LAYERS

         The other day I hit a wall.  Writing for six hours straight resulted in seven pages of simple dialogue and basic action.  Reviewing it, the text functioned, but minimally.  The script a thin outline to the multi-dimensional production I'd had in my mind. 

  

           Stepping back, I made myself stop and think. 

           Comparing writing to other forms of art, a fact occurred to me:

           Similar to painting, writing isn’t single-layered. Not at all. As much as I’d like to just lump a character or situation down in one sitting, the story doesn’t always unfurl that easily.  Sometimes you have go over it once, once more to add POV details, then again for back-story, and lastly for nuances that put the finishing touch on the plot and themes. 
                      

           A good example of this is Renaissance artist (and genius) Leonardo Di Vinci who used sheer coats of paint in his works, his technique evolving over time.  The Mona Lisa alone has been proven to have at least thirty layers, the final piece a result of many embellishments—many additions.

          I added layers to my writing.

And It’s good to have a system, a process that allows your free-flowing side to get all the imaginative sketches, color and definition down first before any edits are made. I've learned that inspiration doesn’t always come easily, sometimes it acts against you more than it cooperates. You need to give yourself credit for the time, energy and dedication writing requires. 

         Your story isn’t crap just because it didn’t miraculously pop out of your head fully formed. You have to do the work and make mistakes—lots of mistakes.  But it’s worth it. 

Plug away at it first and then revise.  No masterpiece is ever made in a day.  

Or in six hours.