A couple of times I’ve mentioned The Snowflake Method, a technique to organize a novel before diving into the first draft. Some of the steps include creating a scene list and interviewing characters. I personally used this approach and, without it, I don’t know if I ever could have gotten my novel started.
The very first step of the Snowflake Method is to describe the plot of your novel in one sentence. So that's what we're going to do today: write a sentence.
Photo by Liz West (creative commons)
(The second step, by the way, is to expand that sentence to a paragraph. Then you expand that into a page. There’s more to the process, which is described in detail here.)
Write Your Novel as a Single Sentence
As simple as it may sound, boiling down such a large project into one sentence is an incredible useful technique. When I attended a conference recently, for example, my pitch began with the exact same line I perfected a year earlier using the Snowflake Method. It was a still an accurate description of my novel in part because it served as a guide throughout my writing process. And when people ask me what my novel is about, I answer with ease using the same line: “two former lovers, reunited by tragedy, struggle with decisions from their past.”
Even if you’re a pantser, sitting down to summarize your plot in one line is a useful exercise after writing a few chapters. It will force you to really think about the big picture and help guide you moving forward.
Have you ever boiled your novel down to a single sentence?
PRACTICE
Summarize your novel, memoir or writing project in one sentence. It doesn’t matter if you finished your manuscript or just have an idea inside of you. When you're finished, share your sentence with us below!
Let’s see if this works. It’s for my newly available novel on Amazon: A young man is abruptly flung into the realm of his favorite and now very dangerous Role Playing Game, discovering his new role is nowhere near ordinary.
It seems to me you’re repeating. “and now very dangerous” says the much same thing as your last four words, so they fall kind of flat.
You could say …discovering/realizing…then squeeze in his goal; he must save/ avoid/ rescue…the earth/ his friend/ his sweetie in this new role.
Either that or move “now very dangerous” to the end and spice it up: “discovering that his new role is deadly serious.”
Coulde. However, the “and now very dangerous,” is in reference to it no longer being the safe, tabletop board game he was familiar with. His new role isn’t one that he’s familiar with from the game either. I’ll consider your words, though, and see if I might come up with another way of conveying it.
The onset of a disease prompts me to sort out the loose ends of my life, including previous disasters, and feel blessed overall.
“and feel blessed overall” seems tacked on for moral.
How about “…come to terms with the events of my life, joyful and disastrous, and face with future with…”?
Two single young women with a common goal are forced to share a trip around the world that will turn them into best friends.
What is the conflict in your story? Women “with a common goal” doesn’t pique enough interest. Set on scaling Mount Everest? Trying to save the Amazon rain forest from greedy developers? Or did they just set out with the goal of becoming friends at last?
I like the sounds of this. I too am fascinated with travel writing. 🙂
You might also consider expressing the tone of your book. Is it comical, inspirational, or dramatic? Is it Thelma and Louise or Eat Pray Love in it’s tone? Will I cry, laugh or dream of adventure when I put it down?
A girl with a beautiful voice from a close-knit community leaves her home in order to establish her own identity, and with the belief, as Dick Whittington did before her, that cities are paved with gold.
Wow, this is really interesting!
Yes, sounds interesting. I’d probably substitute “illusion” for the word “belief”, depending on how many of her dreams are shattered en route.
That sounds like something I would like to read.
I like this sentence. It makes me want to read the novel.
Two teenage girls solve a murder and form a life changing friendship in the process.
Suggestion: If I wanted to pitch this story, I’d add the suspense at the beginning rather than giving out the ending.
“Sue & Sally, two girls who… hate each other/ haven’t one thing in common/ are both in love with the same guy …are forced to set aside their differences in order to solve a murder.
To tell you the truth, there’s isn’t any drama in their relationship to add suspense. They meet, they find a body, they start like each other. The drama is in the mystery
If solving the mystery/murder is a big deal maybe you could add a little detail about it?
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll edit it
I have two options… May be you can tell which one.
“The human adventure of a little robot.”
“The human adventure of a little robot, a story for your heart.”
Great practice
“a story for your heart” sounds tooo cute. I’d say you need more details to spark our interest:
I.e.: TinCan, a very lifelike robot on Planet Earth, finds his batteries running down and no one cares, so he takes matters in his own hands to get himself reactivated.
Or: TC wakes up one day to find his favorite human missing and embarks on a search to find him.
Poca, the little robot, finds his mission impossible to achieve and embarks on a new path, only to discover it was built to survive anything but humans
any better?
Thanks for your help Christine
And since he isn’t human, the path should survive his trip over it easily. Or?
sentimental is okay if that is what you are going for in the story. If not then this newer sentence could be better. I thought the first sentence though did lack detail, so either way I’d still have preferred the second sentence for the sake of getting some detail of what it’s about.
An old woman lies on her deathbed alone, recalling the life that she lead and the loved ones who have passed before her.
I fear you’re going to have a hard time selling that plot. Sounds depressing. If I know someone or something is just going to die in the end, I don’t start the book.
Not everyone wants a happy book, many read to try and answer life’s questions. Death is a reality for everyone and learning to cope with that is important. There are far more depressing plots then mine that people have been reading for centuries. I also didn’t say anything about the quality if life she lived just that she is dyeing just like everyone ends up doing.
I agree with you, and you could write this story and make it appealing. But if you want to sell it, give your pitch more life. Hint that something inspirational or hopeful comes out of the story. Otherwise you’ll have a hard time selling it to an editor, unless you’re doing a memoir of someone well known.
It is one sentence. It isn’t supposed to convey the whole premise of the book but to simplfy it down to the very bare bones of what the story is. This practice is for the benifit of the writer not to necessarily pitch it to a publisher.
Besides, even if I don’t have a publisher I can always self publish which is probably the way I would go.
Good!
Thank you for your help. It has taught me the beauty in taking critique. Tears actually came as I thought of my character in this light. Thinking of the loved ones she’ll leave behind and the one’s who have passed that she misses deeply. It adds such sweetness to it.
You’re welcome. I’m glad if what I wrote did help a bit. They say the more tears you put into your story the more your reader will feel with your character.
We writers are in the same boat this way: we all need to learn how to accept it when someone tells us “Your baby’s too fat — or too scrawny — or has huge ears. 🙂
Wow sounds great. Would love to read your novel 🙂
I write Shadow the Hedgehog fanfiction. Hedgehogs forever! Here are a few ideas for my sentence:
A young girl, hunted for her unique power, teams up with a no-nonsense hedgehog to bring down her pursuer.
Shadow the Hedgehog reluctantly agrees to help a young girl stop her kidnapper from striking again.
What do you guys think?
The second one is better as it focuses more on Shadow which is what your readers would care the most about. It also conveys the feellings of the main character while making the premise more interesting. In my opinion at least.
I’d go for the first, but add the names:
Sue, a young girl hunted for her unique power, teams up with (or seeks help from) Shadow, a no-nonsense hedgehog….
a depressed mermaid and a broken-hearted mother seek the magic that will transform them into who they want to be.
Two women who grew up in different worlds come together to save their future.
Reflection: after trying several sentences, I find the best single sentence summaries use the archetypes and universals rather than focus on small details. It keeps the curiosity high.
You’ve succeeded. Your story sounds like an interesting read.
A black man burdened with 400 years of hatred, realism and love, cursed with eternal life.
This is a sentence fragment. You do a good job introducing us to the main character of your novel. I would take out the comma after the word “love” and add the word “is”.
A woman denying who and what she is in the face of overwhelming evidence
Intriguing! Are you writing this story in the first person or third person point of view? Just curious.
Third. I do not enjoy reading or writing in first person narrative.
This is a sentence fragment. You’ve defined the woman, now can you also define the plot and make it a complete sentence?
Thank you jay.. can I post the intro for critique?
well, you don’t need my permission, i am just a poster like you, but I would like to read the intro.
Driven by the threat of her sister’s life, Dessa unwittingly accepts the burden of the freedom of all life onto her shoulders, and engages in a decade long battle against the malicious son of an age-old villain and his plan to enslave the spirits of the world.
Well. It can certainly use some refinement, but that’s the best I can do with such an enormous plot.
“Driven by the threat of her sister’s life…” Her sister’s life is a threat to her? How about, “Dessa battles for the freedom of mankind against…”
No, I worded that horribly, sorry. What I meant to say (a couple of drafts later): Fearing for her sister’s life, a common slum dweller accepts the burden of the freedom of all life onto her shoulders in an attempt to save her.
Still not stellar…
A woman in the ghetto will agree to carry the whole world on her shoulders if only so she can save her sister.
a very ambitious plot
A woman who dreams of racing in NASCAR gets the opportunity of a lifetime.
Good, simple. This leaves us intrigued, doesn’t give the ending away.
Nice summarizing sentence. (Congrats to her!)
I very much enjoyed this practice it really helps you to simplify and clearly state what you are writing about. If your plot is too contrived to be understood in a few sentences maybe it needs work. I want to see if I can do a one sentence summary for famous books.
The Great Gatsby: A young man remembers the legacy of a mysterious millionare and what led to his downfall.
Hamlet: A king is killed by his brother who marries his former wife, his ghost asks his son to avenge him.
The Grapes of Wrath: A family living in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression travels to California.
Yes you are right. These great books can be stated simply. Not sure Lord of the Rings or some longer book can be though?
Lord of the Rings: A group made of different races will walk a homely hobbit up the Mountain of Mordor, encountering terrifying evils in order to destroy the ring of power and conquer evil before it takes over everything.
Hmm, let me see…
Dwarves, Humans, Elves and Hobbits help a young Hobbit as he seeks to destroy a magical ring and a great evil that threatens their world.
You could probably simplify it down further if you did one sentence per book in the series.
You could do it with Harry Potter too.
A young orphan has adventures with his friends after being enrolled in a school for wizards and discovering his magical talents.
I like your sentence. You are much better at simplifying a novel down to its essence then me.
Also you did a great job on the Harry Potter series as well. I also did another sentence for practice:
The Secret Garden is a book I am reading to my daughter right now:
When her parents die, a bossy girl is sent to live in a distant Uncle’s mansion and finds secrets in there.
Your sentence was much better that time. I love The Secret Garden and that told me the main point of the book while leaving me to want more.
It’s such a fun little writing game isn’t it? To think such complex and brilliant books can be stripped down to one sentence.
yes lol. It’s a challenging exercise to know what to say and what to leave. But your sentences are short and elegant. You have a nice grasp on this.
Three young fugitives escape their subterranean colony, chasing a legend called The Earth’s Surface.
Gripping!
This sentence leaves me wanting to read more.
Sounds scary.
A family is together planning Grandma’s 80th birthday celebration when an argument between siblings escalates, threatening to blow the event apart, until Grandpa arrives with a bucket of ice water.
Would you leave the last bit off or does it add interest?
If you’re interested in seeing this short story, here’s the link:
http://christineevelynvance.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/grandmas-birthday-party/
As far as the “ice water,” I think it definitely adds interest, since it makes you wonder how the ice water will change anything. But if the ice water doesn’t have an important role in the story, you might not want to mention it. That’s my thoughts anyway.
The alternative line I’d thought of was: until Grandpa arrives with another explosion.
I say let ’em wonder, and leave off the end.
Thanks for your advice. That would be my primary feeling, too.
I’d leave the ice water in! It adds a lot of humor to an otherwise dramatic sentence. Which humor is great.
A death bed prophecy forces Marie Nelson, an orphaned teenager, into a world with magic and strange connections to her long sought for family.
well that’s my sentence. Any suggestions would be helpful.
A bit of “sanding” needed. “…into a world with magic and strange connections to her long sought for family.” The world has strange connections to her long-lost family or the magic does?
How about “…into a world of magic as (or where?) she seeks for the family she’s never known”
yes that sounds a lot better.
the world has strange connections to her family and the magic also does. essentially she has magic that she’s never learned about
Once childhood best friends, Ben and Grace meet again years later only to have their hearts broken, their faith tested, and their courage redefined.
“their faith tested”…Is it a Christian book? Sounds intriguing!
Thank you. It’s definitely “Inspirational,” but I’m not defining it as “Christian fiction.”
When a fire leaves Alyssa paralyzed, her faith is tested like she never would’ve imagined, and as her life is changed, so is the life of the most unexpected person.
“In all you do, do for the glory of God.”
Sounds interesting. The “…like she never would’ve imagined…” could be abbreviated. “tested in unexpected/ unprecedented/ inconceivable…ways…”
I’d suggest simple present tense. “…her life changes, so does…”
Thanks for the tip… I thought something didn’t sound right, I just wasn’t sure what.
After discovering she is the long lost member of The Order of the Key, a group that hunts interdimensional creatures, eighteen year old Jacklyn Madison becomes the prime weapon in a war between the group’s brutal leader and her idealistic son.
Two former lovers reunite only to discover that love just isn’t enough.
I like it!
Thanks, I appreciate your comment.
Awww…. 🙂
Thank you.
Love this idea! What would happen if you expanded it just a little with a quick snapshot description of each of the two lovers?
Something like, “Two former lovers, now a renowned Harvard professor and a hardened Chicago streetwalker, reunite only to discover that love just isn’t enough.”
Obviously, insert your own character descriptions, but that might increase tension if we knew immediately the differences between them that are going to keep them apart!
Nice work!
Thanks for your comment and for bringing to my attention the idea of expanding the sentence, which will definitely capture the attention of the reader.
Lost love reunited is such an intriguing story idea. I just met a couple who reunited after 30 years. They had gone to the prom together, lost contact, married other people, and then found each other on facebook.
I agree with your comment in regard to lost love reunited as an intriguing story idea. Many take on a positive turn, but others don’t and that’s where the dilemma in the story lies.
Monica – I’ve written four full novels, landed two agents for two of them, but still am unpublished. Here’s the one sentence I have for novel number five that’s forming in my head:
Tweed Scott sees nothing special about her among all her older sisters, except that she killed her mama.
Sounds intriguing.
Short and sweet sentence, but enticing.
I’m getting lost “…among all her older sisters…” Are you saying T.S. sees nothing special about herself compared to ….. ?
Or is it actually the sisters who hold her accountable for killing her mama. (I’m presuming she died in childbirth.) I think you could clarify this a bit.
I knew a dear old lady once whose mother died giving birth to her and her father always held it against her because “She killed her mother.” So sad!
Roscio is the genius of a succesfully bakery. Her sister, Bianca, is the image of the store. The sisters will battle for the attention of Greg, a new customer who is secretly trying to buy the place.
Sounds like a lot of drama, should be good.
A catrastrophic event in the Irish countryside sends Callum on a journey of immense proportions that will change not only himself and his loved ones but the very course of
history.
Sounds dramatic. I like it!
Thanks!
Oh I like this, is it historical fiction then? When is it set?
Thanks Alyssa, it is historical fiction set 1845 to 1865, and is intended to be the first of three books.
Are all three about the main character or do they go into what his predecessors do maybe as a result of his decisions? Is your main character based off of anyone in history? Is he a noble or peasant? Does he have a profession or trade? Do you have a region you want it set in?
I’m genuinely asking
I absolutely love history and see how complex and intriguing you could make this.
the thread of the main character weaves through all three, although they aren’t all specifically about just him. It’s historical fiction, and does not include time travel or going back in time to change the future. It is the events of the present that shape the destiny and decisions of the main character and those around him. It’s set in County Clare.
Ireland is full of interesting history and legends to make a story out of.
yes it definitely is.
Well stated. Arouses my curiosity!
I wonder, though, d you need “of immense proportions”? Should you rather use an adjective like “complex” or “hazardous”?
I did look at the adjective I was using, but I think “immense” is closer to what I want to convey since the scope of the story is potentially very large. Yes, it contains elements of complexity and also hazards, and I do appreciate that you recognized that just from this one sentence.
I like the name Callum. In case you need a name for another character, I met a man from Ireland named Kelis. He said that he and his grandfather were the only 2 people he’d ever met with the name.
thanks, the name was originally Killian, but I changed it to Callum. There is a metaphor later on that involves the constellation “The Sculptor’s Tool” and Callum (with Latin spelling) is part of the name of the constellation.
Intriguing! Is this novel one you’re working on currently?
yes, this is my current WIP
7 young teenagers fight back against their tyrannical government who oppressed and held them captive for more than a decade.
This sounds like a great story. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!! =)
It sounds like an intriguing read!
“Held them captive” seems a little awkward to me, though. Is it possible to shorten it even further? Such as simply saying “imprisoned” or “tortured” instead? Just my thoughts, sounds like a great book!
I wouldn’t say “tortured” per se, but thanks for the feedback!!
A young boy tests the limits of life and death and learns immortality is not all it’s cracked up to be.
“the limits of life and death…” Now that sounds interesting!
Intriguing… I want to read more!
I’m fascinated! What else defines the boy besides that he’s “young”? (I wonder if you even need the word “young,” with the typical implications of “boy” already being young … just a thought!)
Good point! That is a little redundant, and a stronger word could make it more gripping. I’ll have to put some more thought into it, and spend some more time exploring my characters. Surely something will jump out at me.
Interesting!
Can’t wait to read this one!
A choir boy who loves his church stumbles upon an religious underbelly that reveals ancient secrets, but in the process his new circle of friends includes some of the most dangerous people in the world.
A religious what??
What does loving his church have to do with this? Those seem to be extra words that tell us nothing about the plot.
The last part of your sentence needs some help. In the process of what?
A pastor leads his devoted choir boy to clues of another world within the church, but the boy ends up with more then he wanted when he ends up of the wrong side of good and evil.
Putting your sentences together — and without knowing exactly what the story line is — if you don’t mind I’ll take a stab at it:
“A devoted choir boy stumbles upon a strange subculture in his church and learns more than he wants to know about their devious secrets — secrets that threaten his own life.”
Thank you for helping. I like the sentence flow better in your sentence then mine. I haven’t written the book yet, so it will be a while before I have to get this sentence just right I think? But it definitely is still helpful to me, because it helps me understand better what I plan to write.
Acton, the head mage of the fantastical Court of Hearts, realizes that the kingdom is falling to pieces and must work together with his former kidnapper, a vicious rebel assassin, to repair it.
Whoa that sounds interesting!
This blurb from my next novel is too long, I know. Please help me pare it down.
“Glad for her chance to escape the orphanage, Tilly Crawford accepts domestic employment in a veterinarian’s family and agrees to accompany them to a homestead on the Canadian prairie, little dreaming how many lonely bachelors there have their eye out for a good cook. When Mistress naively tells her host at their first Sunday potluck that Tilly is an excellent cook, the shy orphan girl finds herself with eight suitors on her hands.”
Problem is, I’m a wordy person, too, and I like all that information!
Nevertheless …
“Shy orphan Tilly Crawford moves to the Canadian prairie with the family newly employing her as a cook, and unexpectedly finds herself with eight suitors on her hands in no time.”
I cut out quite a bit, so you’ll have to go back and put back in what’s most important to you to emphasize, but it’s a start.
Beautiful job! I’d love to read it!
Years at the orphanage had not prepared shy young Tilly Crawford for the unexpected popularity and desires of hungry bachelors on the remote Canadian Praire.
Having escaped the orphanage, Tilly Crawford finds herself employed in Canada as a family cook, and suddenly the object of several suitors.
Probably not the best option- Dawn’s is much better!
The lives of five people inevitably intersect in a race against an undead sociopath whose obsession is to eliminate an entire vampire coven, one fiery execution at a time.
Man waits to see if something lifechanging will occur; woman decides the time has come to quit waiting and to make it happen.
Childhood friends, Madison and Danica, discover a secret spot in the forest where their friendship evolves into something more, but the relationship is threatened by the major obstacles they must face during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
This sentence has all the elements that promise a very good novel.
I love this idea. i want to know the secret.
Little Ida’s cat, Mr Growler,
A fatherless teenager uses his job, cleaning road kill off the streets of his small town, to protect the secrets of his neighbors until the night of the cat with three legs threatens to destroy what’s left of his family.
I want to read more!
Four loners must band together to defeat an ancient spirit bent on sending the world into war.
‘Reagan’ (Working Title) is about a teenage girl trying to travel cross-country to find her family in the aftermath of a massive terrorist strike on the US, and her struggles with humanity, morals, religion and courage weighed against survival.
Awesome! I want to read it!
Cool plot…And good name choice 😉
Sounds interesting. And scary, because one day that could happen.
An item called the Death Clock given at age 18 precisely tells you when you are going to die; there has never been a mistake. Cameron Wills didn’t die at his time and now he must journey to The Core in order to stay alive from karma and find the connections between the world trying to destroy him and the clocks of death.
Sandra is running away, she doesn’t know where she’ll reach but she finds somebody she never expected and the running stops.
Since the beginning of time as I measure it through my experiences at life Jesus has always been in my heart but I have not always been in his heart until I experienced the mysteries of adversities.
Sounds like the makings of a good story! I love to see other people writing for the Lord
“In all that you do, do for the Glory of God”
A pale, blue-haired Barbarian ends a century long war only to discover a timeless evil has been revived.
Adam’s Fall tells the story of a quietly gay, Episcopal priest whose fall from grace allows his awakening to a world of love, joy, power and freedom beyond his wildest dreams.
Scientist by day, bounty hunter by night, Lyssa discovers it’s impossible to be valued when you don’t find yourself worthy.
That was hard!
Alcoholic widowed moonshiner just trying to survive in a financial depression takes on the task of trying to his lodger’s wayward daughter in the impoverished vice and violence of London’s dying border towns .
Here’s a couple.
“Three brothers raise a rebellion against their monarchy, while the reader gets a full view from the eyes of characters on all sides of the conflict, each with their own motivations and nuances.”
“A pair of agents from the nation’s Department of defense against the paranormal, while investigating a relatively innocent call, end up caught in the middle of the most dramatic revenge plan to ever ravage the face of their planet.”
Yup
Just one sentence, right?
Okay, here it goes:
If yesterday was his worst day ever, then today would be his most amusing experience he’s ever witnessed in his life after seeing Angelique bathed in butter cream and milk.
A depressed detective has PTSD from previous cases until he stumbles on a case which he is involved in it, whether it makes or breaks him, against the psychiatrist doing him in depends on himself.
I love psychological trailers.:D
The next generation will rise only to fall, the arrow shall fly to there call and the bird shall fall.,
Tricia followed her mother (recently married to a tahitian man) to the mythical island of Tahiti where she doesn’t intend to stay but discovers a world of secrets and shame wrecking people’s life. how will it affect her life?