The Alex Method - Overview

Wanna know how to write stories the Alex way?

Of course, you don’t! But imma explain it anyways because that’s just who I am as a person. :)

Step 1: Collect a nugget. These nuggets can range in size from a small crumb of breading to the whole goddamn chicken - collect them all! Write them down (for the love of all things gravy-coated write them down - whatever you tell yourself, you are NOT going to remember them in even just five minutes time) and squirrel them away in a funky notebook.* Popular examples of nuggets include: titles for stuff and/or a piece of music that makes you feel Some Kind of WayTM Remember, kids: all nuggets are precious and useful. They may be different shapes and sizes, some may be undercooked or burnt to a crisp - but all nuggets are beautiful. They will find a use one day, I’m sure. Their time will come.

Step 2: Daydream about your nugget. If you can sleep soundly after finding it, it ain’t the one right now. Ponder it for hours. Let it consume you. That way the nugget can reach its next evolution-

Step 3: Mine the nugget until it becomes an ~idea~. For a nugget to evolve you have to feed it a few core ingredients: a protagonist, a setting and a general plot trajectory. Don’t think of these things as static just yet though. These ideas are still flexible - let them bend and twist and shimmy however they goddamn please (at this point in time at least.)

Step 4: Write out an extensive list of potential plot points in this story and then-

Step 5: Whack out the cue cards! Dedicate each plot point its own cue card. Arrange and rearrange these cue cards (slip things in and out and all about) until you settle on a fairly solid timeline of events for this story. This is your new outline! (Say hello, she can still be kinda shy at this stage - and that’s totally okay!)

Step 6: Mine the outline. Take a new set of blank cue cards and for each plot point ask every question under the sun. Why does this happen? When does this happen? How does it happen? If it sounds too obvious at the time, ask the question anyways! (Because sometimes you get stupid and forget why stuff happens. Better to ask now than cry about your lack of knowledge and basic memory skills later.) After you ask all the questions - answer all the questions. You are the god of this world - bestow upon it your omniscience and general awesomeness.

Step 7: Take a break. You deserve it. You’re doing good, my son. :)

Step 8: (Here’s the really fun part.) Attach a song you like to each plot point. It has to match in some way - whether it be lyrically, melodically or thematically. Something about this song has to make you really want to write that particular scene. You will spend wayyyyyy too long on this step. But that’s okay because you’re having fun! Now plop those bad boys into a fun lil’ playlist. ;)

Step 9: Got your playlist ready? Good. Put your earphones in, sit at your laptop and press shuffle**. Whatever song comes up, play it on repeat until you finish the skeleton draft for that scene.

Wait wait wait-

What?

A skeleton draft, Alex?

Yes, Alex. It’s a half-draft of the scene where you essentially write the scene in script form. Only dialogue and key thoughts and actions get written. No need for flowery descriptions at this point - just get the idea on the page.

What kind of bull-

Think of it as a stepping stone between the blank page and a full first draft.

But-

You don’t want to risk falling into the river of writer’s block below, do you? (:

…Good point, well made.

Anyways!

Step 10: This is where the method can get a little quirky. It is recommended that you finish a full skeleton draft of the entire story you want to tell and do a quick edit, scanning for major plot holes and gaps in the writing. You wrote it all in the wrong order so there might be some disconnect between scenes - fix this.

Step… 10?: Alternatively, go straight from the skeleton draft to the first proper draft without taking the editing break in between! You may have lots of stuff to fix later but that’s all part of the writing process, right?

rIgHt?!

Special Step 11: Reach 35,000 words into your novel and get side-tracked by a shiny, new idea and never actually finish any project you start. 35,000 words is a curse. I would know.

Potential Step 11: Or! Actually finish what you start and, I dunno, feel proud that you actually accomplished something in your sad, lonely existence.

Or polish up the draft and sell it.***

Totally up to you, of course though.****

Because, at the end of the day, writing is all about being creative and having fun doing what you love. :)*****

Thanks for reading! If you learnt something… good for you, I guess?

…Good luck. (: