Process Diary #14

How to create layering in writing

Process Diaries are weekly essays shared on Wednesday evenings that explore the technical choices writers make when constructing their stories. I will sometimes turn the magnifying glass on my own manuscripts as well, sharing ways in which I would revise older drafts given what I have practiced since. These essays are for paying subscribers, as I hope to create a community of readers and writers especially interested in craft discussions! If you would like to join the conversation, consider upgrading your subscription below and leave a comment afterward.

A double exposure of my friend, Hari, camping in Yamanashi, Japan, layered atop a photo of the snowy hills of Hokkaido.

In an interview following the release of her book, The Collected Schizophrenias, Esmé Weijun Wang—when asked about how she conveyed her “subjective experience” as a mentally ill narrator—says, “One could argue that I am the most unreliable narrator possible, because of my diagnoses and the premise of the book. But I ask the reader to hold all of these things in their mind at once: I have a mental illness; I am the narrator; I have insight; I am thought of as high-functioning; this is my story.”