Layer by layer.
When we think of layering many things come to mind. Clothes—let’s layer–cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon. Brick homes, one layer of bricks on top of another and so on until the home is complete. Cakes! Layer upon layer of yumminess!
Writing a story involves many layers as well. At least it does for me. There are authors who can naturally weave several layers as they write their first draft. I’m not one of those. I do love writing the rough draft, though. I have learned a lot over the last few years about my writing process and what I learned involved layering.
Layer 1: I give myself permission to write fast and say whatever on the page. This took me a while to do, though. I was always searching for the perfect word, or if I felt a unique word would work, but I couldn’t think of it, I’d stop and ponder. No more. Now I just fly through with crazy awkward sentences. I’m usually too wordy and need to condense. The best thing that comes out of my layer 1 is dialogue. That’s my natural talent I think. Dialogue comes easy. The problem? I’ll have a whole page of nothing but dialogue.
Layer 2: Setting. I go back and look at where my characters are and layer on the setting. Weather, surroundings, clothes. So much goes into putting the reader right there with the characters. (I probably keep doing this through all the other layers as well.)
Layer 3: Emotions. Internal dialogue. What are the characters feeling? What are they thinking? Sometimes a thought will precede an action. An action that may not make sense otherwise. It’s important to make sure your hero and heroine stay in character, or explain why they don’t.
Layer 4: Continuity. Going through the manuscript with a highlighter making sure nothing is jarring from one scene to the next. Making sure the plot is moving forward in a believable way and their emotions aren’t all over the place. The hero and the heroine each have a growth arc–and in our books here at Inspy, they have a spiritual growth arc as well. These arcs should move forward seamlessly to the reader.
The Icing!
This involves all the nuances each author puts into her work. This is where we make sure the sentences are just right. The words flow, the pacing is good. We fix anything we see, make sure the ending is happy! Then we ice our book baby and send it into the world.
I know this process is helpful for many things. I’d love to hear about the things you “layer” in life. I’d also love to hear if you bake cakes! I’m not so good at it.
USA Today featured author Lindi Peterson lives in north Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and a lively array of cats, dogs and birds. She loves sharing life with her family and friends. Her passion for reading led her to writing, and then God spoke words of love into her heart and changed her life forever.
I suppose my interactions with others are layered.
Dialogue is my strongest writing layer, too, I think.
Does the dust in my house count? Pretty sure it is well-layered these days!
Mary—I love your answer. I’m sure mine are as well. :) Good to remember while writing!
I think my interactions with others are layered, as Mary Preston said. We reveal ourselves a little at a time, until we get to know people. Some people we never let see our innermost thoughts and feelings. I like to bake; however, when I bake a cake, I’ll do a bundt cake or a sheet cake.
Valerie—Dust doesn’t count! At all. We have birds so that dust thing is real :)
Trudy—-The one and only time I’ve made a layered cake I threw it in the trash and went and bought cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. Sheet cakes are more my style. :)
And yes, we do reveal ourselves little bits at a time, sometimes. Recently I’ve met a couple of people who are BIG personalities at first, then the more you know them the more you see how they’re not really like that at all.
We have much the same process for writing! I usually get most of my dialogue and internal dialogue in the first draft. Then I add most of the other things in the second draft.
I’m not very great at cakes, though. I make the mix and add one layer of simple frosting (not very smooth, either). That’s about it. ;) The other times I’ve tried to add accessories like candies or words have not looked great. I stick to simple now.
Lila—-I’m the same with baking. Forget any extras! That’s why I didn’t use a picture of a cake I made. Ha! I’m glad this writing process works for you as well.
I think work is layered, we have to do certain things before we can move onto others things. Projects have to have ground work laid first, before you can really begin the work that actually shows progress.
I’m not the baker ;) but layered cakes are very popular in Russian culture (my mom is a pro).
Talking about life…I would think of education, how you start with the basics and then deepen your knowledge with each layer.
Megan—Thanks for bringing this up. Yes, a good foundation is a great basis to start and then finish well.
Natalya—Ah, I think I would have mom make a cake for my birthday every year. :)
True—education is layered in the way we learn….building from one thing to the next.
Fiddlesticks! I thought Valerie had the bandwagon with my name on it. Well, maybe next time. :)
I think that the idea of layering or progressive development is the sign of a true professional. I grew up thinking that if you couldn’t do something the first time, then you just couldn’t do it. I was a natural for a number of high value things like reading and learning but I shut the door on anything athletic like sports or outdoor activities. I was a quitter in far to many ways.
Now, after years of experience that have included writing computer programs, acting, singing and learning about how to learn, it is clear that I didn’t get it as a kid. God has actually designed us to learn and grow by taking where we are now and adding to it, building on it. One of the keys that I am still wrestling with is understanding that any criticism, any judgement or measure of success or failure, doesn’t belong in the middle of the process. Be free to get chunks of cake and gobs of icing all over the kitchen counter. Pick up tips along the way. You know what I learned about fancy cakes? The bakers actually cut the thing that comes out of the oven into the nice, smooth, regular shapes that they build into their beautiful creations. Yup, they just cut off and throw away the parts that don’t look pretty or fit their needs. Maybe they use the extras to make little cake parfait cups that don’t need the cake part to look pretty, just taste good.
Now that you know the secret to perfectly shaped cakes, you can move on to icing, or figuring out what tools or utensils would make the task easier. Did you know that there are special knives designed to spread icing? They make the task easier. Of course, it still takes practice. You’ll just have to bake more cakes. Darn. And, of course, there is nothing wrong with a 9×13 pan, a chocolate cake mix and a container of store-bought double fudge icing spread on top. (Try using the back of a spoon to spread the icing instead of a knife. It’s easier to use AND lick!)
I should probably go take a nice long walk and work on UNdoing some of my layers. :)
Lincoln—I love so much of what you said. I quit a lot too, in school. Hindsight, huh?
And the tools–so essential! Truthfully now, I would have served that terrible looking cake if I did it now, but back then I was too afraid of what folks would think.
I appreciate your input so much. And you never know, a couple of us here might just try to bake that layered cake one more time!!
Thanks for the encouragement. :)
Layers definitely! I thought Valerie’s dust layering was perfect too. We always laughed at a joke my sister used. Her husband said he wanted to be cremated and sprinkled on the mantle over the fireplace. She went over, rubbed her fingers across the mantle shelf and said “Sorry, someone is already there”.
I don’t bake layer cakes and I also don’t write. I enjoy eating other people’s cakes and reading other people’s layers after they are complete, layered and icing is complete. Well, except for the several authors who allow me to read ARCs for them – for them, I might get a little picky sometimes picking apart some of their layers. LOL
I suppose I do this when I prioritize things I need to do in a day. I put what’s most important at the top, and then “layer” what’s not so important and so on. Sometimes I found things I can completely cross off my list or put off for another day or so. It helps me not get so stressed if I have many things to get done.
Yes, I am a baker! I’ve become the birthday cake baker to my family & friends :-) I stick with using a square cake pan though, and haven’t made a two layer cake for years. I suppose if someone wanted one, I would make it that way. I love how your writing is like layering a cake, that makes sense to me!
Linda,
That description of the writing process was fascinating. I have wondered what the process must be to get such excellent end results. Thank you. I will be thinking back on that, I’m sure.
As far as layers, we definitely layer cloz here – sometimes on, other times off, oftentimes during the same day. I also think (as someone else mentioned) of friendships having deeper layers – acquaintances, light friendships, extended family, and then close family & dear friends, ending with a spouse or SO. Conversations go along that same pattern – rote (weather, greetings), surface/casual (boss/co-workers), & personal (ppl we trust).
I bake easy & quick deserts – pie, muffins, brownies, bars. Nothing time consuming like layered cakes – lol. I also seldom bake anything I don’t also love – cupcakes and regular cakes don’t call my name. I love carrot cake, though, & will make that (usually as muffins).
Friendships can be layered, depending on the type of friendship it is.
I would say that my relationships are layered as well as my emotions.
Sandra—What a fun story!! I’ll have to share that one for sure. I also enjoy others crafts of layering. :)
Thank you for helping to keep us straight!
Trixi—-I get totally overwhelmed when I look at the big picture! So layering, even day to day items makes it doable for me.
And how fun to be the baker! When I bring sweets people are asking where I got them from . :) Ha! Maybe one day. I’m actually interested in baking bread…had a couple of disasters…will try again later.
Penelope,
As a woman of 59, I’m constantly layering clothes…those hot flashes–whoo!
And yes, friendships are deeper and more surface level…also, depends on the season of life. I love how friends come and go, but sometimes you have friends for years and years.
And carrot cake is my husbands favorite. I have never tried to make it though. I do make the muffins, though. the just add water and bake kind.
So true. There are friends you would share everything with, and some you don’t. As those layers of friendship deepen, so do the interactions. :)
Debra—Yes!! As we process certain events, or conversations, or interactions, we go through layers of thoughts and feelings. Then something else may dawn on us and we go to a deeper level. Which brings up this topic…..do you think we sometimes go into layers that aren’t necessary? Maybe we make a 4 layer cake a 5 layer and we totally don’t need to. :)
Asking for a friend, of course!
This made me think about the difference between layering cakes and layering clothes. In the cakes analogy, we layer for fanciness or display. If the extra effort adds to the preciousness of the gift for others? Extra could be fine. If it’s to draw attention to ourselves, maybe not so fine.
In the clothes analogy we layer for protection and comfort. Protection, though, can become isolation. Extra layers to keep us from properly connecting with others are probably too much. Solitude, stepping back from the crowd in order to recharge is a good thing. Isolation in order to deal with loss or other emotional pain is also a good thing. Isolation driven by fear, though, is not so good.
So, humility and joyful relationship, good. Arrogance and fear, red flags.
Dr. L stepping down from soapbox now. :)
Lincoln,
it’s all about the motivation, right? Our self-centeredness is in our way (at least for me) more often than I’d like to admit. Thank Jesus for somewhere to keep our eyes focused. Keep looking at Him, and we won’t be looking at ourselves. What a great point you bring up.
About the clothing–I layer strictly for heat/coolness comfort usually. :) But yes, in likeness to protection we can have a wrong motivation—I love how you direct us to look inward a lot…..refreshing!!
Hi , layering first made me think of layering blankets on , especially in the winter, it sure does feel warm while in bed, but when it is time to get up, it is harder moving the layers off as I don’t want to get up. :) At the same time I thought of a rootbeer float, you put a layer of ice-cream than you add some rootbeer, than you add another layer of ice cream , than rootbeer and you keep layering , mix it around and the layers are made into a nice rootbeer float. I love the way your layer your different things and ideas when writing a book, that is so very interesting. Have a Great rest of the week and stay safe. God Bless you and your family.
Alicia…..root beer floats!! My fav. I love them.
And I like your blanket analogy….add a cat to that layer. Fun times!!
Yes! I work in a business with mostly men. They see me constantly adding or subtracting my sweater and vest. I’m sure they think I’m nuts – when actually it is simply those crazy “flashes”. Anything can trigger them! Lol.
My cardigan sweater. :)
For sure! Problems arise when I wear a spaghetti strap shirt to work then layer with a sweater. Can not hang out at my desk in spaghetti straps–so, keep the sweater on, just fan it a lot! :)
LOL she actually does for all our birthdays :) grandkids always ask for their favorite cakes!
Natalya, my request would be coconut creme cake. I love that cake!!