A while back I promised to write a blog about this one particular methodology for writing a novel called “The Snowflake Method.” After my last post about different writing processes, I thought this would be a good time for such a post.  You can read the details of the Snowflake Method here and I suggest you do, not because it is necessarily THE way to write a novel — as I’ve discussed, I don’t believe there is any one right way — but because whether we choose to adopt this system or not, it gives us an idea of elements that all of us who are writing longer works of fiction should keep in mind.
Here’s a brief summary of the system.  There are 10 steps to follow even before you start writing:
     1. Write a one sentence summary of the novel in as few words as possible
     2. Expand the sentence into a paragraph describing the plot, set-up and ending. Think in terms of “three disasters plus an ending” described in five sentences.
     3. Write a one page overview of each major character’s back story. Use as much detail as you can, whether you’ll eventually use these details or not.
     4. Expand each of the five sentences of step 2 into a paragraph.
     5. Build on step 3 by writing a one page character synopsis which tells the story from the point of view of each character.
     6. Expand each paragraph of step 4 into a full page.
     7. Expand further on step 3 for each character, perhaps even revising what you wrote in steps 1-6. Show how each character changes over the course of the novel.
     8. Make a spreadsheet detailing each scene that will be a part of the plot.
     9. Write a narrative of the story incorporating all the scenes from your spreadsheet.
    10. Write your first draft.
Okay now, simmer down, simmer down.  Overwhelming, right?  Well it certainly overwhelmed me when I sat down to begin work on “A Clash of Innocents.”  But writing my first novel, “Tangled Roots,” was such a rambling nine-year affair that I thought I better try to be more systematic about it this time.  Did I adhere strictly to all the steps?  Absolutely not.  Did I keep the lessons each step was teaching me in mind when choosing which to follow and how to follow them? Absolutely yes. And the result was a two-year organized experience leading to a coherent, character-driven, well-plotted novel (if I do say so myself). Now as I’ve discussed before, some writers would die under the choke of such a structured system.  But I have come to realize that I work best with a flexible structure around me, and my modified version of a snowflake worked well for me.

     So fast forward to today.  I have just spent 10 days beginning work on Novel 3.  I reread my notes about the Snowflake Method and I looked back on what I did before.  And what have I decided? Namely that I have already incorporated the snowflake lessons into my own writing process and so I can proceed with my own system.  It won’t be a many-pointed snowflake. It might be more of a three-sided cloud type thing. But before I start my first draft,  I am writing page-long character synopses.  I am imagining  two or three disasters and an ending.  I am making a chart (!) of episodes and where they will go within the outline of the book. I am planning structure.  But hey — that’s just me.
     I do suggest you take a look at the website created by Randy Ingermanson, “the Snowflake Guy.”  Whether you decide to use it or not, it will definitely provide lots of food for thought.
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thanks to the Euclid Library for the snowflake photo and the gisdk blog for the cloud.