When I told my friends and family that I’d written a novel almost everyone was astounded and I received many congratulations and not a small number of questions.  Some were along the lines of ‘I didn’t know you could write your own name, let alone an entire book!’ but most asked how did I find the time to do write and novel, and how did I do it?

A few years ago I had the brilliant idea of moving from as afe, secure job in Australia, leaving friends and family behind, to start my own business here in the UK.  I soon learned, however, that no-one wants to buy premium wine in the middle of a recession.  After closing my business, I suddenly had plenty of time on my hands; jobs were pretty scarce, so I needed something to fill my days.

Rather than sink into a pit of despair or go loopy watching endless mind numbing daytime television, I decided to use my time effectively and write a novel.

Writing is something that I’ve always wanted to do, but never quite found the time to do.  Thereare numerous ideas scribbled down on bits of paper in the desk drawer in my study, characters I’d dreamt up, scenes that played themselves out in my mind.

Having all these ideas didn’t really get me anywhere.  I needed to do something with them; but I never quite knew how to put them together in a logical cohesive order to create a full story.

Ever heard of the adage ‘Fail to plan and you plan to fail’? How many times did teachers, bosses, management gurus attempt to drum that into your head?  How many times do we hear it, nodding sagely at the wise words, before forgetting whatever it was they had said as soon as the course or lesson was over?

When I got the idea to write, or rather I had an idea for a story that I’d like to write, I set about looking for hints and tips on how to put my ideas into a novel – anything to avoid actually having to put pen to paper.  During my procrastination efforts, I mean research, I stumbled upon an article online titled ‘How to write a novel using the snowflake method’.  It was written by theoretical physicist and author Randy Ingermason Ph.D.

His idea was to break a novel down into its component parts: Plot, Characters, Scenes, etc.  He suggested putting the bare bones of the plot in a simple one line statement.  Then, take that and expand it out to a full paragraph.  From there, keep expanding; adding more and more detail in, characters, scenes, action.

Each layer created a more comprehensive picture until the full story emerges.

Simples!

Something in Dr Ingermason’s method clicked with me.  I’d like to think I was a fairly logical person.  I like to see a process, a plan, in pretty much everything I do.  My life is filled with lists and directions.  Without simple steps to follow, I flounder and drift aimlessly.

Once I’d gotten my head around the method, putting it intoaction was far less painful than I imagined. I drafted character profiles, scene lists, and a storyboard.  Each bit of detail helped manoeuvre my characters through the action, I knew where they were heading, I just needed to tell them how to get there.

I know that the Snowflake Method is not the miracle secret known to a select few.  It’s just another way to describe the same actions we’ve been taught since we were kids.  Break down a problem into small chunks then tackle each in turn.

In life the biggest challenges can be tackled in exactly the same way.  When you do that, you’ll be able to achieve pretty much anything you set your mind to; even writing your own novel.