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Post by morticialovescats on Aug 5, 2008 10:52:18 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone out there had tried the Snowflake method to construct a novel. It's available at www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.phpThere is also a forum for the Snowflake method at snowflakers.net/index.phpIn the Snowflake method you start out by writing a one-sentence description of your novel, then expand it to a paragraph, and then go through various other steps until you have a good master plan for writing your first draft. I've decided to try it for my current troublesome writing project and also for my October gothic story. In fact, I should be working on it right now.....
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Post by NutmegAngel on Aug 6, 2008 7:48:08 GMT -5
I tried it, it drove me insane, and although I really, really like the story idea I was working on using it, I've become bored with it and can't be bothered to write it for real. So it really didn't work for me. But I'm definitely a seat of the pants writer who does not do well with even vague plans, especially if they're written down. It might work for other people.
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Post by celestialwolf on Aug 6, 2008 13:41:12 GMT -5
I have to agree with NutmegAngel. I tried it several times but it drove me nuts. By the time I got to the point where I was ready to write an actual draft I was tired of my own story. It's like playing a favorite song a billion times, eventually you just can't take it anymore. I prefer to do a light outline now, 2 sentence max chap description, with the chapters listed out in order. It gives me a skeleton to work off of yet I can free write at the same time.
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Post by Belladonna on Aug 12, 2008 4:15:50 GMT -5
We were just discussing this over on another board. hodudududuh posted two techniques that would allow a writer to get to know some characters without actually running to the planning stage, which can take all the fun out of writing. I did try the Snowflake method for NaNo last year, and it does what it's supposed to do: you have your outline and you know where you're going. However, that also takes the excitement out of it for me. Different writers prefer different ways of writing; me, I need a balance between planning and free-flow, others want to go on an adventure and see what comes up, while others still may prefer a map that they follow to the letter. Horses for courses. You can check out that discussion here.
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bloodstone
Baby Bat
Wordcount: 15% 5,925/40,000
Posts: 22
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Post by bloodstone on Sept 12, 2008 23:06:46 GMT -5
I tried it for a novel, and I only finished the novel because it was a friends non-denominational-gift-giving-day present. I took some things from it, but overall it just put me to sleep. I agree that a good mix of planning and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-ing is key to writing a good book.
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Saraness
Baby Bat
Wordcount: 100% 20,032/20,000
Posts: 22
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Post by Saraness on Sept 21, 2008 19:03:22 GMT -5
See...I keep MEANING to use the Snowflake Method for a novel, just to try it out and see how it works for me, but I never get around to actually doing it. I started Snowflaking a couple ideas, but I either abandoned them due to other reasons or ran out of time before NaNo/whatever it was I needed them for and ended up doing a seat-of-pants-type zooming through the hazy plot. For GothNo I'm sort of just doing this weird free-form outline, since I figure I'll clean up this story in a future rewrite. THAT BEING SAID, I really want to Snowflake the second version of the novel I wrote for NaNo 2007, since it was my first novel and it really sucks (no duh), but I still love it and want it to end up as something good. That, and I have all these little tiny subplot bunnies running around in my head for it, and I think I want to turn it into a four-book series (as opposed to my little idea of making it a three-book series). Perhaps I shall also write the first book in the series, too, since that one was one of the ones I started attempting to Snowflake, I think... But yeah. For me, Snowflaking is one of those things I keep meaning to try, but never actually do. Maybe one day, for a redraft, I shall do it...heheheh...
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Post by Mama D.N. and new baby Jareth. on Oct 2, 2008 11:02:27 GMT -5
I haven't Snowflaked before, but it might work. I'll have to try it.
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