However - if you have the slightest bit of interest or are an aspiring novelist then maybe you might want to read on.
The Snowflake Method:
It seems logical to me that if you plan out a novel before
you begin writing it, that it would come together more easily. With anything –
an essay, a business, Christmas shopping . . . - a good plan seems to be a key to success. I am
going to try and put that to the test by using the "Snowflake Method"
created by author/novelist Randy Ingermanson - known by some in the U.S. as America
I'm not here to proclaim my own religious beliefs or prop up
the beliefs of others - it really doesn't matter to me - what I am interested
in is his method. And the Snowflake method for which Mr. Ingermanson is known
for seems to be pretty popular among authors and aspiring writers, such as moi.
If you would like more information on Randy Ingermanson, his novels, other work
or more in-depth information on his "Snowflake Method" visit, www.advancedfictionwriting.com
To start - as anything starts – you need an idea. A simple
idea that is then built upon until it becomes the bones of a decent novel. From
there you fill in all the meat and potatoes so to speak. It reminds me of my
early days writing essays in high school and university. I was taught to
surmise a question, and then do my research - of which I already had
assumptions (sometimes those assumptions were changed) - nonetheless you then
have to go about proving why the answer you came to was the right one. You
needed to have proof or support for your findings, and this created the body of
the essay. A good essay, I was told should have at least 3 supporting points or
proof as to why your statement and following conclusion was true - or at the
very least plausible. You formulated your statement, gathered the research for
your supporting points and then made your conclusion . . . there was a plan or
framework in place before the actual essay was written. This for me anyways,
made the actual writing of the essay that much easier. The Snowflake method is
the same, just on a larger scale.
Ingermanson’s Method boils down to 10 steps - not 12 - 10.
If you want 12 steps there are plenty of other sites for that.
Ingermanson's 10 steps:
1. Write a catchy one line sentence (15 words or less) that
describes your story. It's suggested that one reads the one liners laid out to
describe the books on the New York Times Bestsellers list.
2. Now, expand that sentence into a paragraph. Ingermanson
likes to include "3 disasters and an ending. Each disaster should take a
quarter of the book to develop and the end the last quarter." Sort of like
a Shakespearian 3 Act play.
3. Design your characters. Ingermanson suggests writing a
one page summary sheet for each major character that tells their: name,
storyline, wants/desires, goals, conflicts, and how they change. Then write a
one paragraph summary of their storyline. This doesn't need to be perfect, and
may be revised as you progress with telling your story.
4. Now Ingermanson says that you should know your story. You
should know the tale, its major players and how you want it to play out. From
here he says you should build, expanding your short initial sentence into a
paragraph. Then bring everything into a one page (approximately) skeleton of
the book. This, or some variation of this, could be used as your proposal to
potential publishers . . .
5. Write a one page character synopsis for all major and
supporting characters.
6. The story of each character can be woven into the overall
plot. At this time Ingermanson suggests the one page synopsis for each
character be further developed and expanded into 4 pages.
7. Expand and chart each major character by outlining and
describing every big or little thing there is to know about them, i.e.
birthdate, history, how they change or will grow during the novel.
8. Create a spreadsheet of all the "scenes" of
your novel. For each scene list the main character, what is to happen and how
many pages you want the whole scene to take up. A computer generated
spreadsheet would allow you to see the whole story at a glance and easily
reorder things should you need or want to.
(above: a look into the mind, via spreadsheet of J.K. Rowling as she planned out one of her novels . . . pity she didn't make it very far.)
9. Write a "narrative description of the story."
Expand one line to a paragraph etc. Include interesting lines of dialogue or
conflicts you would like to use in the novel. Ingermanson suggests starting new
chapters on a new page so they can be switched around or taken out with ease.
10. Start writing the first draft - At this point, according
to Ingermanson, the story should come easily. . . I'll see about that . . . :S
Time to get started . . . I'll keep you posted!!
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