Writing Helps

[VWeathers]

Do you use flow charts, scene cards or story boarding when writing your novels?

[Tamera]

Nope, I just let the characters go and follow where they lead me. I do, however, do charater synopsis and charts sometimes if I find I don't know the characters well enough to write. I use the snowflake outline for that. I also do a lot of research about the time period and setting. I write historicals so that part might not be as important to someone who writes in another genre.

Basically, I get to know my characters, dump them in an interesting event in history, and write down what happens.

[VWeathers]

What is a Snowflake outline?

[Tommie Lyn]

Do you use flow charts, scene cards or story boarding when writing your novels?

When I started writing, I had no clue how to go about it. I couldn't plot, had no idea what a "plot point" was, and (I'm ashamed to admit) had no clue what constituted a scene. I bought a book on plotting and bought a piece of software to help me construct a plot. It had the software equivalent of flow charts, scene cards, storyboarding, etc. It even had a great way of listing the characters and their attributes (which I did use for a while).

But, since I couldn't "make up" a story, couldn't construct a plot, the software was useless to me (except for a cool name bank which I still use).

Like Tamera, I get to know my characters, plop them down in a setting, watch what they do like a movie in my head and write it down. By the way, the plotting book was useful to me.....now, after I've finished writing a story and go back to read it, I can at least recognize the plot, LOL, even though I had no clue about what it was as I was writing it down.

[Tommie Lyn]

What is a Snowflake outline?

It's a method of outlining devised by Randy Ingermanson. I've used an abbreviated version of it a couple of times to get to know my characters before I start their story.

Here's a link to Ingermanson's site where he teaches you how to do it:

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

[elbib]

I use outlines.

Thanks - Kimberli

[Lookin^Up]

I take notes first, work out the new characters I want in my story, a little background, what they're going to do, and the plot usually presents itself. Like real people, characters often come with a story of their own, a story they would like to tell, and unlike real people, after I invent them, they come to me and tell me what to write. When I have enough information about enough characters, and how their stories mesh into a unified whole, I start writing.

BTW, I regularly use the snowflake method, and have been even before I knew it had a name. I don't know how that happened.

[jacks girl]

Sometimes I use what I call a running outline. It's a list of events and what happens in each chapter so if i need to find out when Sam first learns that her dad is alive I will know what chapter it happened in. I don't do character outlines to find out about my characters but I might make notes to keep them straight.

Jack

[Tarin]

I outline extensively and write in-depth "character interviews." (If you're interested, you can check out my lit of "interview questions" at my blog (http://www.amancalledoutlaw.com/march2008.htm) - see the second post down.)

[michaelsnyder]

I create this huge confusing mess of documents, note cards, scribbled bits of dialog on napkins, journal entries, sticky notes, etc. ad nauseum.

Then eventually I start writing. When I use something on one of my many notes, I either toss it scratch through it or put a big check mark by it. Oh, and sometimes I scroll to the bottom of the manuscript and type 'notes to self' as well (plus, it makes the word daily word count seem more impressive!)

Pretty scientific, no? I really should try and get myself more organized...

Mike

[righter1]

Usually, I just have a build-up of a scenario playing around ad-nauseum in my head for up to a couple of months. Only once have I started a book with a fully-formed outline. (At this juncture, I think I'm about 20% through this book.) Most of the time, I do very little preparation, maybe just a few character sketches on my main characters. It probably takes me longer to get my act together, but I can't always sit down and do character interviews as some have suggested, though I did find Brandilyn Collins' book 'Getting into Character' very helpful. Hmm... I should go read that again... :cool:

[Lookin^Up]

Sometimes, when I want to reference a certain passage in a story, the chapter titles can serve as an outline. I remember what happens in most of those chapters, and I know the passage I'm looking for is somewhere between Chapters 14-16, so I search them for what I want. Or else I know the title the item is in and zero straight toward it. "Ah, they talked about that while they were in the mountains, so 'Mountain Passage' must be where it is. Let's see, what chapter number was that? Here's the TOC ... ah, yes, 19." And there it is!