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Randy Ingermanson

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.Ingermanson.com

Twitter

Ringermanson

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction

Influences

Ken Follett, Chaim Potok, J.K. Rowling, Orson Scott Card, Tom Clancy, ...more

Member Since

September 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/randyingermanson

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I'm a novelist, physicist, and fiction teacher. People around the world call me "the Snowflake Guy" because of my wildly popular "Snowflake method" for writing a novel.

I've published 6 novels and won about a dozen awards for my writing. I'm a theoretical physicist with a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. I publish the world's largest electronic newsletter on how to write fiction. I run the software division at Vala Sciences, a biotech company in San Diego.

Why do I do all this? Because I like to. Life is too short to do things you don't like to do. ...more

160 posts
Randy Ingermanson's Blog: Advanced Fiction Writing

What Happened In This Scene?

I’ve run a critique group for years and years. Every member of the group typically brings one scene to each meeting to be critiqued.

By far the most common question I ask after reading a scene is: “What happened in this scene?”

It seems like a simple question, but it covers a lot of ground:

How is the lead character’s situation different at the end of the scene from the beginning of the scene? How do Read more of this blog post »

View more on Randy Ingermanson's website »

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Published on March 16, 2023 18:44

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Randy Ingermanson’s books

Average rating: 4.17 · 5,549 ratings · 743 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method 4.24 avg rating — 2,509 ratings — published 2014 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author), Peter Economy 4.10 avg rating — 1,568 ratings — published 2009 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oxygen (Oxygen, #1) by John B. Olson (Goodreads Author), Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 733 ratings — published 2001 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Write a Dynamite Scene Using the Snowflake Method (Advanced Fiction Writing Book 2) 4.35 avg rating — 474 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fifth Man (Oxygen, #2) by John B. Olson (Goodreads Author), Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 372 ratings — published 2001 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson, Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 193 ratings — published 2004 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oxygen Series Box Set: A Science Fiction Suspense Box Set by John B. Olson (Goodreads Author), Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 19 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three Men and a Manuscript: Three Writing "Gurus" Discussing Craft, a Shifting Market and What it Takes to Create Successful Fiction by Larry Brooks (Goodreads Author), Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author), James Scott Bell (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Havok Magazine 2.2 by Randy Ingermanson (Goodreads Author), Charis Ditamore, Benjamin Lucas Powell (Illustrator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Randy is Currently Reading

Randy Ingermanson is currently reading

The Power of Story : Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life

by Jim Loehr (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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May 22, 2013 12:14PM

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Randy’s Recent Updates

Randy Ingermanson wrote a new blog post What Happened In This Scene? I’ve run a critique group for years and years. Every member of the group typically brings one scene to each meeting to be critiqued.By far the most co Read more of this blog post »
Mar 17, 2023 12:45AM · like

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Quotes by Randy Ingermanson (?)

“I'm going to write a novel and get it published. I'm going to do it because writing a novel is worthwhile and because I have the talent to do it.

I'm going to do it because I have something important to say to the world.

I refuse to let anything get in my way.”
― Randy Ingermanson

tags: writing, writing-advice

15 likes

“Readers don't want to read about somebody else having powerful emotions. . . . Readers want to become somebody else for a few hours, to live an exciting life, to find true love, to face down unimaginable terrors, to solve impossible puzzles, to feel a lightning jolt of adrenaline.”
― Randy Ingermanson, Writing Fiction for Dummies

tags: emotions, narrative, narratology, reading, transportation, writing

5 likes

“People would question anything having to do with God, but they wouldn’t question their own questions. They would challenge the authority of a theologian, but they wouldn’t challenge the authority of their buddy who claimed he had read a book that disproved the Bible.”
― Randy Ingermanson, Transgression

4 likes

See all Randy Ingermanson's quotes »

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