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Flowers Method of Writing

I learned this method of writing while doing a legal drafting class. This method is not meant for legal writers specifically but was developed for writers of all kinds. In this method Flowers created four characters: the Madman, the Architect, the Carpenter, and the Judge. The following is a brief description of each character.

Madman: This is your brainstormer. The idea guy. He's a flurry of activity throwing things up against a wall and not really caring if it sticks. He's vomiting out the ideas at a breakneck pace. No idea is bad or good. The Madman is even known to smash ideas together to see if he can make new ideas. His primary purpose is to brainstorm. The Judge scares him away.

The Architect: This character makes sense of the Madman's ramblings. She takes the ideas and sees which she can work with and create a story out of. She is the one that sets out the structure, the plot, and everything else and puts them into a nice neat little row. Creating a perfect master plan for the Carpenter is her goal.

The Carpenter: The character that makes what the Architect planned. He takes the ideas laid out by the Architect, frames them with descriptions, and finishes with dialogue. He does everything as precisely as possible.

The Judge: This character is exacting in her standards. She seeks out every flaw and marks it for review and revision. Her standards are rigid and strict and almost unyielding. She scares away the Madman because she quashes his creativity. Nothing should pass her gaze unnoticed. She is the most demanding (I think) of the four characters.

How many of you have heard of this method and what do you think of it. Do you do this, or something similar. For myself I modify it a bit. I don't write down every plan, but I always have some sort of plan before I write. I find that doing so helps me write faster and I am far more productive. But what about you all?
 

Reilith

Sage
I've never heard of this, but I am loving the idea. Especially since I am a chaotic person in every way, but intertwine that with a control-freak nature and you get a mess. For a writer it is death, since I can't seem to stick to one thing. This method could actually help me focus and stay in line, as my ideas run rampant, which is good for brainstorming, but extremely bad when I have to pick a few and actually weave them together to sound coherent. I am always all over the place and in the end I get everything half-done and lose my focus as something else steals my attention.
I might just try this :)
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
This kind of fits my writing.

First time through a chapter - discovery writing, creativity, doesn't matter if it sucks, who cares if I'm telling instead of showing, words don't matter compared to concept - that's kinda your madman

Second time through a chapter - bring order to the chaos, start figuring what goes and what stays, do I have tension?, am I advancing story and character arcs? - that's kinda your architect

Third time through a chapter - make it flow smoothly, tighten - that's kinda your carpenter

Fourth time through a chapter - wait a minimum of a week and redo the "carpenter" - this step isn't covered in your process

Fifth time through a chapter - read through the chapter sentence by sentence starting with the last one, be ruthless in getting rid of stuff that doesn't belong - that's kinda your judge
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I have never heard of this process, but is seems more trying to label the machinery of the brain than a writing method.

My method currently consists of, write at least one sentence every night, which usually expands into a scene or most of a scene. It is not important if the scene is right, or even if it is doomed to get cut. As the story gets going, I start to see what scenes are needed to get the story told, so I may write out some of them as pointers or waypoints.

Blah blah blah <-most recent scene

bad guys running

Good guys chasing

Bad guys lay a trap

Good guys get delayed

Maybe four or five scenes ahead.


Since my drive to work is long, I think on the next scene during the drive times, and then wait for everyone to go to bed so I can write it, circling back to 'write at least one sentence every night'.

It works. All that other stuff I can fix later.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Yeah, looks like reverse engineering of a process to me. Doesn't really fit me unless maybe you splat them into a Madarcajud or some such, heh heh. But hey, it sounds nice.
 
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