McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
The Snowflake Method
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
Doesn't work for me, because my stories thrash around too much. I could definitely write a one-para synopsis of what I thought a plot would be in advance, but once I have three or four chapters of actual story down, little things will change which have knock-on consequences changing bigger things later on, and I never finish a book that looks enough like I think it might beforehand; really tightening a plot needs me to know so much about where it;s going that my only way of getting there is to write it.
Kudos to the snowflake guy for being very up front about different things working for different people and this only being what works for him, though. (Is it overly cynical of me to say that if this method really worked, I might expect to have heard of him as a novelist?)
Josh:
I'm a huge fan of the Snowflake Method and have used it, or a variation of it, for most of my stories. I've added some bits, like more worldbuilding sections, and sometimes I don't get as involved with minor character sheets and all. But I do a spreadsheet of scenes and such and get to a 3-4 page writeup of the plot. It helps me to have guideposts along the way, a way to at least vaguely know what direction I should be heading in. Building up a plot from a kernel of an idea, that original sentence description, into a fleshed-out plot is a great investment before I start any writing.
The one thing I don't do, though, is force myself to stick to the original outline or plot if something better comes up along the way. I give myself the freedom to adapt when characters or plot twists surprise me. So that mixture of setting a foundation and then discovering new things along the way works exceptionally well for me. Not for everyone, I know, but I always recommend this method.
In a potential answer to your question, neurovore, I've actually interacted with Randy Ingermanson some and read his books. They're great, but he published several science fiction series and novels through the Christian Booksellers Association, and speculative fiction genres, unfortunately, just don't sell too well in CBA. I haven't seen any new releases from him lately, but he has lots of great advice for writers which has helped me get where I am.
Ren:
Hrm. I may have to give this a try. Usually I come up with a metric truck-load of characters becasue they are,for me anyway, the easiest part to right. Then I just start writing the opening and develop the characters and plot as I go along. This is the same method I use for writing adventures and campaigns for the many role-playing games I've run over the years, unfortunatley it's not a great method for a book as I keep addign in new ideas, places, plots and characters and have to frequently go back and make changes...8P
Figging Mint:
--- Quote from: the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh on September 19, 2010, 05:31:57 PM ---Kudos to the snowflake guy for being very up front about different things working for different people and this only being what works for him, though. (Is it overly cynical of me to say that if this method really worked, I might expect to have heard of him as a novelist?)
--- End quote ---
Yes, it is.
You might, on the other hand, say that his or her work would be diluted amongst all the other Koch snowflakes making up the slab avalanche.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: (FM) on September 20, 2010, 05:53:39 PM ---You might, on the other hand, say that his or her work would be diluted amongst all the other Koch snowflakes making up the slab avalanche.
--- End quote ---
But that way would lie the necessity of coming up with puns about fractals.
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