Comments on: Cindy’s Puzzle Method, Day 3 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/ America's Mad Professor of Fiction Writing Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:20:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Daan Van der Merwe http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4469 Daan Van der Merwe Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:59:28 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4469 I've planned my current masterpiece according to the Snowflake Method because being a freshman at that time, I was unaware of any other method. I followed the steps to the letter and everything the writer of the Snowflake Method said and predicted, came to pass. Reading about the puzzle method as well as all the comments and questions is indeed very interesting. However, as a sophomore I believe that the snowflake and the puzzle can't be compared. If a writer knows exactly what his story and the characters will be about, I can't imagine that the puzzle will be more effective than the snowflake. Cindy said: "My character of Emman in Orchid House started when I pictured a Filipino kid..." I believe that the puzzle method will be great to conceive a new idea and to turn that idea into a novel. I’ve planned my current masterpiece according to the Snowflake Method because being a freshman at that time, I was unaware of any other method. I followed the steps to the letter and everything the writer of the Snowflake Method said and predicted, came to pass.

Reading about the puzzle method as well as all the comments and questions is indeed very interesting. However, as a sophomore I believe that the snowflake and the puzzle can’t be compared.

If a writer knows exactly what his story and the characters will be about, I can’t imagine that the puzzle will be more effective than the snowflake.

Cindy said: “My character of Emman in Orchid House started when I pictured a Filipino kid…”

I believe that the puzzle method will be great to conceive a new idea and to turn that idea into a novel.

]]> By: Christophe Desmecht http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4470 Christophe Desmecht Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:38:30 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4470 I saw an earlier WIP derail horribly in the past. I was writing chapter by chapter, not entirely sure where the story was going at any time. Then, suddenly, just past the 50% mark, I had noticed it was lost. I had written thousands of words that could be scrapped and a logical conclusion to my book was getting harder to imagine. I finally decided to apply the Snowflake method to this story and it has done wonders, at least to the story outline. Now I find myself bereft of any enthusiasm or drive to actually write the story out. I managed to push out 7 chapters, but while the Snowflake method made my story outline dozens of times better, the chapters I wrote using no method at all are so much better than the stuff I produced the second time around. So I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The more I read about this puzzle method, the more I get the impression that it's the method I've been using all along (just didn't know it), but my story wasn't up to par. So what do I go with? Is there such a thing as a mix between Snowflake and Puzzle? A Puzzleflake? Or a Snowpuzzle? The two methods are so much the opposite of each other, I can hardly imagine such a thing to exist. I saw an earlier WIP derail horribly in the past. I was writing chapter by chapter, not entirely sure where the story was going at any time. Then, suddenly, just past the 50% mark, I had noticed it was lost. I had written thousands of words that could be scrapped and a logical conclusion to my book was getting harder to imagine. I finally decided to apply the Snowflake method to this story and it has done wonders, at least to the story outline. Now I find myself bereft of any enthusiasm or drive to actually write the story out.

I managed to push out 7 chapters, but while the Snowflake method made my story outline dozens of times better, the chapters I wrote using no method at all are so much better than the stuff I produced the second time around.

So I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The more I read about this puzzle method, the more I get the impression that it’s the method I’ve been using all along (just didn’t know it), but my story wasn’t up to par. So what do I go with?

Is there such a thing as a mix between Snowflake and Puzzle? A Puzzleflake? Or a Snowpuzzle? The two methods are so much the opposite of each other, I can hardly imagine such a thing to exist.

]]> By: Cate http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4471 Cate Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:34:50 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4471 Christophe-- This might not be what you're looking for but I do something halfway in between: I write puzzling until I run out of steam 100-200 pages in. Then, I reread those pages marking down everything I liked gut-wise (there comes that trust thing), all the elements I really love and that seem true even if they don't jibe with eachother. Then I take those elements and draw up a plot treatment with a paragraph per major scene where I can hash out the inconsistencies (sort of snowflaking in macro?). The plot treatment isn't so much an outline for me as an emotion-centered character mapping of the story. When I have my plot treatment, the rewrite and finish come quickly. The problem with pure puzzle for me is that I need to be able to gather my thoughts some time in there, and the problem with pure snowflake is I get exhausted with the story. I think that's because I've logically connected the scenes but not emotionally, and I'm always worried when writing about getting it right. But with my combination here, I find the emotional core through puzzling and identifying my gems, then I can follow it through with logic. Yeah, we all have our own mash-ups of methods! Hope this helps. Christophe–

This might not be what you’re looking for but I do something halfway in between: I write puzzling until I run out of steam 100-200 pages in. Then, I reread those pages marking down everything I liked gut-wise (there comes that trust thing), all the elements I really love and that seem true even if they don’t jibe with eachother. Then I take those elements and draw up a plot treatment with a paragraph per major scene where I can hash out the inconsistencies (sort of snowflaking in macro?). The plot treatment isn’t so much an outline for me as an emotion-centered character mapping of the story. When I have my plot treatment, the rewrite and finish come quickly.

The problem with pure puzzle for me is that I need to be able to gather my thoughts some time in there, and the problem with pure snowflake is I get exhausted with the story. I think that’s because I’ve logically connected the scenes but not emotionally, and I’m always worried when writing about getting it right. But with my combination here, I find the emotional core through puzzling and identifying my gems, then I can follow it through with logic.

Yeah, we all have our own mash-ups of methods! Hope this helps.

]]> By: Christophe Desmecht http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4472 Christophe Desmecht Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:56:52 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4472 Cate, the problem you described about using pure snowflake is exactly what I feel. I get tired, burned out on the story. I feel less emotionally attached to the story and my characters and the inspiration to write is gone. Maybe I need to try your method. I'll give it some serious thought. Thanks :) Cate, the problem you described about using pure snowflake is exactly what I feel. I get tired, burned out on the story. I feel less emotionally attached to the story and my characters and the inspiration to write is gone. Maybe I need to try your method. I’ll give it some serious thought.

Thanks :)

]]> By: Carrie Neuman http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4473 Carrie Neuman Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:33:44 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4473 I'm not sure if it counts as a hybrid, but I get an idea for things I'd like to have happen and move them around in my spreadsheet until I'm happy with what order they go in. Usually, all I want to know before I start writing my scene is where it starts ad where it needs to end up. Unless, of course, I don't. :P I’m not sure if it counts as a hybrid, but I get an idea for things I’d like to have happen and move them around in my spreadsheet until I’m happy with what order they go in. Usually, all I want to know before I start writing my scene is where it starts ad where it needs to end up.

Unless, of course, I don’t. :P

]]> By: Andie Mock http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4474 Andie Mock Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:14:25 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4474 For me, the snowflake method is designing and building a phone booth and then pouring all of one's creativity into it for a year. Personally, I love limits and paradoxically find them freeing. It enables me to get creative with the minute details. But it ain't for everyone. I'm trying an experiment today by taking the different parts of a scene: description, involuntary reactions, dialog, internal monologue and nonverbal communication and write these each separately then go back and layer them. Anyone out there ever try this? I figure it might free me up to brainstorm these separately rather than trying to come up with these various types of elements as I'm weaving them together. We'll see. For me, the snowflake method is designing and building a phone booth and then pouring all of one’s creativity into it for a year.

Personally, I love limits and paradoxically find them freeing. It enables me to get creative with the minute details. But it ain’t for everyone.

I’m trying an experiment today by taking the different parts of a scene: description, involuntary reactions, dialog, internal monologue and nonverbal communication and write these each separately then go back and layer them.

Anyone out there ever try this?

I figure it might free me up to brainstorm these separately rather than trying to come up with these various types of elements as I’m weaving them together.

We’ll see.

]]> By: Barbara http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4475 Barbara Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:03:57 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4475 I generally use the snowflake method to map out my story. But somewhere along the way, the characters take over and the story deviates (sometimes sharply) from the intended track. I still know the ending, but how do I get there? I tend to vere well of track from the original intent, and sometimes don't know how to make it back. Any suggestions? Sometimes the only thing I can think of doing is to ignore some of what I've written and go back tothe original outline. But this doesn't feel right to me. Is there a way to use my inspiration and still head in the direction of the outline? I generally use the snowflake method to map out my story. But somewhere along the way, the characters take over and the story deviates (sometimes sharply) from the intended track. I still know the ending, but how do I get there? I tend to vere well of track from the original intent, and sometimes don’t know how to make it back. Any suggestions? Sometimes the only thing I can think of doing is to ignore some of what I’ve written and go back tothe original outline. But this doesn’t feel right to me. Is there a way to use my inspiration and still head in the direction of the outline?

]]> By: Debbie Allen http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4478 Debbie Allen Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:51:00 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/03/10/cindys-puzzle-method-day-3/#comment-4478 Randy- I was buying some writing books on Amazon, and noticed Noah Lukeman's (author of The First Five Pages) free e-book on writing a query letter. You'll like what he has to say on page 21 about a one-sentence summary. It's a worthy download! Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Great-Query-Letter/dp/B00122GU86/ref=dp_shrt_new_0 Randy-
I was buying some writing books on Amazon, and noticed Noah Lukeman’s (author of The First Five Pages) free e-book on writing a query letter. You’ll like what he has to say on page 21 about a one-sentence summary. It’s a worthy download! Here’s the link:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Great-Query-Letter/dp/B00122GU86/ref=dp_shrt_new_0

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