Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Layering lushness

When I write a first draft, the words pour out.
I know my characters: what drives them, where they want to go, where they'll be at the end of the story.

How they get there? Well, that's the fun of sitting down and just writing.

I'm almost at the end of my current WIP and stumbled across a whole load of pics I'd researched at the start for my vintage heroine.

They are so evocative, they instantly add richness to the story.
I'm going to use these pics while I layer during my next draft.

Which got me thinking...all you writers out there, how do you layer?

8 comments:

Liz said...

I'm in the minority, but I plot first. And then I do a bare bones dialogue-only draft that's little more than a script. Then I think about the characters, and it just kind of snowballs from there.

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

Wow, Elizabeth! This sounds like a really interesting way to write.

I love hearing other writer's processes!

How long do you find it takes you to write a manuscript this way?

Lilly Cain said...

I get my draft done, then work in the 5 senses as much as I can into each scene. Was there a scent? a texture, a sound, a taste? Sight is almost always already there but adding these other elements make the description more layered and complete for me.

Lilly

Kerrin said...

i haven't got past the draft stage yet! I'll let you know when i do it, but i try to get it all down to begin with - maybe that's why it takes me so long :)!!

Liz said...

How long? Shortest: 17 days. Longest: going on 7 years. The average is about a year, though.

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

That's a great way to do it, Lilly!

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

That's what I used to do, Kerrin, and it definitely slows down your writing.

It'll take a while to find out which process suits you best :)

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

Wow Elizabeth!