How to write a novel
To a geek like me, this website by Randy Ingermanson detailing how to write a novel seems to make great sense. As my friend Mac is so fond of saying, Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. So the detailed planning stages of Ingermanson’s snowflake method appeal to the inner programmer in me. In a day-job-tastic feat of immense distraction the eye is off the ball and my mind’s off on a tangent.
Recently, due to press coverage in The Metro I checked out a product called Novel Writer. I didn’t like it. Not my style. When I read Ingermansons method I thought to myself, “Here’s a great opportunity to make a little bit of software that both outlines this method and makes it simple to gather together everything generated in the first nine steps, to aid when switching to a favoured word processor for the tenth step.
I really should be concentrating on writing fiction not code!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Definitely much harder than it looks, Iain. I started mine a year ago when I first bought Randy’s snowflake package with the “gone with the wind” example - very helpful, but no less daunting. I’ve messed with mine, tossed it aside, come back to it when time for proposal came, messed with it loads more, had Randy tell me it was boring, agreed, burped one more out in frustration only to find that I’d nailed it. But of course, all of Randy’s tutoring must have sunk in by then. I think it’s a matter of practice.
Thanks for setting up the forum - hope it helps. Will there be rules, moderator?
April 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
There should definitely be rules and moderation. For a start I expect to see strict rules on plagiarism outlined up front.
Perhaps as we get going we can discuss what we think they should be, and if anyone would wish to moderate if things get crazy busy!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I’m going to have to buy that Gone with the Wind article I think.