The Third Layer- What you don’t see in the Book

Somewhere floating around in the vast ocean of the Internet, there is an iceberg meme. Actually, there are a lot of iceberg memes, but the one I am thinking of shows an iceberg with the small portion of the ice above water labeled as “film,” and the much larger portion of the ice below the water as “book.” This is a fairly accurate portrayal of how most books compare with the movies. The film adaption is seldom able to portray the characters, events, and feelings with the same depth as the book can.

The iceberg analogy works fairly well, but in my opinion, it is missing one important element. There is another piece even bigger than the submerged part of the iceberg. I’m not even sure what you would compare it to unless it was the glacier the iceberg came from. For this reason, I like to use the image of a lovely three tiered cake. Like the iceberg, the top, and smallest layer, is the film. The second and bigger layer is the book. The last and biggest layer is everything inside the author’s head. There are at least three parts to this third layer. These include all the little extras that couldn’t fit into the book, the experiences and events that inspired the author and influenced his or her views, and the struggles and milestones involved in the creation of the masterpiece.

Homeless Extras
Perhaps I’m wrong, but if the Pottermore website is any indication, I’m not the only author who knows a lot more about the people and places in their world than can actually make it into the book. There’s that tragic backstory that explains your antagonist’s hatred of squirrels, or the childhood accident that gave your hero’s best friend that little scar just in front of his left ear, but somehow these things didn’t help either the plot or the character development quite enough to justify the extra wordage, so they didn’t make the cut. At least for me, this can be painful. These details are part of what brings these people and places to life in my mind. I yearn for the readers to know these tidbits so they can connect with the characters and world in the same way I have. Of course, the story itself is good without them, but some of these things seem too good not to share.

Inspirational Events
Another part of that layer is those things that inspired the writer to write what they wrote. These are things like events from their childhood, or comments a favorite teacher made. These could be inspiration found in other books or the dreams of what they hope to accomplish with their writing. These things are what makes the writer do what they do.

Milestones
The last part of this third layer is all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into getting the piece of writing to the point it can be shared, as well as the struggle to help people find it. The work it takes to actually get something out there is huge, and then you have the anxiety about how it will be received by the public. These things are also a major piece of the book that nobody sees.

Every one of these is applicable to my book Gateway to Aviandria. That is why I have created this blog. I want to give others a chance to glimpse this third layer. Most of the posts on here will have something to do with one of the three areas I just talked about. There will be all sorts of interesting extras about Aviandria and the people who live there. There will be my thoughts on different topics and events that influenced and inspired my writing. Last of all, there may be snippets of the process and progress of Gateway to Aviandria as it is preparing for its debut, as well as news of any sequels that may be forthcoming.
Hopefully, as you sink your teeth into this scrumptious third layer, you will find a rich, fulfilling flavor that you can enjoy every time you come back for more. Also, I hope it makes the book layer all the sweeter when you are finally able to bite into that as well. Keep checking back to know more about the release of Gateway to Aviandria. Until next time, sweet reading!