Digging Deep: The Psychology of a Layered Story

Humans like complexity: puzzles, questions, layers. It fascinates us. My guess it’s because there are so many complex systems in nature that our brain needs to navigate successfully. Ecosystems, weather systems, the tax system…But the one that has the most influence on our evolution are social systems.

Our relationships were vital to our survival. Throughout the ages, fellow humans have been our friends— the ones we collaborate and cooperate with to gain more resources, and our foes—our competitors who can hold the power of whether we live or die. These relationships gave rise to social systems: rules, expectations, and norms. These same social systems are enduring but constantly changing, strongly connected but disjointed, adaptive but counter-intuitive (like, why do I bother asking my sons if they’re hungry?). As writer, what’s important to know, is that the minute evolution finds something that enhances our survivability, it lights up our neurons and makes it pleasurable (think calorie rich cheesecake or gene reproducing sex).  

So it’s not surprising the brain is drawn to complexity (think about a piece of art that caught your attention—did it have layers?), is curious about complexity (did you spend time wondering and pondering?), and attends to complexity (how long did you stand there, wondering and pondering?).

It’s why complexity in stories also attracts us, and I’m going to hypothesize that a significant proportion of best-selling novels capture complexity in their pages. As I think of the novels that I loved, the ones that stayed with me, they all had complications, intricacies and layers. They were complex.

And I don’t just mean a complex plot. Complexity isn’t all about the whoa-didn’t-see-that-coming. It’s more than that, and to explain it, I’m going to use permaculture. For any non-horticulturalists out there, permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. How does it relate to writing? Well, you’re either about to learn a valuable strategy for writing awesome scenes, or you’re about to wonder about the convoluted mechanics of my brain…

One of the principles of permaculture is that any element in your garden needs to perform more than one function. Chickens? Yes, they produce eggs. But they’re also scrap munchers, manure makers and little walking tractors. Feed them your left over lunch, then use them to turn over old garden beds, and fertilize them in the process. The eggs are almost a bonus! A grape vine growing on a trellis? At the right angle, it can provide shade from the hot afternoon sun for a bunch of veggies, it can provide a nice little micro-climate for the strawberry bed beneath, oh, and its fruit and leaves are edible.

A good scene will do the same. It works on more than one level. Through careful consideration and design (just like a permaculturalist), you add more value for your reader, more experiences and emotions and information for your reader to devour. You’d already have an idea of the function of your scene  — usually moving the plot forward. Here are some ‘layers’ you can add to a scene to add complexity:

Deepen characterization

Let your readers learn something about your character they didn’t know. Let their quirks shine through, slip in a little of their backstory or their wound or their strengths. As they learn about how the plot is evolving, let them learn about this person they’re journeying with.

Explore theme

Use a little symbolism or metaphorical word play to explore the deeper question, worldview, philosophy, message, moral, or lesson your book is probing.  You could slip it into dialogue, the setting, or your secondary characters.

Explore a secondary character

Your secondary characters are a great way to explore theme, but they can also be a juxtaposition or complement to your main character (and/or antagonist). Use them to elicit emotion in your reader — whether it’s empathy for them or for your hero. Expand the focus of your scene to include interesting and valuable information about them, too.

Foreshadow

I do love some nice foreshadowing, both as a writer and as a reader. Foreshadowing elicits intrigue, which in cognitive terms, means curiosity. Whilst entrancing and educating your readers about what’s happening right now, you can give them a taste of what might be coming…

Deepen setting

Your setting is a character in itself. It can help your hero, or be a major roadblock (either literally or metaphorically). It can set the mood, provide context (e.g. the culture or the historical period) and denotes the passage of time. Weave it into your scene like a best-selling author.

Show off your writing talent

Sprinkle a little purple prose or a few clever metaphors. Implement those literary devices or challenge the ‘rules’ of writing. As you take your reader on this ride, do it in style. Most importantly, do it your way.

So, if you have a scene that you think might be a little ‘flat’, or if you’re looking to jazz one up so it has more impact, I recommend engaging your green thumb and employing this handy little permaculture principle: every scene must perform more than one function.