Books Are Like Ogres: Using Layers to Write Your Novel

By Janice Hardy

Build your story layer by layer until it stands tall.

If you’ve seen Shrek, you might remember the line: “Ogres are like onions. They have layers.” It’s a great line and a funny moment, illustrating the movie’s theme and reminding us that things aren’t always what they appear at first glance.

The same goes for writing a novel. Your first draft might look thin or awkward, more like a rough sketch than a finished story, but that’s okay. Every draft starts as a foundation, a place to discover what your story wants to be. You don’t have to figure everything out in one pass. In fact, trying to perfect every detail from the start often stalls your progress and leaves you tangled in second-guessing.

Stories are like ogres. They reveal their true selves one layer at a time.

I’m a sparse first drafter. I like to bang out a rough chapter and get the basic events down first so I know how the scene plays out. Then, I go back and layer in the other components to flesh out the chapter and bring it to life. This works for me because once I know what happens, it’s easier to see how to tweak everything to get the most out of my scene.

Layers are my secret weapon (okay, not so secret, but still a great tool). Let’s take a closer look at how they work. You can examine these layers in any order you want—this is just what I usually do.

Layer One: Plot Elements and First Thoughts

This is the skeleton stage. It’s rough, and usually ugly, but I follow my outline and get a general idea of how the chapter unfolds. Most of the time, this is just dramatizing the plot points—Bob breaks into the lab, Susan uncovers the secret, the villain makes their move.

I don’t worry about subtext, internal conflict, or even clarity at this stage. If my draft decides to wander off the outline (and it often does), I let it. Some of my best scenes came from a side trip one of my characters took during this rough draft pass. The goal here is to get something on the page that I can work with later.

(Here’s more with Don’t Let These Plotting Errors Knock Your Novel Off Track)

Layer Two: Goals and Motivation

Once the bones are down, I make sure the characters have reasons to be there. This pass is all about clarifying character goals and motivations.

The plot might say that Bob needs to break into the science lab, but why is he doing that? Is it desperation? Curiosity? Fear? I double-check that his motivations are solid and clear to the reader, because that “why?” drives not only the plot, but creates tension as well.

(Here’s more with Two Questions to Ask for Stronger Character Goals and Motivations)

Layer Three: Internalization

This layer is all about diving deeper into my character’s thoughts and emotions, and I’ll often add a lot of internalization so readers understand what’s going in my character’s head. It’s not enough for Bob to creep down the hallway—readers need to feel his dread and understand what he stands to lose if he fails.

I look for places where a character would naturally react to what they’re dealing with. A quick thought, a gut reaction, or a memory that colors how the character feels about what’s happening. I ask, “What’s my character feeling right now? What are they afraid of? What are they feeling that they aren’t saying?” Adding these insights helps bridge the gap between what happens and why it matters.

I also pay attention to the balance between internal and external narrative, because too much internalization can slow the pacing, while too little can make characters seem flat or uncaring.

(Here’s more with Bob and Weave: How to Mix Character Actions and Internal Thoughts)

Layer Four: Stage Direction

This pass is all about clarity of action. I look for anything that feels told instead of shown, any murky sentences, or ambiguous pronouns. Stage direction can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You don’t have to say Bob was nervous if you can show him fumbling with the keycard or checking over his shoulder. The right action can carry both the plot and the emotion.

I also smooth out transitions here, making sure the scene flows logically from beat to beat.

(Here’s more with Finding the Right Balance with Your Stage Directions)

Layer Five: Description

I’m not fond of a lot of description, so my early drafts are pretty bare-bones. But once I know exactly what happens and why, it’s easier to see what details will enhance the scene.

I think about what my character would notice in that moment. Would Bob be hyper-aware of the security cameras? Would he smell the antiseptic tang of the lab? The right sensory details can increase tension and deepen immersion without bogging down the pace.

(Here’s more with Description Is More than Just “What it Looks Like”)

Layer Six: Dialogue and Tags

Dialogue is one of my favorite parts of writing, (especially during revision, because by then, I know my characters really well). This pass is where I make sure everyone sounds like themselves. I check that the word choices, sentence rhythms, and tone match each character’s voice.

I also tidy up dialogue tags and tweak my stage direction again. Instead of a string of “he saids,” I mix in gestures and expressions that reveal emotion and keep the scene interesting.

(Here’s more with 5 Ways Your Dialogue Annoys Your Readers)

Layer Seven: A Final Read

This final pass cleans up anything that jumps out at me. Sometimes it’s tightening a clunky sentence, sometimes adding a clarifying phrase, or trimming words that feel boggy.

I’m not aiming for perfection—just a chapter that feels solid enough to build on later.

(Here’s more with First Look at a First Draft: How to Revise Your Manuscript)

Drafting in layers helps keep you from missing things, which creates stronger first drafts.

We all have our favorite aspects of writing, from dialogue to description to world building, and we tend to focus more on those than the aspects we dislike. But checking the various layers before we move on from a chapter, or even a set of chapters, helps us make sure the entire story is getting the attention it deserves—not just the parts we like.

Breaking the process into layers does a few helpful things:

• It keeps you from getting overwhelmed trying to fix everything at once.
• It lets you focus on one aspect of the craft at a time.
• It creates a cleaner draft with less backtracking later.

This layering approach isn’t just for first drafts, either—it’s a great strategy for revision. If you struggle with clarity, tension, or pacing, try breaking your revision into layers. You might be surprised how much easier it is to manage.

EXERCISE FOR YOU: Pick a scene and do a focused pass for each of the layers. Notice which layers missing or weak, and which were strong. Tweak the scene to flesh out anything missing or weak.

How about you? How do you write a first draft? Do you layer it like an onion, or tackle everything in one go?

*Originally published April 2010. Last update June 2025.

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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