3 Powerful Templates for

Plotting

Your Novel

Jennifer Julander
 The Snowflake Method As Taught by Randy Ingermanson

Plot
Point
Plot Point Plot Point

One-Paragraph
Once-Sentence Summary
Summary
Plot Point Plot Point
Plot
Point

Character Plot
Summary Point

Character Character
Plot Point Plot Point
Summary Summary Character Summary

One-Paragraph One-Page
Summary Summary
Character Summary

Character Character Plot Point Plot Point

Summary Summary

Character Plot
Summary Point

Character
Scene List
Bible &
Synopsis

Character Bibles
Character Bible Plot Character Bible Scene List Scene List
& Synopses Plot
& Synopsis Points & Synopsis
Points
Character Summary Character Summary

One-Page Four-Page
Summary Summary
Character Summary Character Summary
Plot
Character Bible Character Bible Points
& Synopsis Plot & Synopsis Scene List
Scene List Character Bibles
Points
& Synopses
Character
Bible & Scene List
Synopsis

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 The Snowflake Method
Step 1: Write a one-sentence summary or "elevator pitch" for your book.

This sentence should be 15 words or less and should capture the theme
of your book. Referring to characters by their specific traits instead of
names helps the reader care about the character(s) right away.
Once-Sentence
Summary Ex) Four siblings find themselves in a magical world after discovering a
secret door inside a wardrobe.

Plot Step 2: Write a one-paragraph summary based on your elevator pitch.

Point
Add plot points to your one-sentence summary until you have about 5
Plot Point Plot Point
sentences that summarize your story. This is where you'll solidify major
plot points and flesh out the hero's story arc.
One-Paragraph
Summary

Plot Point Plot Point

Plot
Point

Character
Summary
Step 3: Identify and name all the major characters in your book.
Character Character
Summary Summary Pinpoint personal goals, motivations, and internal/ external conflicts. What
are the characters' false beliefs and how do those beliefs prevent them
One-Paragraph from solving the main conflict? What are the characters' epiphanies that
Summary help them overcome their false beliefs and resolve the main conflict?

Character Character By the time you're done with this step, you'll have story arcs for each main
Summary Summary character.

Character
Summary

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 The Snowflake Method
Plot Step 4: Expand each sentence of your one-paragraph summary into a full
Point paragraph. This step can take a couple hours.

Plot Point Plot Point

To help you plan how you'll drive the plot and continuously up the stakes,
Character Summary
you can end each paragraph in a "disaster," or cliffhanger. The disaster
One-Page
should be a major plot point that keeps the stakes high for the main
Summary
character(s) and moves the plot along.
Character Summary

Plot Point Plot Point

Plot
Point

Step 5: Write a one-page summary for each major character and a half-
Character
Bible & page for each minor character.
Synopsis

Character Bible Plot Character Bible Go deep into your character's backstories and personalities. What are
& Synopsis Points & Synopsis their strengths and weaknesses? Character flaws and handicaps? What's
Character Summary the reason behind their motivations?
One-Page
Summary
Character Summary

Character Bible Character Bible

& Synopsis Plot & Synopsis
Points
Character
Bible &
Synopsis

Scene List Step 6: Turn every paragraph of your one-page summary into a full
page.
Character Bibles
Scene List Scene List
& Synopses Plot
Points
Resist the urge to be overly descriptive at this stage. Stay focused on the
Character Summary
key points that drive the plot.
Four-Page
Summary
Character Summary When your four-page summary is done, write out a list of every scene
Plot
Points you envision happening in the book. Remember that you can always go
Scene List Scene List
Character Bibles
back and revise your outline. This is designed to give the story direction
& Synopses
and help prevent writer's block later on in the writing process.
Scene List

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MOTHR  Method
As Taught by John Brown

Mystery
Introducing a mystery early in your plot will keep readers on the
edge of their seat.

Mysteries aren't just for detectives! Get creative & think of things
that will keep your readers/ characters guess. You can also let the
reader know things that the characters don't to create tension.

Opportunity
Whether it's the chance to chase a dream or to escape a war-torn
country, by giving your main character an opportunity, you
automatically help the reader care about the MC.

Opportunities are great for novels revolving around themes of

hope.

Threat
A threat can up the stakes immediately, bringing tension into the
novel right from the start. The threat can be anything, including
the threat of removing the MC's opportunity, making a relationship
impossible, or never solving the mystery. Or, you know, there's
always the end of the world, which does all of the above.

Hardship
Hardships also help the reader connect to the character(s).
Illustrating the MC's hardship(s) can help the reader understand
their backstory, as well as give the upcoming events more
emotional weight.

Relationship
A relationship can be something that's already established, or it
can also be an opportunity for the MC. Either way, relationships
give you something to put at stake, and a motivation for the MC.

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 MOTHR  Method As Taught by John Brown

Crafting a Captivating Book Description & Plot Guide

Book Description Template:

Main character description/ name, eccentric character trait, character's biggest desire/
goal. Inciting Incident, how hero's journey begins.

Describe the MOTHR(s) you're using, introduce formidable villain. Describe why the
stakes are high, and how they increasingly become higher.

Detail about why the conflict is so challenging (and seemingly impossible) for the MC to
resolve.

Example:

Shotgun-wielding CIA retiree, Gemima, just wants to live the quiet life she's always
dreamed of. But when her granddaughter, Celia, turns up on Gemima's remote ranch
with a notorious gang hot on her tail, Gemima must draw on her days as a secret agent
to keep her beloved Celia safe.

On the run with Celia, and after a near-fatal explosion meant to kill them both, Gemima
learns the gang leader is the son of a terrorist she took down herself, twenty years ago.
Celia's involvement in recent events is no accident, and it's only a matter of hours
before the terrorist cell learns they escaped the explosion.

And the biggest problem? Gemima herself is wanted by the government.

Looks like this grandma's going to have to take the situation into her own hands, just
like she always has.

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 4-Part Pacing
As Taught by J. Scott Savage
1
Plant seeds for "surprising but inevitable ending"
Introduce hero's false belief
Introduce all characters in first quarter
Ends with major milestone or inciting incident
Why this section is important:
Most readers who stop reading a book do so
within the first quarter
3
Hero encounters external and internal obstacles
Options and likelihood of resolving the conflict
become more and more reduced as plot moves on
Hero overcomes false belief that was preventing
conflict from being resolved
Section ends when hero makes a major discovery
and learns the key to resolving the main conflict
Why this section is important:
This is where the journey's impact on the hero
becomes apparent & real revelations happen
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2
Hero sets out on the wrong path
Characters are proactively trying to achieve
personal goals as well as plot goals
Section ends when hero makes a discovery that
leads to the correct path
Why this section is important:
It’s easy to have a cool beginning, but
delivering on that beginning is harder
4
This section is almost 100% action
Hero has a major revelation that leads to a false
success and "all is lost" moment
Allow reader to guess what will happen, but then
have characters fail miserably at it
This is when you can introduce the surprising but
inevitable twist at the end of the book
Section ends when hero turns it around and
succeeds against all odds
Why this section is important:
Readers get the payoff they've been waiting for,
plus a major surprise (and desire to read more!)
 Tips & Hints
1. You never have to use every single suggestion or "rule" you
hear. Do what works best for you! Everything here is a suggestion
to help you think through plotting.

2. Keeping an outline that reflects multiple plotting styles can be

very beneficial. Even if you're a pantser (or maybe especially?),
outlines help with writer's block.

3. Few writers ever create a perfect plot before they start writing.
Recognize that your outline, no matter how detailed, might change
as your story evolves, and that's okay.

4. I'd love to hear from you! If these templates help you, or if you
find something that works even better, please feel free to reach out
to author@jenniferjulander.com.

Happy Writing!

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