current chapter.

At some point, I start to focus on character voice and deep point-of-view. I start to see inconsistencies, and I correct them. I start to see other possibilities, and I do re-writes. I add foreshadowing, symbolism, and other connections.

And then I get feedback from the lovely people who are kind enough to critique my work. They find things I’ve missed. They give me new ideas and new directions. They keep my characters from doing things that are uncharacteristic.

Each round builds my confidence. Each round I remind myself that this is a process. Each round makes my fictional world deeper and richer. It may not be perfect now, but each round gets me closer to a work I’ll be proud to publish.

If you’re feeling like your work isn’t where you want it, and you’re frustrated about it, just give it a few rounds. Set it aside between rounds, and work on another part of the story, or another story all together. This is a journey, and the fact that you’re still on it is a wonderful thing.

Do you use layering as you craft your story?

What other techniques help you get your writing to a higher level?