Looks like a good argument for the Snowflake method [0]. This method is basically to "develop" a novel, by starting with a single sentence and gradually expanding it into the novel. In contrast, the other method (pansing) is to start writing the first chapter immediately.
For either approach you find great writers using them. It seems to be a question of personality.
Thanks for the Snowflake link. When reading a novel, I sometimes try the reverse to crystallize my memory of the story. I imagine summarizing a page with a sentence, then a chapter with a sentence, then the book.
Same. And actually, having used this method without knowing it had a name, I can say it’s a great way to write. Crystals grow naturally, but distillation is laborious.
Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight changed the way I write—it puts special emphasis on being able to clearly state, in a sentence or two, precisely what your story is about. And there’s hardly a better way to find out than to know at the outset!
I know this probably works and when described like that it sounds like a good idea. It seems basically you start with a single idea and write around it to make it bigger.
But, I also can't help but think of the dilbert cartoon where the PHB insists that the most important thing is the name of the project, before you even know what the project is.
Personally I think that there's some overlap here as both techniques seem to be trying to show how to start from a single idea and bring it into something more complete.
For either approach you find great writers using them. It seems to be a question of personality.
[0] http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php