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In this episode, we’re going to talk about how the Snowflake Method of writing a novel can significantly improve your stories and writing process. And to do that, I’m going to play an interview I did with Randy Ingermanson, the inventor of the Snowflake Method.

Randy Intro:

Randy Ingermanson, along with Tricia Goyer, discovered me way back in 2006 and we’ve been fast friends ever since. He’s brilliant … you know that phrase, “Well it’s not like he’s a rocket scientist?” Randy could be. He has his Phd in physics, so he is a seriously intelligent gentleman.

He’s also a brilliant novelist, non-fiction writer, teacher and one of the finest men I know.

A number of years ago he designed a way of writing novels called the Snowflake Method and it’s been downloaded around the world more than six million times.

I interviewed Randy a few days ago, so you’re going to hear where the Snowflake Method came from, and how you can use it to improve your writing and your marketing.

Interview:

  • The Snowflake Method has made you known all over the world, can you give us the brief story of how it came to be?
  • Can you take us through the 10 Steps of the Snowflake Method?
    • Step 1: One hour to write one sentence that tells what your novel is about. Summarize at a high level.
      • Randy’s first novel: “A rogue physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul.”
      • Twelve words!

Step 2: Write a one paragraph summary of your story. An expansion of your one sentence summary. Five sentences … the three act structure. Editors and agents will know

Step 3: Characters, high level, spell out who the hero is, his goal, conflict, values.

Step 4: One page summary/synopsis

Step 5: A page for each character.

Step 6: Take each paragraph from Step 4 and expand to six page synopsis

Step 7: Fill out a character Bible for each of them

Step 8: Break your six page synopsis into scenes (say 100 scenes)

Step 9: For each scene, drill down further.

Step 10: Write the novel

  • Talk to us a bit about how the Snowflake Method became, and is, a powerful marketing tool for your own products and teaching …
  • Talk to us about how the Snowflake Method can work for plotters, and how it can work for pantsers.
  • What is the most common thing people say about the Snowflake Method after using it?
  • What are the three or four primary advantages to using the Snowflake Method?
  • Who doesn’t the Snowflake Method work for?
  • You started with the doc, now you have software and a book and an audio book … tell us about why you developed those and how different learning styles fit better with one or the other.
  • Where can people find out more about you, Randy? Both your novels and your teaching.
    • Ingermanson.com
    • AdvancedFictionWriting.com

And again, you can find out more about Randy at:

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