In a discussion on rasfc that started with describing characters, Patricia C. Wrede has posted two examples of layering — writing something with only one component, like dialogue, and then adding everything else, like description, action, internal monologue, as separate steps.
One starts with dialogue and the other starts with setting.
The dialogue one is how I often write anyway, especially when I’m stuck, which I was earlier this evening. Trying to figure out how to say everything at once can be too hard, and breaking it down to think about only one aspect at a time can be the only way for me to make forward progress.
On the other hand, I sometimes end up with nothing but dialogue if I know exactly what happens in a scene and I’m writing really quickly. I’m getting better at making myself slow down.
The whole thread is interesting, but long.