Using the Snowflake Method to Write a Novel

Using the Snowflake Method to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method to Write a Novel In the annals of ‘unhelpful writing tips offered to first-time novelists,’ Neil Gaiman’s oft-quoted opinion takes the cake: â€Å"You sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It's that easy, and that hard.†If you’ve never written a novel before (and you don’t have an MFA in creative writing), it's only understandable that you’re daunted by the prospect of writing a book. This uncertainty is precisely why outlining systems, such as The Snowflake Method, are so appealing to developing writers.If you want to find out how to use the snowflake method, feel free to skip ahead to this section. But if you have a moment, let’s first look at the basics of this popular approach.What is the Snowflake Method?The Snowflake Method is an approach to writing that encourages starting with the simplest premise possible. From there, you systematically expand it to include plot and character details. Develop ed by American author, physicist, and writing coach Randy Ingermanson, the method's end result is a comprehensive character bible and scene list with which an author can begin the first draft.â€Å"My power flurries through the air into the ground. My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around† -   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Let It Go† from  Disney’s FrozenGiven Ingermanson’s background as a computational physicist, it should come as no surprise that his method was inspired by a mathematical principle known as a fractal. In particular, he references the Koch Snowflake to demonstrate how your story grows with each subsequent stage of the planning process.It's probably no surprise to you to learn that every writer uses a different outline. If you're curious about the general outlining process, we dive deeper into the topic in this post  on how to outline a novel. (Feel free to grab the free book outline template in there as well!) But for now, let's talk about the ad vantages of this particular method.What are the benefits of the snowflake method?Fans of Ingermanson’s method tend to enjoy how structured the process is. Not only does he lay out practical steps for outlining, but he also gives an idea of how long each step should take. For example, he suggests spending an hour on the very first step of honing a single-sentence story summary. Later on, when writing a character bible, he recommends spending a few hours on each character.Has the snowflake method worked for you before? Let us know how you find applying this to your own writing in the comments below!