Lately I've been working on building a new writing style. It all started when I read about the snowflake method. In this idea, you take one part and expand it. For example, a character starts with a few lines, and turns into a paragraph, then a page. The idea is that you continually expand your story structure. In addition to all that snowflake method, I have also been reading about what kind of questions a person should ask when developing a story. All of these new ideas have me thinking about developing a new writing method. Here are three ways that I'm doing just that.
Method 1: Dictation
Right now I'm finding that writing is taking too much time. Writing is important to me, but I have my day job. Writing is important to me, but I still need to make sure to take out the trash. Writing is important to me, but I still need to make sure to spend time with family. There are all these different things getting in the way of writing. In order to get these done, I'm now trying dictation. Even this very article is being dictated. I'm hoping that this will speed up my writing.
Method 2: Asking Questions
In a recent interview with Patrick Rothfuss in the Writing Excuses podcast, he presented this question. He asked to question yourself on what you're writing; what you are trying to make the writer feel. In addition to that, he says that you should list out what the three objectives of a given chapter should be. He also lists that each scene, that's where someone enters her at this stage, should be noted with some other purpose. In addition to these questions, as mentioned above, there is the snowflake method. In addition, there are more questions I found in the Lazy DM Guide book. That book shows you how to run easy campaigns Dungeons & Dragons 5. I'm using these to help me build a writing structure that is easier to complete.
Method 3: Interweaving
An area I fail in is in adding descriptions into my stories. I am fairly light on the description, instead diving right in the action. However, when reading Brandon Sanderson books, I see how he shifts between each type of topic. He’s digging into description one moment, dialogue the next, and exposition the third. He continually shifts between these different modes, which makes the flow of the story much better. I'm doing my best to emulate that style.
These three methods are how I'm trying to modify my writing style. I don't know what's going to be successful, so I am aiming to practice as much again. I'm also turning to flash fiction prompts, to help me build this muscle. The more that I'm able to write successfully, the better. Ultimately I want to produce the best writing possible as quickly as possible. I want to be able to produce stories so quickly, that I don't have the surplus of ideas. The quicker these go out into the world, the faster I can improve my writing.
