No snow . . . how about a Snowflake

Alright it was a trick . . . this post actually has nothing to do with snow - it's about a method of writing, or at least starting to write a novel. So . . . if you must, get out now and head back to your happy facebooking :)
 
However - if you have the slightest bit of interest or are an aspiring novelist then maybe you might want to read on.

The Snowflake Method:

It seems logical to me that if you plan out a novel before you begin writing it, that it would come together more easily. With anything – an essay, a business, Christmas shopping . . . -  a good plan seems to be a key to success. I am going to try and put that to the test by using the "Snowflake Method" created by author/novelist Randy Ingermanson - known by some in the U.S. as America's "Mad Professor of fiction writing." I hadn't actually heard of the man before but from what I read he has written six fictional novels and two non-fiction works all of which are based somehow in Christianity.

I'm not here to proclaim my own religious beliefs or prop up the beliefs of others - it really doesn't matter to me - what I am interested in is his method. And the Snowflake method for which Mr. Ingermanson is known for seems to be pretty popular among authors and aspiring writers, such as moi. If you would like more information on Randy Ingermanson, his novels, other work or more in-depth information on his "Snowflake Method" visit, www.advancedfictionwriting.com

To start - as anything starts – you need an idea. A simple idea that is then built upon until it becomes the bones of a decent novel. From there you fill in all the meat and potatoes so to speak. It reminds me of my early days writing essays in high school and university. I was taught to surmise a question, and then do my research - of which I already had assumptions (sometimes those assumptions were changed) - nonetheless you then have to go about proving why the answer you came to was the right one. You needed to have proof or support for your findings, and this created the body of the essay. A good essay, I was told should have at least 3 supporting points or proof as to why your statement and following conclusion was true - or at the very least plausible. You formulated your statement, gathered the research for your supporting points and then made your conclusion . . . there was a plan or framework in place before the actual essay was written. This for me anyways, made the actual writing of the essay that much easier. The Snowflake method is the same, just on a larger scale.

Ingermanson’s Method boils down to 10 steps - not 12 - 10. If you want 12 steps there are plenty of other sites for that.

Ingermanson's 10 steps:

1. Write a catchy one line sentence (15 words or less) that describes your story. It's suggested that one reads the one liners laid out to describe the books on the New York Times Bestsellers list.

2. Now, expand that sentence into a paragraph. Ingermanson likes to include "3 disasters and an ending. Each disaster should take a quarter of the book to develop and the end the last quarter." Sort of like a Shakespearian 3 Act play.

3. Design your characters. Ingermanson suggests writing a one page summary sheet for each major character that tells their: name, storyline, wants/desires, goals, conflicts, and how they change. Then write a one paragraph summary of their storyline. This doesn't need to be perfect, and may be revised as you progress with telling your story.

4. Now Ingermanson says that you should know your story. You should know the tale, its major players and how you want it to play out. From here he says you should build, expanding your short initial sentence into a paragraph. Then bring everything into a one page (approximately) skeleton of the book. This, or some variation of this, could be used as your proposal to potential publishers . . .

5. Write a one page character synopsis for all major and supporting characters.

6. The story of each character can be woven into the overall plot. At this time Ingermanson suggests the one page synopsis for each character be further developed and expanded into 4 pages.

7. Expand and chart each major character by outlining and describing every big or little thing there is to know about them, i.e. birthdate, history, how they change or will grow during the novel.

8. Create a spreadsheet of all the "scenes" of your novel. For each scene list the main character, what is to happen and how many pages you want the whole scene to take up. A computer generated spreadsheet would allow you to see the whole story at a glance and easily reorder things should you need or want to.

(above: a look into the mind, via spreadsheet of J.K. Rowling as she planned out one of her novels . . . pity she didn't make it very far.)

9. Write a "narrative description of the story." Expand one line to a paragraph etc. Include interesting lines of dialogue or conflicts you would like to use in the novel. Ingermanson suggests starting new chapters on a new page so they can be switched around or taken out with ease.

10. Start writing the first draft - At this point, according to Ingermanson, the story should come easily. . . I'll see about that . . . :S

Time to get started . . . I'll keep you posted!!

To write what is worth publishing . . .

. . . to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author - Charles Caleb Colton

A week or so ago a friend of mine who is thinking of publishing a book of her own, sent me a message wondering if I knew if publishers looked for a specific style of font etc. I messaged back . . . and then I thought I should make it into a post. Why not - it is after all related to writing. It's related to the after effect of writing . . . that wonderful moment when you say to yourself "wow, I created something great and I want to share it!" Then the sometimes daunting, long and possibly non-rewarding adventure of trying to get published the "traditional" way begins! The main thing to remember is to stay strong and focused on your goal - don't give up!! If you really want to be published you will be - there is a way, you just need patience and the ability to take constructive criticism. Stay true to your story . . . but be willing to make changes that will make it better. Eventually your work will be published.


Here is my note to my friend . . . who I know will soon have her work published. She has an eloquent and clear way of writing and her story should be shared :)!!

. . .

I haven't come across a publisher that has specifically stated a typeset for manuscripts to be submitted in - correct me if I'm wrong. That being said every publishing house has different rules about how you should approach them and then submit your manuscript.
In my experience a lot of corporations us Arial as their font type and either 11 or 12 as the size . . .
Most publishing companies will ask that you first submit a "Query" - this is usually a short letter from you asking if they would be interested in reading a chapter or two (or if they would like the full manuscript sent to them) they also usually want you to include a brief biography about yourself.

Again every publishing house is different in how they want you to approach them - so keep writing but in the meantime start to research the publishing houses out there and click on their submission tab/link and see what there protocol is. A good reference guide is the "Canadian Writers Market" and you should be able to get that at the library - you might not be able to take it out though . . .
Hope this helps - Keep me posted!! If you choose self-publishing . . . let me know and I can give you what info I have on that as well.


There is a publishing house in Hamilton that might be one for you to consider . . . I can't quite recall the name - Seraphim or something angelic like that comes to mind . . . (http://www.seraphimeditions.com/)

Also note that some publishing houses will not accept unsolicited manuscripts or even queries . . . so I emphasize again to really look hard at their submission process . . . seems odd I know that some wouldn't even accept a query - how do they get books published then . . . they are having people recommended to them by other sources and have staff who read blogs :) etc to find authors - so . . . you never know, you could be being stalked by a potential publisher now!!

. . .

After reading my message again I need to clarify my first remark - all publishing houses are different yes, however I think what I should have said was that I don't believe there is an industry standard. All publishers don't require that manuscripts be set up or submitted in the same way. That would be too easy . . . you have to treat each publisher differently and go by what they want which makes the whole process at times very time consuming - but once you are published, well worth the effort!

Seanchai - An Irish Storyteller

When Pigs Fly. . .

Sometimes in life we need a little inspiration to keep us going – to keep us moving forward toward our goals. It’s hard to keep focused sometimes and it’s really easy to lose track of what we really want out of life. All too often we lose sight of what is really important.

I feel at times that I’m losing track of what it is I really want to be doing with my life. The important things in life are still abundantly clear to me - my Mom, my partner and my health.

I find myself constantly looking around for clues and signs that I am on the right track – am I going where I need to go, am I meeting who I need to meet, am I being true to myself?

After my Dad passed away this past fall I find that I am looking for signs that might be coming from him. My Dad, no matter what, was always a source of reassurance when times got rough and it was not long after he passed away that I found myself at the hospital with my Mom - it was one of those rough times. She was there to have a biopsy on a lymph node suspected to be once again cancerous and I was there to hold her hand. I paced the floor waiting and felt sad that my Dad was not there to hold her hand. He was not there to sit with us while we waited . . . he just wasn’t there. I wasted time by wondering through the gift shop looking at the items set neatly (though compactly) on the shelves. I was only half looking at the merchandise, I was really off in my own little world, wishing, hoping and praying (and I’m not religious) that my Dad could show me a sign that everything would be ok. It was at that moment that I received my wish and there on the shelf in front of me sat a flying pig.

It had long been a running joke between my parents and me that I would get pregnant when pigs flew. Briefly pigs did fly . . . but not for long. Since that time I have looked in vein for any kind of flying pig. So to see it there on the shelf in the hospital gift shop of all places seemed to be a sign of reassurance – a sign that my Dad was still around and thinking of us.

I have seen the pig fly twice more since that day – once at the shop across from a new job and again on Christmas morning as a gift from the love of my life. These pigs seem to be letting me know that I am on the right track and that everything would be alright. There are days when I wonder if I’m just being crazy, who in there right mind looks to a flying pig for guidance . . . it’s at those times that another one flies by. I have learned to just have faith.

Worry looks down

Faith looks up

Love perseveres

And hope floats

Chin up! As my Grandmother used to say (or quote) - “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone.”

I hope that some day soon - that is if you don't have one already - that all of you find your flying pig J





The little silver pig is what I found at the hospital
gift shop - the garden ornament was my
Christmas Angel - and the flock of piggy's
is what I found across the street from my new job.

The dummy "Sophia"

This post is in essence a re post . . . it's Sophia Takes the Cake, but I have placed separations where I hope to have illustrations. It's kind of a "dummy" of the book I would eventually like to see in print.
If you are attempting to write your own children's story creating a "dummy" book is a great way to visualize the end result for yourself and in some cases can be sent to publishers as you attempt to find one to pick it up for print. If you do go the route of traditional publication for your book the publisher themselves prefer to choose an illustrator - In choosing to self-publish, as is my case, you may keep that creative control and won't risk losing the integrity of your story.
I feel that illustrations are just as important to a children's story as the story itself. Having read a great deal of children's stories in researching my own (plus I took children's literature in University) I have seen that some were very simplistic and had it not been for the images the story would not have been as good. - or at the very least the book as a whole would not have been as valuable.
I am lucky to have a friend, who happens to be a wonderful artist, and he is contemplating the idea of illustrating my Sophia story. It's exciting to to think I might be able to see it come even more to life through illustrations.
Michael Marcotte is an extremely talented and classically trained artist who owns and operates his own studio in Tobermory, Ontario. Please stop by Apollo Art Production if you get a chance - for now visit http://www.apolloartproductions.com/

Below you can see what has been sent to Michael, as he starts to imagine and create the world of Sophia Takes the Cake. . .

***

Sophia Takes the Cake

Notes:

• story set at Christmas time in the 1840’s
• Fin and Finette were white poodles given to the girls as gifts. . .
• Their mother was very ill in the 1840’s – she died in 1846, so I have chosen not mention her.
• The story will possibly go through another round of editing, but it really shouldn’t change much more – really just changes to grammar and overall clean-up where needed.

Reference Images - what Sophia and her father really looked like  followed by their cozy little cottage ;) . . .

Illustration 1 - Cover Art

1- Inside initial page repeat of Title

2 - Next Page – Thank you to . . .

2 a. - Backside page  2 - copy Camilla’s Letter

3 - Next page - portrait of Sophia MacNab with preface/intro

Story

(Pages 1-27 – approximately 15 illustrations give or take)

1 - Sophia sat looking out her bedroom window. The world outside was white with snow and she wanted to go out and play in it with her sister Minnie and their dogs, Fin and Finette.

2/3 - Sophia ran to her Papa, who was sitting in his study reading.
"Papa please may Minnie and I go outside to play?" She pleaded. Her Papa looked up from his book and replied, "Sophia, it is much too cold outside for you to go out and play. A snow storm is on its way and it will be supper soon." Sophia sighed as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Maybe tomorrow will be better" Papa said as he got up from his chair and walked over to his young daughter, "for now why don’t you go back to your room and play with your sister. Later tonight I will read you a story before bed." Sophia’s Papa gave her hug and a kiss on the forehead and sent her back upstairs.

3/4 - Halfway up the staircase Sophia stopped and wondered what fun she could have inside. She didn’t really want to play a boring game with her sister. Maybe the servants in the house had something more fun for her and Minnie to do. Sophia ran up the stairs back to her room where her sister sat playing with a doll.
"Come Minnie, let’s go see what Cook is doing downstairs." Sophia said excitedly.
"But Sophia, we are not supposed to go downstairs. If Papa finds out he will be mad, and Cook doesn’t like us in her kitchen." Minnie was hardly able to finish her sentence when Sophia took her hand and led her to the opening of their bedroom door.

"Well then Minnie, I guess we will have to make it our secret mission to get downstairs without Papa or Cook knowing." She grinned as she led her sister quietly down the servants’ staircase.
Sophia had forgotten that to get to the basement she and Minnie would have to get passed their Aunts room. The girls Aunt was very strict and would be very cross if she caught her nieces playing around the servants stairs to the basement and even more cross if she found out they had gone down them.

5/6 - The servants were always busy working. They were always going up and down the stairs with hot water, trays of food and dirty dishes. If Sophia and Minnie were to get in the way of one of the busy servants they could be hurt accidentally, or accidentally cause one of the servants to be hurt.
Sophia turned to her sister as they came closer to their Aunts sitting room door and slowly raised a finger to her mouth, "Shhhh" she whispered to her sister. Minnie pretended to place a button over her mouth and the two tiptoed passed the door. Inside the room Sophia and Minnie could hear their Aunt singing Christmas carols softly. A floor board creaked as they made their way around the corner passed their Aunt’s door and the singing from inside the room stopped. Sophia and Minnie pressed their backs against the wall around the corner from their Aunt’s Room, just as their Aunt opened the door.
"Hmmm" said their Aunt as she looked around suspiciously and then stepped back into her room closing the door behind her.
Sophia and Minnie breathed a sigh of relief and continued to make their way to the top of the basement stairs. Sophia peeked over the railing and Minnie peaked through them as they tried to see or hear any of the servants.

7/8 - Besides the Cook there were three other servants who worked in the house; the butler, a footman and a maid. The Butler Sophia thought, must be in his room, the footman was probably in the stables tending to the horses and Bridget the maid was likely nearby in the basement helping cook prepare supper. Christmas time was fast approaching and guests would be arriving to stay at the house for the holidays soon. Cook was very busy preparing whatever she could for the upcoming holiday parties.

9/10 - As Sophia and Minnie began to take their first few steps down the basement stairs they could hear the sound of pots and pans clattering and then the sweet and savoury smells of the kitchen began to fill their noses. The two girls smiled at each other and in unison quietly said "Mmmm."
Once they reached the bottom of the basement stairs the girls quickly and quietly peeked into the kitchen. They could see that Cook and the maid Bridget were busy tending the kitchen fires and gathering water from the pump. Their backs were turned to Sophia and Minnie and the sounds of the pump, the crackling fires and the clanging pots and pans made it so that the girls were free to make a little bit of noise as they moved down the hallway to the dairy. The dairy is where cook would be storing the sweets and desserts for supper that night, as well as anything she could store ahead of time for Christmas.

11/12 - Sophia opened the door to the dairy and she and Minnie stepped inside. The sight before them was one of magic! The sweet smell of sugar and cinnamon filled the air.
There were cookies, tarts, meringues, chocolates and right in the very middle of it all the most wonderful Christmas cake covered in marzipan icing. The cake must have stood three feet tall and had four very thick layers. It was decorated with holly and ivy made out of icing and at the very top was a sparkling star. Sophia and Minnie stood in wonder, mouths open and eyes wide. If only they could have just a small taste . . .
Sophia began to make her way closer to the cake and as she did she heard Bridget ask Cook loudly if she wanted three or four more pounds of butter. There wasn’t much time, so Sophia and Minnie quickly hid inside a cupboard out of sight. Bridget entered the room wondering why the door to the dairy was open. She shrugged her shoulders and continued on her quest for Cook’s butter.

13/14 - Inside the cupboard Sophia and Minnie sat perfectly still until Minnie saw movement on a shelf behind Sophia’s head. Minnie was just about to scream when Sophia reached out her hand and covered her sister’s mouth. Sophia slowly turned her head just in time to see a little mouse scurry behind some butter moulds and jars in the cupboard. She took a deep breath and closed her mouth and eyes tight in hopes that Bridget would leave soon and she wouldn’t end up with a mouse in her hair!
Bridget finished measuring out the butter for Cook and when she left the dairy she made sure she closed the door tightly behind her. She didn’t want Cook to be mad at her for letting any warm air into the dairy that might spoil anything.

15/16 - Sophia and Minnie quickly but quietly emerged from the cupboard hiding place with their eyes again staring at the beautiful cake. A butter knife lay on the counter and Sophia quickly picked it up.
"Oh no Sophia you mustn’t do that!" cried Minnie. "If we are caught we will be in such trouble, and it is so close to Christmas!"
"Minnie, don’t be so worried!" Sophia replied. "The cake is so big. No one will notice just a little piece . . . or two missing."
Sophia cut down into the cake taking a slice for her, a slice for Minnie and one for each of their dogs Fin and Finette. Placing the slices inside a cloth from the counter Sophia secured her prize and reached for her sister’s hand.

17/18 - The door to the dairy was stuck and Sophia would need all her strength to open the door. She handed the cake over to Minnie and she pulled on the door with all her might. The door gave way and popped open throwing Sophia and Minnie to the floor behind them. The two girls did not make a sound and waited to hear if the sound of footsteps from the kitchen were on the way.
Everything sounded quiet, so they checked their cake and it too had survived the fall. Standing up and brushing themselves off, Minnie and Sophia made their way out into the hall and back to the basement stairs, making sure to close the Dairy room door tightly behind them when they left.
As they passed the kitchen they saw that Bridget and Cook were still very busy, so they

19/20 - continued on toward the stairs. Just as they were about to head back up the stairs they heard the floor creak at the top. At the same time behind them in the kitchen they heard Cook ask Bridget to go again and bring even more butter from the dairy.
What would they do - Sophia and Minnie felt trapped with no place to hide! The only place for them to go was inside the cupboard for the dumb waiter. The dumb waiter was a sort of elevator that was used to bring food from the kitchen in the basement to the dining room on the main floor. When Cook had food ready in the dumb waiter, she would ring a bell and the Butler would come in and pull on a rope bringing the dumb waiter up to his pantry. After the food had been eaten the leftovers and the dirty dishes were sent back down on the dumb waiter to the basement to be stored and cleaned.

20/21 - Sophia and Minnie quickly stepped inside the cupboard of the dumb waiter and closed the doors behind them. As they shuffled to find a place to sit down on one of the shelves inside, they noticed a few covered trays next to them. Sophia felt the covers and they were warm.
"Oh no" she whispered to Minnie. Just then the bell rang in the Butler’s pantry and they heard the Butler walk into the room above them.
Sophia and Minnie stared at each other in fear. If they were caught they would be in a lot of trouble. The Butler would surely tell their Aunt and Papa if he found them in the dumb waiter. That would certainly put them on St. Nicholas’ naughty list. Sophia closed her eyes and imagined only getting coal in her stocking for Christmas!
Slowly the dumb waiter began to make its way up from the basement to the main floor just inside the butler’s pantry. Sophia held tight to her sister’s hand as they waited for the pantry doors to open and for their fate to be sealed. "This is it" Sophia thought as she braced herself for the worst!

22/23 - Then it happened. A scream came up from the basement that was so loud and piercing that it stopped everyone in their tracks. The butler left his post by the dumb waiter doors and hurried down the basement stairs. Sophia and Minnie also heard their Aunts door open and then footsteps racing across the floor from their Papa’s study.
Soon all the grown-ups were downstairs tending to Bridget, who had found when she returned to the dairy for more butter, a mouse eating away at some of the desserts.

24/25 - Sophia and Minnie were in luck as they found themselves in the dumb waiter on the main floor, away from all the grown-ups in the house and still in possession of their prized cake. The girls quickly flung open the doors of the dumb waiter and stepped out into the pantry on the main floor of the house. In a hurry they closed the doors behind them and ran up the stairs back to their bedroom. Once inside the girls laughed and jumped under the covers of Sophia’s bed.
Fin and Finette, had been curled up by the fire in the room, but as the girls made their speedy entrance the two dogs made their way to the bed to join them.
Sophia took her package of cake and slowly unwrapped it for Minnie, Fin, Finette and herself to enjoy. The cake melted in their mouths as they ate it, it was so sweet and full of fruits and spices and the icing was so sweet and creamy. In a matter of minutes the cake was gone and Sophia and Minnie lay back in the bed with full and satisfied bellies.
The two sisters grew tired as they lay there thinking of their adventure. All the thoughts that Sophia had earlier of playing outside in the snow had left her and she and Minnie drifted off to sleep.

26/27 - Downstairs Papa wondered if the commotion in the basement had frightened his two girls, so he made his way up to check on them. He opened the door and saw them sleeping peacefully together in Sophia’s bed. How sweet he thought as he went to tuck them into the bed. As he drew closer he saw the cloth that Sophia had used to carry up the cake. Crumbs were scattered on the bed and icing could still be seen in the corners of their mouths.
"A mouse indeed" he said smiling to himself.

Papa leaned in to tuck his two little princesses into bed for the night. When he stood back he thought to himself that they would all certainly go out to play in the snow tomorrow!

Say What!?

. . . a few poems . . . enjoy.

The Storm
From you Eyes I see the sunlight,
flickering out across the sea.
Thunder rolls in the distance,
drowning out our hopes and dreams.
Lightening dances in the darkness,
echoing out beneath our screams.
Fire catches all around us,
leaving only memories.


The Nerve
Tongue in cheek
I bite down hard
How will I get through this -
It's too damn hard!

Roll up my sleeves
Dig in deep
Make positive changes
And don't hear bleep

Enough is enough
This novice knows some
Enough to know
That I am perfectly numb

I see the frustration
Managed by fear
Experience is knowing
Don't shed one tear

Caring is weakness
Organisation is for fools
"This is on you -
You dumb little tool"

So, you know what I think
I have from the start
You can take this and shove it
Straight from my heart


The Smile
It might not be real
That smile that you wear.
But it means everything
To whom you do share.

It lights up the room
It lights up a life
It brings hope and happiness
It knows not your strife

So keep on smiling my dear friend
For everyday is brighter, with you on the mend
:)

Sweet Sophia - the old girl has life in her yet!

If you are out there - whoever you may be (some of you I know of course,) following along to my blog, I am happy to say that Sophia Takes the Cake is going to print.
My only issue left is that I need an illustrator, and I would like someone local who wants to work with me on my vision for the story. I'm hoping for someone just starting out, as I am and who is willing to take this on as a learning experience more than anything else.
At this point, while I know the story will be published I can't tell what, if any profit it will make. However since illustrations are just as important as the story, especially in regard to children's books I am willing to work out something that would be fair for us both. Right now I would just like to see the story published and to bring attention to my wish to write and to the illustrators capabilities as an artist for further projects.
Send me a message if you are serious and would like to learn more!!



The lovely young lady above is (or was) the real Sophia and this portrait would have been done in the 1840's. You may learn more about Sophia and her life by visiting Dundurn National Historic Site in Hamilton, Ontario - or you can Google her where you might be lead to a page about her father Sir Allan MacNab - or possible to her Great-great-grandmother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.