How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
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How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
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Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#2Example of the author's own work: https://www.amazon.com/Transgression-Time-Travel-Suspense-No...
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#3OT: Just decided a new reading rule for myself: when a popup interrupts my reading I'll ask myself "Does finding out what this says based on what little I know so far matter to me?" If the answer is not a resounding "yes!", I close the tab.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#4I'm curious to know if authors of great books know the "ending" ahead of time? In Stephen King's case, I'd say "no". In John Irving's case, where the ending is often "put the book down in awe", I'd assume he MUST, right?
I'd love to write a book, I have ideas, I just don't know if I'll ever have a good ending.
This must be the curse of most aspiring writers!?
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#5I'm curious to know if authors of great books know the "ending" ahead of time? In Stephen King's case, I'd say "no". In John Irving's case, where the ending is often "put the book down in awe", I'd assume he MUST, right? I'd love to write a book, I have ideas, I just don't know if I'll ever have a good ending. This must be the curse of most aspiring writers!?
From my experience, you don’t need to know the exact ending but you should have a general idea of where stuff needs to go.
Knowing the end state makes planning the events and character development easier, and can help you avoid pacing problems. You can create the structure working backwards from the end state.
When I write I usually think about what needs to happen to get everything to where it “needs to be” in a comprehensible way.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#6I'm curious to know if authors of great books know the "ending" ahead of time? In Stephen King's case, I'd say "no". In John Irving's case, where the ending is often "put the book down in awe", I'd assume he MUST, right? I'd love to write a book, I have ideas, I just don't know if I'll ever have a good ending. This must be the curse of most aspiring writers!?
I used to go to a lot of author talks/readings, and was always fascinated by how different different writers' techniques are. Some know the ending when they start, some are surprised by what comes out, or even feel like it's not something they control. Some meticulously outline and refine, some start at the beginning and write to the end.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#7Im not sure I get what a snowflake represents. Is each corner a detail in the story?
Also, will this not just end up with a story that is without a clear red thread, seems like quite a disjointed way of writing.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#8OT: Just decided a new reading rule for myself: when a popup interrupts my reading I'll ask myself "Does finding out what this says based on what little I know so far matter to me?" If the answer is not a resounding "yes!", I close the tab.
Productivity tip: Hone this to a reflex.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#9Several of the author’s steps involve doubling the amount of writing of the previous step.
At the logical extreme, you could double at every step, and achieve a better structured story with exactly twice the writing required for the final step.
(Because 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + … + 2^n = 2^(n+1)-1)
And this makes sense with the fractal idea of the snowflake.
Re: How to write a novel using the snowflake method (2013)
#10I'm curious to know if authors of great books know the "ending" ahead of time? In Stephen King's case, I'd say "no". In John Irving's case, where the ending is often "put the book down in awe", I'd assume he MUST, right? I'd love to write a book, I have ideas, I just don't know if I'll ever have a good ending. This must be the curse of most aspiring writers!?
Presumably in the case of George R. R. Martin and a Song of Ice and Fire, one of the reasons for slow progress on the next novel in the series is that a reasonable ending was always known, but each character's arc has changed so much from what was originally planned, that reconciling the two is very difficult.
For older authors like Charles Dickens, who wrote and published many of their novels chapter by chapter in magazines, plans would presumably change based on audience response.