The Snowflake Method
I need to do more detailed plotting before I start, otherwise I risk pulling a Lost and not sticking the landing.
For my earlier novels (mostly unpublished first drafts) I planned ahead, and had a one page outline of the major plot points. Then I made it up as I went. Sometimes it worked out well, sometimes I painted myself into a corner and had to do major surgery during the second draft.
For Under the Diamond Moon, I'm planning to release chapters serially as I write with some lag time to give me a chance to do some polishing. That means I need to do more detailed plotting before I start, otherwise I risk pulling a Lost and not sticking the landing.
I've heard about the Snowflake method before, but never really investigated deeply, until now. It seems like a great approach, and similar to how I approach projects at my day job. The short version is to start very high level for the whole story, and then add detail evenly across the story. Keep doing that until the various story arcs are developed and plotted out, but don't go into so much detail that you lose the desire to write.
The long version is:
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I'm only on step 3, but it feels like a good fit for me and for this project.
