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I've used both. They can't be compared, IMO, because they do such different things. But I'll try to explain why I think that. Scrivener is an open-ended toolbox for organizing writing projects and producing a good first draft of just about anything-novel, short story, poem, screenplay, essay, you name it.
I find it a good tool for 2nd drafts, too, but that's not relevant to your question. Mostly people use it for creating drafts, though with its increasing support for ebooks, that picture is changing. Snowflake (the program) is a narrowly focussed implementation of a novel planning process (the Snowflake method, which is explained in detail on the snowflake website: ). It consists of a series of forms that you fill in.
The end result is a novel 'treatment' down to the scene level, consisting of character summaries, plot element summaries, and scene summaries. And that's it. It doesn't provide a means for you to proceed to creating the first draft; it's strictly a planning tool.
I have used the Snowflake output as input to a Scrivener project, and I've written snowflake-method driven treatments using other pieces of software, including both StoryBox and Writemonkey. As an implementation of the method, the Snowflake program doesn't really add much. The UI in particular is something out of the 90s-functional but ugly. The Snowflake method can easily be implemented in Scrivener by creating a document template that has all the Snowflake method work products in the Research section. You can create story outlines using the Outliner, complete with summaries in the Synopsis section of each document (i.e., on the note-card). Hope this helps.
I've used Randy's Snowflake Method before from his website (advancedfictionwriting.com) and while it gave me the best results of any creative paradigm I've tried, the instruction left me feeling a little glassy-eyed. This book is amazing.
It is a hidden gem and I hope this review helps others give it a chance. There are three layers to this book - the first layer is that you get to read a novel about a girl who learns how to use the Snowflake method on her own story. You learn right along side Goldilocks without realizing you're learning. The examples she reviews with Baby Bear are just as good as if you went to a conference on your own. The second layer is seeing the application of the lessons.
You realize through the story (for me it was about halfway through) that you are actually seeing a plot line unfold that has nothing to do with the World War II story Goldilocks is writing. You might even realize this is the real example Randy was trying to give, not the WWII romance. The third is the actual instruction - and let me say, this instruction was so much clearer than what was on the website.
Maybe it's because of the first two layers. But I really feel like I learned so much more from this book than others. Writing books talk about writing like it's the driest thing in the world.
Randy's book talks about writing and shows us, three times, that his method works. I don't know what type of writer you are. Maybe the Snowflake method doesn't work for you. But if you've ever read up on it and it sounded interesting, give this book a shot! It is well worth it.
The Snowflake Method could work. Today I talk about a small book called “How to write a novel using the Snowflake Method” by Randy Ingermanson. This presents a combination of outlining and organic writing. He uses the metaphor of Goldilocks at a writers conference to present his ideas. Goldlilocks always wanted to be a writer, but she was trapped in the practical career, the caring for her children, and in general following the good advice people gave to her about her jobs and careers. She goes to a writers conference and with baby bear finds a style just right for her. The method is using a mathematical system that starts out with a big picture and putting in more and more detail until you have a rich tapestry of deep characters, complex plots with lots of twists and a finished book.
I have recommended this book to several of my friends who are failed organic writers as a means to add structure and form to their story. Those that are hard core outliner will find this book too organic. The book presents some interesting thoughts, and exercises, and the use of children’s story book characters makes it very friendly. However, it is just another writing book, it didn’t make me go wow, nor did I want to throw it across the room. If you are wanting something to help you structure you writing but you don’t want to embrace an outline then possibly this book is for you. It is not a bad book, it is a book with some interesting theories.
I've used Randy's Snowflake Method before from his website (advancedfictionwriting.com) and while it gave me the best results of any creative paradigm I've tried, the instruction left me feeling a little glassy-eyed. This book is amazing. It is a hidden gem and I hope this review helps others give it a chance.
There are three layers to this book - the first layer is that you get to read a novel about a girl who learns how to use the Snowflake method on her own story. You learn right along side Goldilocks without realizing you're learning. The examples she reviews with Baby Bear are just as good as if you went to a conference on your own.
Snowflake Pro Software Review
The second layer is seeing the application of the lessons. You realize through the story (for me it was about halfway through) that you are actually seeing a plot line unfold that has nothing to do with the World War II story Goldilocks is writing. You might even realize this is the real example Randy was trying to give, not the WWII romance. The third is the actual instruction - and let me say, this instruction was so much clearer than what was on the website.
Maybe it's because of the first two layers. But I really feel like I learned so much more from this book than others. Writing books talk about writing like it's the driest thing in the world. Randy's book talks about writing and shows us, three times, that his method works. I don't know what type of writer you are. Maybe the Snowflake method doesn't work for you.
But if you've ever read up on it and it sounded interesting, give this book a shot! It is well worth it. I've tinkered with the Snowflake method of writing in the past and didn't get very far (to be fair, I never bought the author's book on fiction writing or the Snowflake software). This cute, little novel (yes, there's a story) mixed with Randy's creative paradigm was just what I needed.
Yeah, there were a few times in the story when things bluntly arose in the book that made me think, 'He's obviously trying to make a point, here,' but that's exactly what I needed. It helped me to have clearly-defined conflicts and set-backs as I watched the story progress (sure, Goldilocks is a bit of a corny story line, but I have a feeling Randy could have pegged the corny-o-meter WAY past using just a kids story to build his novel).
Overall, I found the book to be thoughtfully done, clearly demonstrating Randy's method of teaching while leaving room for writers to use any system that works well for them. It's a quick, easy read, but it's packed full of useful information. I feel like I went to a writing conference over the weekend, and I want to apply the Snowflake method to my current book idea immediately. Awesome book and very helpful for me. As a struggling author who found himself having to rewrite and rewrite to the point of frustration, I found these methods have made a huge difference.
The 'story' was also entertaining and I thought it was a clever way to teach without me feeling like I was actually being taught. I highly recommend this method if you're having a difficult time with outlining or just writing by the seat of your pants. A very valid method of organizing your book that worked for me. Thanks for putting this out there:). The Snowflake Method could work. Today I talk about a small book called “How to write a novel using the Snowflake Method” by Randy Ingermanson.
This presents a combination of outlining and organic writing. He uses the metaphor of Goldilocks at a writers conference to present his ideas. Goldlilocks always wanted to be a writer, but she was trapped in the practical career, the caring for her children, and in general following the good advice people gave to her about her jobs and careers. She goes to a writers conference and with baby bear finds a style just right for her. The method is using a mathematical system that starts out with a big picture and putting in more and more detail until you have a rich tapestry of deep characters, complex plots with lots of twists and a finished book. I have recommended this book to several of my friends who are failed organic writers as a means to add structure and form to their story. Those that are hard core outliner will find this book too organic.
The book presents some interesting thoughts, and exercises, and the use of children’s story book characters makes it very friendly. However, it is just another writing book, it didn’t make me go wow, nor did I want to throw it across the room.
If you are wanting something to help you structure you writing but you don’t want to embrace an outline then possibly this book is for you. It is not a bad book, it is a book with some interesting theories. UPDATE: I am very please to tell everyone interested in using the Snowflake Method to go ahead and purchase the program that is mentioned in the book!
Here is the reason for my change of heart. Ingermanson is that rarest of all business people, an honest one. He stands behind his product and is determined that anyone purchasing his products will have complete satisfaction and his personal help with whatever the issues are. He did not know who I was when I wrote my first review, but he saw that I was unhappy with the program. He took the time to track me down through my order, contact me and offer his personal help to fix the issue or give me a complete refund, my choice.
I chose the have the issues fixed with the program and he is personally doing that with me at this time. There were a few glitches on his end, which he has addressed, and the ones on my end he has given clear and concise information on how to deal with them, which has been done and those things are now fixed. The remaining issues are being addressed and I am sure that I will be back using his great program for my book very quickly. To find an honest person who will stand behind his product and offer his personal assistance to his customers is amazing. I feel as though I have discovered a unicorn!
Thank you Randy, your help has restored my faith in using your program and I now wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone considering it for writing their book. I like the book very much and it was very helpful to get things more organized and focused. However, DO NOT BUY the program that he has available for writing your novel!! It comes with no instructions, no explanations on how to use it and after downloading the 20, yes 20, parts that made up my program, the thing doesn't work. It has a lot of bugs in it that the site claims were fixed, but were not. I would have thought that there would have been only one program sold with all the updates on it, not 20 things with issues in all of them. As a result, I have now gone back to my old way of doing things, albeit with a bit more organization.
The worst part and what I find most frustrating is, there is no way to contact Mr. Ingermanson directly or any tech support available whatsoever.
I have sent two messages to the email address he gives as being for customer service, which of course carries a warning that he gets a great deal of email from writers so response times could be long. This is not a writing issue, it is a tech issue and it would better serve his customers if he would have someone handling tech issues separate from his Q&A for writers. I am now out the $50 I paid, since there is no way to request a refund, I can't use the program as it is and there is no fix or explanation in sight. My overall rating is that the book is very good, but the program that is suppose to follow the book and make things easier for writers, is horrible. Buy the book, don't waste your money on the program. By a guidebook.
I took a kindle sample, thinking it was just another of the thousand self-help books that all read the same and get discarded the same, but I was instantly hooked. Ingermanson used a remake of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears to mold his case for the Snowflake method. I haven't yet read the whole book, but even the beginning is worth the purchase. Mind, it's quite inexpensive.
I never knew I myself use this method when planning a story. Not that I've finished any, but with this book I hope to get further. It looks promising and I highly recommend you buying 'How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method'. First let me say that I am not a clean Snowflake style writer; I have a tendency to let my characters get out of hand and write my stories for me. In my case, my characters often write better than I do, so this is a good thing.
That aside, this is an excellent book teaching the Snowflake method, and my only objection to it is that it is not entirely in sync with the Snowflake software that is also available from Mr. I do, however, recommend Randy's solutions, both the book and the software to any aspiring writer. Even if you do not fit the mold entirely, there is much that is useful here. While following along with this book I was able to go from blank page to a solid outline for a brand new trilogy! I created a completely new story world from scratch to test out the snowflake method and now I have the start of a trilogy I already adore. The inclusion of the snowflake method for the story in the back was especially helpful. I am infinitely glad this book was recommended to me during #k8chat, because it was just what I needed to get out of my creative funk.
I would especially recommend this book for aspiring fiction writers who don't have a background or degree in English, writing, or literature, because with this book no prior knowledge of story structure is really needed.