Your story, be it a short story or a novel, needs layers. It needs to be more than “start here and go there.” Things are hidden, emotions are stirred, the suspect is there but unknown, clues are dropped, even the protagonist is hiding something, or there are other ways you build layers into the story. You hide, in plain sight, things from the reader. The clues, the motivation, the lover or killer, there in the shadows, waiting for that moment when the light bulb goes off and the reader thinks, of course, I should have seen it.
Here is the picture I took at the Grand Canyon that, to me, shows those Layers.
It's a beautiful photo and definitely has layers. What amazes me about a photo like this is that every person who sees it, sees something different in it. One will notice the mountains, one the rocks, the the shrubs and so on. Yes, there are layers here and in all good stories.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
I like the idea of using a photo as a reminder!
ReplyDeleteLayering is one thing I'm really working on at the moment with my current work.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took the photo, what I saw were the layers of shadows that seemed to make the rock extend farther than they go.
ReplyDeleteI love what canyons do with lighting. And I love layered stories. Definitely much more enjoyable than something more straight-forward.
ReplyDeleteWonderful observation and excellent photo to illustrate the process of writing. Fantasy's have layers too and clues hidden in plain sight.
ReplyDeleteNancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
I totally agree - contrast is everything and in this case it is the contrast between knowing and not-knowing! I love this photo - I love the Grand Canyon. My mother said upon seeing it "they should put a fence around this!" and my dad said "well, kids, let's go, once you've seen one Grand Canyon, you've seen them all." He's a funny man.
ReplyDeleteNice analogy ... a good author plants clues along the way. Clues that lurk in the shadows, then pop out when the reader least suspects and gets them.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
Jan, I have to admit, the first time we visited the Grand Canyon, we got the kids out of the car and raced over and were awed. The second time, awed. The third stop, awed. By around the fourth stop, we were thinking, okay, it's a big hole. It didn't help that our son was sick and he inevitably raced out of the car, found a bush and threw up. So we went back to the hotel where he laid down on Daddy's chest and threw up.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo. I never thought to look at it as layering - it's something I need to keep in mind, because sometimes I write with all the goods in the shop window, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo. I don't write suspense or mystery but I really enjoy writers who can do exactly as you described. Though I write fantasy I read lots of mystery authors and learn from their skills.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, layers are important, and subtlety in bringing them out. Don't smack the reader in the head, not be so coy that they are left scratching it. It's a fine balance.
ReplyDeleteI hope someday to get to see the Grand Canyon from something less than 30,000 feet. Until then, thanks for the photo. :)
~jon
I appreciate stories with layers so much more! Trying to do it with my own:) thank you!
ReplyDeleteLife comes with layers, so of course stories should as well! Nice post, and nice writing prompt!
ReplyDeleteSylvia Dickey Smith
Jon, you can get real close by taking a donkey ride to the bottom.
ReplyDeleteNice illustration of layers
ReplyDeleteThank you Pat.
ReplyDeleteWow, the photo is incredible. So much depth - it's almost scary. And so true about stories (which can also be a little scary). :)
ReplyDeleteIt's layers. That's what the geologists call the stuff you see exposed when a canyon cuts through the rocks. It's layers of sediments, alternating sandstones and shales mostly. Next time you drive through Western Colorado or Utah or Southern Texas (to Big Bend), buy one of these road-side geology books for the area you visit. It's gonna make your trip a lot more fun >:)
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
Thanks Cold As Heaven. I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteIn this instance I was referring to the layers of shadows that make it look like the mountains or hills are extending farther than they really are.