I’m currently working on the latest draft of my second novel, which is a dual timeline set in post-WWI London and fin-de-siècle Vienna, featuring the art and life of Gustav Klimt, and focusing on two women searching for where they belong in the world.

My writing day involves weaving together various strands of the story to build a multi-faceted narrative that incorporates the experiences of my protagonists – Fenna in 1932 London and Lily in turn-of-the century Vienna – with the plot, settings, events, themes and conflicts twisted together.

The most important aspect for me when creating a story is to ensure that the characters are three-dimensional, engaging, and driving the plot forwards. The protagonists have backstories which affect their motivations and actions. They have strengths, flaws and vulnerabilities that are relatable. They have moments when they shine and other times when they make terrible mistakes, but they are always learning about themselves and growing. They sometimes display their emotions for all to see, but more often keep them secret until something occurs that shakes their world. Their personalities are complex and layered.

When I’ve switched off my computer at the end of a writing day, the image that most often comes to mind is the hilarious scene from the movie Shrek where the grumpy ogre tries to explain to Donkey that ogres are like onions.

“Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. We both have layers!” says Shrek.

The analogy is lost on Donkey, but the message remains that people are complex creatures with depths beyond what can be seen from a cursory look from the outside.

I remind myself of this as I’m layering snippets of a character’s personality within the story. I like to imagine readers encountering one aspect of a character, then turning the page to discover another element, and so on and so forth as they peel back the layers to reveal the character’s secret heart.

Novelist Veronica Roth, best known for writing the bestselling Divergent trilogy, said: “People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts.”

The novels that endure in my mind the longest are those that gradually reveal the protagonist’s outer, inner and hidden thoughts, motivations and desires. I love the moment when a character discovers something new about themselves, which shocks them to their core, and they are transformed.

The character Celie in The Color Purple by Alice Walker begins her journey as submissive, silent and downtrodden, but discovers her inner strength and emerges as self-assured, independent, and in charge of her own destiny. The titular character in Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina undergoes a radical transformation from a respectable wife to a woman obsessed with passion then consumed by despair. The character of Briony Tallis in Ian McEwan’s Atonement evolves from a self-absorbed, judgemental child into a mature, compassionate, remorseful woman.

Creating a character’s motivations, ambitions, vulnerabilities and secrets, and layering these within the plot takes time. Having worked with my protagonists for nearly two years now, I’ve gotten to know them quite well. I’ve created profiles of Fenna and Lily which outline their upbringing and relationships, family and friends, education and vocation, lifestyle and daily activities, accomplishments and personality traits, dreams and fears, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, regrets and passions. It includes descriptions of their appearance and mannerisms, their attitude to religion, politics, society, materialism, romance, art, literature, significant memories, and so much more. Not every aspect of Fenna and Lily will be included, but they will be used to flavour the story. As each draft is completed, the shadowy characters emerge as sharply-focused individuals at the forefront of the plot.

No matter how well I think I know Fenna and Lily, they continue to surprise me. Sometimes, when I’m in the middle of writing a piece of dialogue, I come to a sudden stop, and feel as though they are sitting on my shoulder, guiding me in a different direction, whispering in my ear: “I wouldn’t say that … I’d say this …”

Happy writing and layering to those who are writers, and happy reading to those who love settling down with an enticing story and unfolding the layers.

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