October Snowflakes

          A couple of weeks ago I told you about my plan to use Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method to re-plan my unwieldy, out of control work-in-progress. I must say, I’m having fun. I’m not as far along as I’d hoped, but I am making progress. I’m finding that my Thursdays (when I go to the coffee shop to write) are really the only time I can intently focus on this project. I can write blogs or work on the other non-fiction projects at home, but something (Hubby? Kids? Chores?) keeps me from making any progress on the fiction. Rather than fret about that, I’ve decided to just relax and focus on getting as much done as possible on Thursdays. (Or maybe I’ll just plan two coffee shop days each week for the rest of this month. )

          I’ve been stuck trying to encapsulate this story into one paragraph. Part of the reason for that is there are multiple choices to make regarding the MCs story arc. I keep getting lost in those possibilities and choices. Last week I decided to get “out of step”. (I’ve never done anything else in step with the world around me, why should writing be any different? ) Instead of trying to finish Step 1 and 2, I’d jump to Step 3, the secondary character’s arcs.

          I’ve heard it said that each character is the hero of his own story, but until now I only gave it a passing thought. After all, the secondary characters are only there to complete the main character’s story. Right? Wrong! I found that out while I worked last Thursday. I started creating descriptions of the story from the viewpoint of each of the secondary characters. It brought the whole story into sharper focus! As I wrote a paragraph for each secondary character, detailing the story from their viewpoint, focusing on their story arc, their desires and needs, pieces of the story I never realized were fuzzy came into clearer focus.

          For example, I’ve been debating if and when in the story my main character should decide to accept a marriage proposal from “the wrong man” in order to achieve what she thinks she needs, to get away from her hometown and start better life. Should this happen before “the right man” enters the picture? Or when the MC starts fighting the attraction to that “right man”? And where in the story should that wrong engagement be dissolved? As I was writing the character arc for the MCs best friend, I realized she was going to fall in love with the MCs fiancée, and he with her. And this would make the entire story better because all the other turning points in the MCs story revolve around trust issues. The dilemmas and emotion and confrontations this thread will invoke are pulling this story together in a way I don’t think I’d have considered if I’d continued seeing the story only from the MC’s viewpoint.

          Of course, glancing over Randy’s actual instructions for Step 3, I realize I haven’t done it quite the way he says. (That’s really no big surprise to anyone, is it?) All I did was write up a paragraph telling the story from their viewpoint. I haven’t detailed out their motivations (although there are hints of that in what I wrote); I haven’t written a one-sentence summary (although I will); I haven’t figured out their epiphany or change (although sometimes it’s obvious). What I have done, is get a clearer, sharper focus on the complete story from some rambling freewriting about their viewpoint of story events.

          This actually makes sense now that I’ve experienced it. As I look at each story event (the ones I know have to occur) from a different character’s viewpoint, I see new facets of those events. Those new facets open up ideas and suggestions to the surrounding events and motivations leading up and away from them. That, in turn, gives me more ideas and motivations for fleshing out the entire story.

          Next time you are stuck, try viewing the story from at least one of the secondary characters. It worked for me!