Snowflakes!

Oh the weather outside is delightful...!
It's here! The first snowfall this winter! I woke to the delighted cry of a child "It's snowing!", leapt out of bed, and sure enough - big white flakes were floating from the sky. Hurray!
So, on a theme, I decided to explore Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method for writing a novel...(like the link? ;))
Here's the simplest explanation I found online, courtesy of Bubble Cow. 
Or if you prefer, watch Dan's video!

1. Write a one-sentence summary of your novel (Fifteen words max).
2. Expand the sentence to a (4-sentence) paragraph describing the story narrative, any major events and the ending.

3. Now consider the main character and write a one page summary for each, considering the following points:

• A one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline.
• The character’s motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?).
• The character’s goal (what does he/she want concretely?).
• The character’s conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?).
• The character’s epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?.
• A one-paragraph summary of the character’s storyline.

4. Go back to the summary you wrote in 2 and expand each sentence into a paragraph. Randy’s advice here is:

Take several hours and expand each sentence of your summary paragraph into a full paragraph. All but the last paragraph should end in a disaster. The final paragraph should tell how the book ends. Source

5. Write a one page description for each major character, which tells the story from their point of view.

6. Expand your one page plot synopsis into a four page plot synopsis.

7. Expand your character descriptions from 3 into full ‘character charts’.

8. Using the expanded synopsis, make a list of every scene you will need to write to complete the novel.

9. Using the scene list, write a multi-paragraph narrative description of each scene.

10. Write your first draft!

To read the full article by Randy Ingermanson click here!