What Does Drawing Snowflakes Have to do with Writing Novels?

Last Tuesday I went to the monthly Willamette Writers meeting at The Old Church in downtown Portland, Oregon. The Speaker was Randy Ingermanson, software engineer, novelist and author of Writing Fiction for Dummies. Over 26,000 people read his on-line advanced writers zine. He was there to talk about how drawing a snowflake is like designing a novel.

Here’s a very abbreviated version of The Snowflake Method:

*When you are ready to begin writing, think of one sentence of that describes your novel. The closer to fifteen words you can make it the better.
For example:
A sailor barely escapes drowning when the great white whale his demented captain is chasing smashes the ship. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
or
A grieving fifteen-year-old girl falls into a parallel universe and becomes a warrior mage. Forging the Blade (my book, new title)

*Write a one-paragraph description of the plot. Use five sentences. The first sentence sets up the story, the second describes the first conflict point, the second describes the conflict which takes place in the middle of the story, and the third describes the ending conflict.

*Expand each of the above sentences into a paragraph to make a one page synopsis. Include major characters.

*Write a full or half page description of each main character. Randy makes the important point that if each main character is well developed, that character probably thinks he or she is the hero, so go ahead and tell your story from each character’s point of view.

*Expand the one page summary to a four page summary and make the big, strategic plot decisions.

*Make very detailed character charts. Include height, weight, eye and hair color, religion, childhood traumas, basic life philosophy, etc. Be obsessive!

*Lay out each scene. A spreadsheet format works best.

*Write the first draft.

And voila! You started with a simple triangle (or idea) and built it into a complex, beautifully designed snowflake (or novel).

Randy is almost positive that whether you’re a seat of the pants writer or a compulsive outliner, you will be able to use at least some of his ideas.