I tried plotting with the Snowflake method!

Рет қаралды 4,760

4 жыл бұрын

In which I attempt to plot my novel using the Snowflake Method, created by Randy Ingermanson!
The Snowflake Method is one I've heard about for years - there always seems to be a blog post (or three) floating around. However, this is my first time trying it. Long story short: I didn't love it, but I am further along in my outlining because of it, so at least that's something. 😅
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QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENTS:
- Have you used the Snowflake Method to plot a book? How did you go?
- Do you have other plotting/preparation methods you like to use?
TIME STAMPS:
4:48 - My one-sentence summaries
6:30 - My one-paragraph summaries
14:34 - Character storylines
18:42 - I read the Snowflake Method book! My thoughts
24:37 - Going backwards from Step 3 to Step 1
27:07 - My concerns about the four-page synopsis
30:49 - Character charts
32:08 - I feel like I'm going round in circles - aargh
34:38 - The Snowflake Method scene list spreadsheet
38:44 - My thoughts on the Snowflake method - not for me, but I can see some benefits of the method that others might enjoy
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:
- How to Write a Book Using the Snowflake Method: amzn.to/35Cw0DV
- Secrets of the love genre: storygrid.com/secrets-of-the-...
- Secrets of the action genre: storygrid.com/secrets-of-the-...
- Secrets of the thriller genre: storygrid.com/secrets-of-the-...
- Story Grid by Shawn Coyne: amzn.to/32vuuRR
- Save the Cat by Blake Snyder: amzn.to/35Dz56D
- Story Engineering by Larry Brooks: amzn.to/2ZGSY91
FIND ME ONLINE:
Instagram: / jp.writes
Website: jpwrites.co/
Nanowrimo: nanowrimo.org/participants/jp...
#snowflakemethod #writing #plotting

Пікірлер: 27

@JPWrites 4 жыл бұрын

Have you used the Snowflake Method to plot a book? How did you go? Do you have other plotting/preparation methods you like to use?

@DawnMontgomeryAuthor 4 жыл бұрын

I didn't enjoy it, but I know so many who love it. I love the scene/sequel setup. I use that regularly and it has made my writing stronger.

@joannabucktrout576 3 жыл бұрын

Randy Ingermanson, together with Peter Economy, also wrote Writing Fiction for Dummies, and I found that a far more helpful lay-out of his writing plan than The Snowflake Method. It has a wealth of other writing advice in it also. Finding target audience, choosing creative paradigm, creating compelling characters and creating a multi-layered plot. Hope this helps.

@CarrowBrown 3 жыл бұрын

The thumbnail for this video was the cutest thing ever.

@JPWrites 3 жыл бұрын

Lol - thank you!

@abrazor 9 ай бұрын

I wrote my first novel with Snowflake. You really need to get the book. I made little progress before I got the book, then it all fell in to place, and now that is all I use. Also his book on writing scenes is fantastic. Also he focuses on keeping the three act structure throughout the process including the first step. Interesting video, thanks for sharing.

@JPWrites 9 ай бұрын

I'm a little confused by this comment, because I did get the book? :)

@abrazor 9 ай бұрын

@JPWrites OK. At the beginning of the video, if I'm not mistaken, you say you didn't yet have the book but had ordered it so you used the sites/blog instead. Sorry

@chasehughesofficial 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jackie!

@chasehughesofficial 3 жыл бұрын

Wow. Great job.

@NicoleWilbur 4 жыл бұрын

Loving these videos! I tried the snowflake method a long time ago and found it a bit cumbersome-it didn’t help me write a good story so much as it helped organize things. I don’t think it’s great if (like me) you’re trying to learn story structure and how to make the story interesting/moving/all the other stuff! :) Thanks for this great video!!!

@JPWrites 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Nicole - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

@Gisbertus_Voetius 4 жыл бұрын

That was a great, intelligent analysis! I used this method for two books. What I particulary liked was the entanglement between plot and character, and it gave me a kind of overarching grid, which I need. What I did not like was, like you, the repetitions. I think we have to 'feel' how far we want to plan each step in advance. Sometimes it is better not overthinking and just go for it. As for the scene structures, wow, that is a topic one could easily get lost. More so if we consider what Ingermanson calls MRUs. I've thought hours about the relation between scenes and MRUs. However, thinking in scene/sequel helped for planning the scenes. In the process of writing I usually 'forget' everything I learned because those things can really go in the way.

@JPWrites 4 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I found the character elements the most helpful as well, especially doing a plot summary from each character's perspective, which is something I haven't seen covered in any other method. But the repetition did nearly kill me. For scene structure, I'm still playing with this, but I'm using each of Randy's points as inspiration for brainstorming how scenes could develop, rather than a strict outline I need to follow. In any case, I'll probably go off track when I start writing, but I think anything that helps you look at a story from a new angle is helpful.

@Gisbertus_Voetius 4 жыл бұрын

@@JPWrites Right. What also helps is to re-format the text. It it stunning how different we read just because of how the text looks. I've just finished a funny exercise: I took two chapters from another author, analysed the scene structure, put it aside and wrote my own version. After a couple of days I compared the original with my stuff and learned a lot. (It was the beginning of a romance-novel, something I have no expertise in and it was fun!)

@JPWrites 4 жыл бұрын

Ooh - that sounds like fun! Have you listened to the Story Grid podcast at all? While I didn't love the method, they did a series for 10 episodes or so called the Masterwork Experiment, where they picked apart an existing work of fiction (they chose Brokeback Mountain), then analysed the story and attempted to write an original work of fiction that followed the same beats. I'd love to try something like that in the not-too-distant future.

@Gisbertus_Voetius 4 жыл бұрын

@@JPWrites I haven't listened to it but I will!

@marakemusicdangdut 4 жыл бұрын

sukses selalu untukmu, saya baru belajar metode ini.

@sunshinejulie5687 2 жыл бұрын

To me to me it sounds more like an outlining method than a plotting method.

@jessatlife 8 ай бұрын

That’s because it is an outlining method, or as Ingermanson presents it in the book, an alternative to outlining.

@johneyon5257 2 жыл бұрын

sounds like a method not for writers who use the Discovery method - ie those who start out with no clear ending or the details of the journey - - also - it's not a method for brainstorming if you only have a seed of a story - but no details - and you're hoping for help to flesh out the rest of the story - - thumbs up for your insights

@pedroantoniodacruzferreira1487 3 жыл бұрын

You are incredibly beautiful, have the cutest accent and wonderfully smart! Loved this video. Thank you for creating valuable content

@JPWrites 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you - this comment made my day! 😄

@karmachameleon326 2 жыл бұрын

At first, I was pretty convinced that Snowflake was going to be a good fit for me - but seeing you work at creating that first paragraph shows me it’s probably not. It’s not just that you have to know how the story ends right up front, what happens if you get struck by inspiration part-way through, and completely change the 3rd or even 2nd acts, and find yourself careering towards a different ending? Do you go back and rework your structure breakdown from the very beginning? It feels to me that this method doesn’t leave much room for inspiration.

@jessatlife 8 ай бұрын

You’re supposed to go back and forth between steps. Backtracking is a part of the process. What a lot of people fail to see, even though Ingermanson mentions it in the book, is that the point of the method is to help you refine your story and characters as much as possible before you start that first draft. The idea is to rewrite those summaries instead of an entire draft, saving you months or even years of work. I think this process is for people who have a more analytical / practical approach to things, though. If you like to discover as you write, this is definitely not the method for you. One more thing: Ingermanson works with the three act structure, but you could easily adapt the method to any other structure you prefer, and in fact, I’ve talked to several people who combine this process with the Save the Cat! Beats.

@djin81 6 ай бұрын

There seems to be a problem all the way through this that step 1 is summarise your story in one sentence, but you don't have a story, you have a writing prompt. You want this method to take you from writing prompt to a story, I don't think that's what the method is trying to do. I think its trying to get you to think clearly about what's important in your story by stripping it back to its simplest essence, its atomic parts and adding complexity a little at a time. But you never had a story, you started with a writing prompt/setup/inciting incident.

@Gorboduc Жыл бұрын

The problem with this method, as you found out, is that it just belabors what you already know while giving you no help in figuring out what you don't know. :/