Ingermanson's Snowflake Method to Writing a Novel

    I just found a link to this in a post somewhere in the Reddit-verse, and after going through it, I felt a strong need to re-post. So, here it is. I haven't yet had a chance to use it--I'm currently busy writing this blog post--but from what I can tell, this functions so close to what my actual method has been turning out to be that I think it'll be an extremely valuable resource for me.

    The rest of this post is devoted to the quick-reference guide/notes I wrote for myself, so you can read that, or you can follow the link and get the detailed version for yourself. My notes are really meant to be a reminder for after reading the detailed version anyway, so if you like it, it's honestly probably better if you go look at his stuff first, then copy-paste my notes into a file of your own for easy referencing later on. But, you know, whatever you choose.

Ingermanson's Snowflake Method to Writing a Novel

1. Write a one-sentence summary of the story. This is a story about... what? A hobbit travels across the world to destroy a sinister magic ring (Lord of the Rings). A common street rat helps with a plan to overthrow a god (Mistborn: The Final Empire).

2. Expand the single-sentence-summary into a full paragraph describing the major details of the novel, including several disasters and the ending.

3. Write a one-page sheet for each major character, telling their name, their storyline (in a sentence-summary), their motivation (abstract want), their goal (concrete want), their conflict (obstacles), their epiphany (what they learn/how they change), their storyline (in a paragraph-summary).

4. Expand each sentence of the summary paragraph into a full paragraph, ending each non-ending paragraph with a disaster. This creates a one-page synopsis.

5. Write character synopses for each of the characters, giving a page for the major ones and a half-page for the minor ones. Summarize the story from their viewpoint.

6. Take the one-page story synopsis and expand it. Each paragraph should become a page.

7. Take each character synopsis and expand it into a full-fledged character chart, telling all there is to know about them. Most importantly, how do they change by the end of the novel?

8. Take the expanded synopsis and make a list of every scene needed in the novel. Spreadsheets are the easiest way to do this: in one column show the name of the POV character, in another, wider column, give the gist of what happens in the scene.

9. Optional step: take each scene from the spreadsheet and write a paragraph detailing what happens in it. If there's no conflict in the scene, either add some or ditch the scene. This is sort of a first-draft prototype, and it should be easy after steps 1-8.

10. Sit your butt down and write the story. By now, all the large-scale stuff is done, so all you have to do is work out the little details and logic problems. There should be no issue with writing your way into a corner, or hitting the end of the trail, or wandering off into the weeds, or hitting a wall and not knowing how to get the characters out of this situation. From what I can tell, it should feel like an easy Noble Thief revision—all the hard work is already done, so all you have to do is write.

    Welp, there you go. I thought this was cool; use it--or not--as you please. Your process might not work this way, but I honestly really love this idea of writing the novel a good half-dozen times, but starting with the absolute and utter basics and expanding from that foundation.

    If you've got any thoughts, or if you know of any tools or resources that might make using this method easier, share them in the comments! (Yes, I'm aware that Mr. Ingermanson mentioned a software that helps out with this in his blog post, and yes, I did look at it. But it's a bit pricey for me at the moment, so I'm going to make do with what resources I have for now and take another look at that fanciness sometime in the future. If you know of something cheaper, do let me know.)