Evolution of a Beat Sheet

Author and writing coach Larry Brooks introduced me to a writing tool called a “beat sheet.” It has become my favorite story planning tool. Put simply, a beat sheet is an ordered list of the scenes in your book; an outline, more or less. The name comes from a drumming analogy, where the story milestones […]

The Snowflake Experiment, Week 3

Over the past two weeks, I’ve continued experimenting with Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. I’m working on step 5 (of 10), and I continue to be impressed with how well it is helping me develop my story. Character Summaries Backtracking a little, when I posted about week 1 of the experiment, I had made it to […]

The Snowflake Experiment, Week 1

Last week I posted that I was going to try a story architecture method called The Snowflake Method. This technique is the brainchild of writing instructor and author Randy Ingermanson. He offers a free article on his web site that explains how it works. I could immediately see how it would help me move forward […]