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TheArtofLayeringPart2

Inpart1oftheArtofLayeringaddingthosedescriptiveelementsIusedanarrativeexampletoshowhowitworksinordertoprovidethereadermorethanjustflatstorytelling.Ifthenarrativeistokeepthereadersinterestandcarrythestorysmomentum,therehastobemore.Descriptionneedsdepth.

Thedescriptionofkeyscenesalwaysneedsalittlemorethanjuststraightforwardtelling.Andreaderswantmorethanjustacoupleoflinesofdrabdescription.Theywanttoripbackthewordsandpeerrightintothesoulofthestory.

Theartoflayeringgivesthemthat.

Writersdonthavetogooverboardwithdescriptiontoomuchcankillthenarrativesometimes,butitiswhatisencompassedwithinthedescriptionthatcounts.Givereadersbackgroundandforeground,givethemcoloursandsounds,givethemcharacterisationletthemconnecttoyourcharactersgivethemimmediacyandemotion.

Buthowmuchistoomuch?Well,thereisnorightorwrongitismostlydowntocommonsense.Youwillknowifthereisjusttoomuchgoingoninyourdescriptionbecauseitwillbeobviouswhenyoureadit.Ifthathappensthenthereaderwontreallyhaveachancetodigestwhatsgoingonitwouldbelikeadozenflashlightsgoingonandoffinthedarktheeyeswouldntknowwheretofocus.

Thebestwaytogaugeifyouhavetherightbalanceis

A LL WR IT E F I C T IONADVICE

IsBackstoryNecessary?CreatingLastingImagesTrustYourMemoriesReadingYourMSSOutLoudSortingFactfromFiction

WE LCOME T O A L L WR IT E

Soyou'veembarkedonyourfictionwritingjourney.

It'soneofthehardestthingstodocreateawhole,believableworldforotherpeopletoenjoy,especiallyifyou'renewtowriting.It'salsooneoftheloneliestjobs,especiallywhenthereisnohelporadviceorsupport...sorightheretherewillbehandyarticles,examplesandsimplestepbystepguidestohelpmakethecreativeprocessthatmucheasier.

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Thisnewdeliciouslydarkanthologyisoutnow,witharangeofstunningfemalewriterstoscareanddelightinequalmeasure.Iamprivilegedtohaveeightshortstories/poemspublishedinthisbook,soifyoulikeyourdamesalittledarkand

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toaskyourselfifthereisenoughinformationforthereader.Isthereenoughbackgroundinformation?Isthereenoughsoundandcolour?Isthereenoughimmediacyorpace?Isthereemotion?Isthereanyatmosphereortension?Isthereanytonetothenarrative?

Inotherwords,arethereanylayerstopeelaway?Isthereanydepth?

Ifthereisnt,thenaddsome.Ifyoualreadyhavesomeofthisinplace,thenseeifitneedsanymore.

BelowisanexcerptfromEdgarAllanPoesTheFalloftheHouseofUsher(1839):

...Iturnedtoseewhenceagleamsounusualcouldhaveissuedforthevasthouseanditsshadowswerealonebehindme.Theradiancewasthatofthefull,setting,andbloodredmoon,whichnowshonevividlythroughthatoncebarelydiscerniblefissure,ofwhichIhavebeforespokenasextendingfromtheroofofthebuilding,inazigzagdirection,tothebase.WhileIgazed,thefissurerapidlywidenedtherecameafiercebreathofthewhirlwindtheentireorbofthesatelliteburstatonceuponmysightmybrainreeledasIsawthemightywallsrushingasundertherewasalongtumultuousshoutingsoundlikethevoiceofathousandwatersandthedeepanddanktarnatmyfeetclosedsullenlyandsilently

Nowimaginethispassagewithouttheradiance,thebloodredmoonordiscerniblefissures.Takeawaythefiercebreathofwhirlwind.Silencethelongtumultuousshoutingandthemightofrushingwalls.Removethedeepanddanktarn.

Asareader,youareleftwithlittletoworkwith,orimagine.Therewouldbenosound,atmosphere,colourordepth.ButPoegrabsholdofthesensesbylayeringhisdescriptionwithdifferentelements,thissuffusingthereadersimaginationandbringingthemrightintothescene.

AnotherexponentofskilfullayeringisNabokov.This

dangerous,thisisthebookforyou.

NOW A VA I LA BLE ONAMA ZON

FebruaryFemmesFatalesTheBook

WISE WORDS . . .

Writingislikebeingmarriedyouhavetoworkhardatmaintaininghappinessandequilibrium,butinvariablyonealwaysendsupinthedoghouse.

A BOUT ME

AJHUMPAGE

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I'vebeenwritingforover25yearsandstartedoutinthe

publishingindustry.I'vepublishedarticles,studyguides,poems,flashfiction,shortstoriesandanovel.IalsoworkfulltimesoI'mALWAYSworking.

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BLOOD OF T HE FA T HE R

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excerptisfromLolita(1955).

Aclusterofstarspalelyglowedaboveus,betweenthesilhouettesoflongthinleavesthatvibrantskyseemedasnakedasshewasunderherlightfrock.Isawherfaceinthesky,strangelydistinct,asifitemittedafaintradianceofitsown.Herlegs,herlovelylivelegs,werenotsoclosetogether,andwhenmyhandlocatedwhatitsought,adreamyandeerieexpression,halfpleasure,halfpain,cameoverthosechildishfeatures.ShesatalittlehigherthanI,andwheneverinhersolitaryecstasyshewasledtokissme,herheadwouldbendwithasleepy,softdroopingmovementthatwasalmostwoeful,andherbarekneescaughtandcompressedmywrist,andslackenedagainandherquiveringmouth,distortedbytheacridityofsomemysteriouspotion,withasibilantintakeofbreathcameneartomyface

Noticehowheweavescolour,movement,simile,sounds,atmosphereandtoneinthisdescriptionwithoutitcomingacrossasforcedortrite.Hisdescriptionallowsthereadertoparticipateinthescenethesheerrichnessofitgivesthereadermore.Itletsthemimaginethecolourspresentwithinthescenetheycanimaginethesounds,thefeelofit,thusenablingthemtovisualiseitbetter,tobecomeinvolved.

Hereisanotherpassagefromanotherfamousauthor,andequallyfamousbook,LordoftheRings,byJRRTolkien(1954),butwithoutthelayeringthatmadethesceneawhole:

Deadgrassesandrottingreedsloomedupinthemists.Asthedayworeonthelightincreasedalittle,andthemistslifted.FarabovetherotandvapoursoftheworldtheSunwasridinghigh,butonlyapassingghostofhercouldtheyseebelow,givingnocolourandnowarmth.

Itsasimplescene,yettherearetoofewlayersforareadertoimaginemuch,however,ifIrestorethesimile,tone,colourandatmosphereoftheoriginalnarrative,thescenechangessomewhat:

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likeraggedshadowsoflongforgottensummers.Asthedayworeonthelightincreasedalittle,andthemistslifted,growingthinnerandmoretransparent.FarabovetherotandvapoursoftheworldtheSunwasridinghighandgoldennowinaserenecountrywithfloorsofdazzlingfoam,butonlyapassingghostofhercouldtheyseebelow,bleared,pale,givingnocolourandnowarmth.

Withoutthoseextralayersforthereadertoenjoy,almosttheentirescenebecomesflat.

Aswriters,wewantthereadertolettheirimaginationsrunwild,tobecomeapartofthestory.Givingdepthtoyourdescriptionsisjustonewaytodoit.

Layeringisntdifficult.Itsabouttakingthosesignificantsceneswithinyourstory,lookingatthemcloselyandfindingoutiftheycanbeimprovedinordertomakesureyourreaderisfullyengaged.Givethemlayerstopeel,givethemahintatwhatliesbeneaththesurface.Maketheminterested.Makethemimagine.

Sogivethemmorethanjustwords.Showthem.

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TheArtofLayeringPart1

Whenwethinkofdescription,mostwritersthinkaboutsimplydescribingafewelementsforthereaderduringnarration,suchasasoundorwhetheritslightordark,butifyouthinkofastoryratherlikeanonion,youwillseethatitrevealsmanylayersbeforeitfinallygetstothecore.

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Fictionordescriptionisverysimilarinthewayitoperates.Descriptivewritingentailsanumberofelementstomakeitstandout,andlayeringisjustoneofthem.

Theideaoflayeringwithindescriptionistoshowthereaderthereismoretojustthesurfaceofthestorythatthereismoreinformationtogleanfromitbackground,colours,noise,characters,atmosphereandsoon.

Descriptionbringsthenarrativetolifeforthereader.Theyhavenothingtogoonbutthestrengthofawriterswordsandthereforethewriterhastoallowthereadertovisualisethescenesthataretakingplace,tobecomepartofit,andthebestwaytodothatistomakethenarrativemultilayered.Insimpletermsitisawayofshowingkeyelements,ratherthantelling.

Forinstance,peelawaythetoplayerandyougetbackgroundinformation.Peelanotherlayerandyouwillgettensionandatmosphere.Peelanotherandyouwillgetdeepemotion,empathyandimmediacy.Anotherlayerwillrevealcharacterisationandmorelayerswillrevealpace,actionandsoon.

Theabilityofthewritertolayertheseaspectsoneontopoftheotheriswhatgivesstoriesandnovelssuchdepth,andwhatenablesthereadertolookbeyondmerewords.Theyareabletoreadbetweenthelinesandbecomeinvolvedwiththestory.

Layeringplaysavitalrole,particularlywithimportantorsignificantscenes,becauseitallowsthewritertoexpandbeyondthesurfaceandaddmanylevelsforthereadertodiscoverandenjoy.Itstopsthewriterfallingfouloftellingratherthanshowing.

Togiveyouanexample,IveborrowedanextractfrommyshortstoryDriftwood(GanglionPress),wherethemaincharacterStella,andherhusbandDouglas,areatseaaboardheiryacht,sailingaroundtheGreekislands.

Thesquallrolledinfromthedistance.Theyachtsailedheadlongintotheapproachingtheatreofdarkness,

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rolledalittle.

Douglasfoughtwiththewheel.

Thesceneisnotthatextraordinary.Itdoesntstandoutanditdoesnthaveanydepth.Thereisntmuchforthereadertogoonitdoesntyetengage.

ButifIaddanotherlayer,perhapshintatsomecolour,thenthescenebeginstochange.Ivehighlightedtheaddedtext.

SilverspittlegrazedStellasfaceasthesquallrolledinfromthedistance.Theyachtsailedheadlongintotheapproachingtheatreofdarkness,churnedalittle,snatchingrusttaintedreflectionsfromthelowcloud.

Douglasfoughtwiththewheel.

Itlooksbetter,butitsnotyetcomplete.Thecharactersarepivotaltothescenethereforethesceneneedstoreflectthiswithsometensionandatmosphere.Again,Ivehighlightedtheadditions.

Thedarkcreptinquickly,broughtrainwithit.Andfear.

SilverspittlegrazedStellasfaceasthesquallrolledinfromthedistance.Theyachtsailedheadlongintotheapproachingtheatreofdarkness,churnedalittle,snatchingrusttaintedreflectionsfromthelowcloud.Herinsidesshudderedasthestormrushedtowardthem.

Douglasfoughtwiththewheel.

Wecanstillturnback,shesaidtohim.Nopointinbeingfoolish.

Itsstartingtoshapeupnowthatithassomedepth,andthatsbecauseIveaddedafewmoreinterestinglayers.NowimaginethesceneifIaddsounds,whichIvehighlighted.

Thedarkcreptinquickly,broughtrainwithit.Andfear.

SilverspittlegrazedStellasfaceasthesquallrolledinfromthedistance.Theyachtsailedheadlongintothe

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approachingtheatreofdarkness,churnedalittle,snatchingrusttaintedreflectionsfromthelowcloud.Somethingacrosstheoceanrumbled.Herinsidesshudderedasthestormrushedtowardthem,raspingacrossthebow.

Theyachtcreaked,rolledalittle.

Douglasfoughtwiththewheel.

Wecanstillturnback,shesaidtohim.Nopointinbeingfoolish.

Byaddingasoundlayer,Iamgivingthereadermoretoworkwith,moreelementsforthemtoimagineandthereforemorepathwaysintothisfictionalworld.

Butthesceneisstillnotlayeredenough.Itneedsmorelayers.ThistimeIwilladdmorecharacterisation.

Thedarkcreptinquickly,broughtrainwithit.Andfear.

SilverspittlegrazedStellasfaceasthesquallrolledinfromthedistance.Theyachtsailedheadlongintotheapproachingtheatreofdarkness,churnedalittle,snatchingrusttaintedreflectionsfromthelowcloud.Herinsidesshudderedasthestormrushedtowardthem.

Douglasfoughtwiththewheel.

Wecanstillturnback,shesaidtohim.Nopointinbeingfoolish.

Foolish?Nopointturningbacknow,wemightaswellsailthroughitgetoutofitassoonaswecan.Besides,theyachtisstrongshecanfaceamoderatestorm.

Canshe?Howthehellwouldyouknow?

WiththeseextralayersinplaceIveenabledwhatwouldhavebeenaparticularlyflatscenetocomealiveandenablethereadertovisualiseit,tobecomepartofit.Nowthesceneisnotjustmerewords.Itsmorethanthat.

Andtheonethingitdoesntdoistell.

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Inpart2welllookatsomemoreexamplesofthelayeringtechniquethatwillhelpyouavoidtellingandinsteadgetyoutoshowmoreinyournarrative.

Nextweek:TheArtofLayeringPart2

Driftwood,byAJHumpage2011

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SA T URDA Y , 1 1 JA NUA R Y 2 0 1 4

CommonWriting'Myths'Thereareplentyofmythssurroundingfictionwriting,thekindthatstickinourmindsandgiveusmanyofourmisconceptions.Weveallexperiencedthem,moresoatthebeginningofourwritingcareers,becausemanywritersmakethemistakeofassumingthatfame,untoldrichesandsuccesswilllandattheirfeet.Unfortunately,thisrarelyhappens,butifwritersputinthehardworkandtheyarewillingtolearn,thensuccessissuretofollow.So,whatarethemainwritingmyths?WritersearnmillionsThisisoneofthebiggestmisconceptions.Thetruthisthatmostwritersdontearnmillionsandtheyhaveanaverage9to5jobtoensureareliableincome.Writing,onthewhole,wontpaytherent.Thefewluckyonesthathavecaughtaneditorseye(andsaideditorthinkstheycanmakelotsofmoney)orthefewwritersthatcatchthezeitgeistandwritesomethingthatiscurrentlyflavourorthemonth(i.e.FiftyShades,DaVinciCodeetal).Thatdoesntnecessarilymeanthesenovelsareactuallyanygood,however.

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GettinganovelpublishediseasyNo,itisnt.It'smorelikelythatyourmagnumopuswillberejectedcountlesstimesbeforeitcatchesaneditorseye,ifatall.

Becomingpublishedisnotaseasyasitsounds.Itsonlyeasyifyouselfpublish,throughthelikesofAmazon.Mainstreampublicationissomewhatdifferent,however.Itsdifficultbecauseitscompetitive,andanyonewhosaysitisntcompetitiveismisleadingpotentialwriters.Itiscompetitive,andthatissimplybecauseoftheamountofmanuscriptsthatagentsandpublishersreceiveeachweek.Theyhavetosiftthroughhundredsandhundredsofsubmissions,andmaybeoneortwomightbespecialenoughcatchtheirinterest.

Inessence,yoursubmissionmustcompetewiththousandsofothers,therefore,whatyousubmitreallydoeshavetomakethemsitupandtakenotice.Grammarisntimportant.EditorswilldoitforyouApoorlywrittensubmissionwillnotimpressaneditor.Theycanhelpwithcertainthings,theycanhighlightareasforimprovementandhelpguideawritertoimproveamanuscript,buttheywillnotcorrectitforyou.Poorsubmissionstelltheeditoralltheyneedtoknowaboutthewriter,anditwillendinrejection.

Grammarisimportant.Ifyoucantgetthebasicsright,noeditorwillwanttopublishyou.Oncepublished,youllneverberejectedagainDontbankonit.Beingpublishedisntagoldentickettoallprospectivepublicationsandisntaguaranteethatyouwilleverberejectedagain,becauseyoucanstillberejected,evenifyouarealreadypublished.

Eachpieceofworkyousubmitforpublicationisassessedonitsownmerits.Thatmeansitmaybe

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acceptedoritmayberejected.Thatsjustthewaypublishingworks.Writinganoveliseasy.AnyonecandoitWritingisnevereasy.Andnoteveryonecandoit.

Anyonecanwrite,butnoteveryoneisawriter.Thatmeansmostofwhattheywriteissubstandardandnotworthyofmainstreampublication.Thesewriterswouldntgetasecondglancefromagents.Writingishardworkandtakestimeandalotofeffort.Nothingisinstant.ItonlytakesacoupleofmonthstowriteanovelSometimestheyrequicktowritesometimestheytakelongerthanexpected.Butthatsonlythefirstdraft.Itsthesecond,third,fourthandfifthdraftsthattakeupthetime.Anyonewhocanchurnoutaperfectlyedited,polishednovelwithinthespaceofafewmonthsisaliterarygenius.Troubleis,literarygeniiareextremelyrare.

Dontrushyourwriting.Takeyourtimetopolishyournoveltoperfection.Editorsacceptnothingless.OncepublishedIwillbeahugesuccessYetanothermythbasedonpreconception.Thesadtruthisthataround75%ofallnewnovelsfailtobreakeven,letalonemakeaniceprofitforthepublisher.Often,itisthesecondorthirdbookthatseesaprofitandsellstheauthorsname.

Itisawellknownfactthatnewandunknownauthorsneedtimetoestablishthemselveswiththebookbuyingpublic.Iftheyhavebeenonthewritingcircuitforafewyears,establishingthemselves,thentheprogressionofsuccessismadeeasier.

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Thisisanotherreasonwhywritingisneveraneasy,instantprocess.Idontneedrulesandconventions.Illdoitmyway.Editorswilllovemystuff.Goodluckwiththat.Imafabulous,talentedwriter.Mynovelissobrilliant,agentswillfightoverit.Fabulous,talentedwritersarerare,andthosewhoshoutloudaboutbeingfabulousandtalentedarenothingofthesort.Atmost,theyaremediocre.Theonlythingtheyarefabulousatisbeingarrogant.Andeditorsdonotlikearrogantwriters.Youareonlyafabulous,talentedwriterwhenyouvegotsomethingpublishedandyouvereceivedthepraisetobackitup.Andnovelsareonlybrilliantifyoureditorthinkssoandgivesyouapublishingcontract.WritingwillmakemerichandfamousUnlessyouareoneofthoserareauthorswhojusthappentowritesomethingthatcanmakeapublishersheadspinwithdollarsigns,thesadfactisthatthemajorityofwritersdontmakethatmuchmoneyatall,andmosthavefulltimejobsinadditiontotheirwriting.Manypeoplewritesimplytobecomerichandfamous,buttherealitysoonhitshome.Thebestadviceistogetridofanyexpectationswherewritingisconcernedandpurgeanypreconceptions.Thatwayyouwontbethatdisappointedwhenyoudontgetthatmegabuckspublishingdeal,butequallyyoumaybepleasantlysurprisedandifyoudid.

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WritingIsntEasy

Itsanewyearanditmarksafresh,enthusiasticstarttowriting,especiallyfornewwriters.Butforthosebeginnerswhothinkwritinganoveliseasy,thenitisbesttofindoutnowratherthanlaterthatitisntaseasyasitsounds.

Firstly,letsdispelafewmythssothateverynewwriterisfundamentallyawareofwhatliesahead.Writingcertainlyisnteasyalmostallwriterswillagreeandanyonewhosaysdifferentcantbeatruewriter.Everywriterhasadifferentskilllevel,sonoteveryonecanwritethatwellandnoteveryonehasrawtalenttodoso.

Fact:writingisaverylonely,hardandfrustratingbusiness.Itoftenmeanshours,days,weeksandyearsconcentratingonanovelthatmayneverbepublished.Awritermightspendweekswritingashortstorythatmayneverfindahome.Noteverythingwewritemakesitintoprint.Thatsthenatureofwriting.

Disappointmentisoftenastapledietofanywriterunderstandfromtheoutsetthatnoteverythingyouwritewillbeamazingandnoteverythingwillbetoapublishablestandard,butitsworthrememberingthatthemorewewrite,thebetterwebecome.

Writingtothatpublishablestandard,however,doesntcomeinstantly.Thefactisthatpeopledontjustwakeuponedayandsuddenlybecomenovelists.IcanpluckafewstringsonaguitarandIcanplayanoteortwoonthepiano,butitdoesntmakemeamusician.

Inotherwords,itmeansyearsofdedicationandlearningthecraftoffictionwriting,sometimeswithminimalreward.

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Italsomeanswouldbewritersneedtodevelopatoughskinandapositiveoutlookinordertorideoutthedisappointmentsthatwillinevitablycomethedreadedrejectionsbeforeanypositivesstarttoemerge.

SomewritersspendalifetimetryingtobethenextJKRowlingorStephenKing,buttheyneversucceedsimplybecausetheyaretryingtoemulatethosewritersinthehopethattheybecomerichandfamous,too,ratherthanlettingtheirownwritingvoiceandstyledothework.Oftentheirwritingisntverygoodandtheyhaventtakenthetimetolearnaboutcraft.Youcantbeawriterovernight.

So,whyisntwritingeasy?

Well,itsnotjustaboutstringingwordstogethertomakeastory.Itisntjustaboutbeingcreativeeitherithasmanytechnicalcomponentstoo.Itsaboutdeveloping,andstructuringsomethingthatentertains,thrillsandsatisfiesareader,sotherehastobeafundamentalappreciationofhowwordsworkandwhattheymean.Thatmeanslearningaboutandunderstandingthemanydifferentwaysthatnarrativeworks,sowritersneedtobeawareofthetechnicalitiessuchasdialogueanddescription,correctPOV,correcttenses,passive/activeverbs,understandingsentencestructure,theuseofmodifiers,andintensifiers,knowingthedifferencebetweenadjectives,adverbs,nounsandverbsandaboveall,thecorrectuseofgrammarandsyntax.

Itsalsoaboutunderstandingtheideaofresearch,plotting,subplottingandstrategy.Itsaboutapplyingthemestoastoryandhowtheyallrelatetothemaincharacter,thenmakingalltheseelementscometotogetherseamlesslybytheendofthestory.

Itsaboutknowinghowtocharacteriseusingcharacterhistory,actions,responsesandthoughts.Itsaboutcreatingtherightsettingandbackground.Itsaboutcreatingunitybetweentime,placeandaction(Greekunities).Itsaboutkeepingcontinuity,knowinghowto

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transitionsmoothlybetweenscenesandhowtocorrectlyuseflashback.Itsaboutunderstandingandapplyingsymbolismandforeshadowingtocreateadeeper,layerednarrativetoprovidehiddenmeaningsforthereadertodiscover.

Anddontforgettherightuseofmetaphorandsimile,tone,assonanceimmediacythelistisendless.

Lastly,andmostimportantly,thereistheabilitytoedit,tospotandcorrectyourownmistakes.Editingisprobablythehardestpartofthewritingprocess.

Writingisallthesethingsandmore.So,iswritingreallyeasy?

AnyonecanwriteanovelandselfpublishonAmazonetc.,however,alargegamutofworkonthereissubstandardandwouldntgetpastaneditor.

Writersmustunderstandjusthowharditistobecomemainstreampublished.Inotherwords,writersshouldbeatastandardthatknocksthesocksoffagentsandpublishers,sothattheywillwanttopublishyourwork.

YourjobasawriteristomakethemsitupandsayWow!

Butgettingthatreactionisnoteasy.Everywriterstartingonthisjourneyshouldbeawarethattheroadaheadisntstraight,smoothorlinedwithgold.Farfromit.Itsaconstant,uphillstruggletogetyourworknoticedandappreciated,andevenhardertobepublished.

Butthewaytodothatistoforgetaboutinstantsuccessandconcentrateonthecraftandmechanicsoffictionwriting,tostartatthebottomandworkyourwayup.Writingisaconstantlearningcurve,andthereismuchtolearn,becausenooneisbornwithinstantknowledge.Theonlythingagoodwriterisbornwithisrawtalenttostarttheprocess.

Thewritingprocessallowsyoutolearnasyouwrite,tokeepwritingandimprove.Ittakesyearsof

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apprenticeshipandpractice.Itsnotinstant.Andthegreatestlearningdeviceforanywriterisrejection,becausethatshowwecorrectourmistakesandlearnaboutediting.Thatshowwelearntobecomebetterwriters.

So,doyoustillwanttowrite?Evenifitisnteasy?Thenbepreparedforfailurerejectionanddisappointmentwillbecomeapartofyourwritingjourney,butultimatelyfailurewillhelpyouasawriter.Putinthehardwork,bepreparedtolearn,andyouwilleventuallysucceed.

Andremember,writingisnevereasy.

Nextweek:WritingMyths

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