what is the snowflake method?
Hello humans! In this blog post, we will be talking about the Snowflake Method for outlining your novel. Now, if you’re like me, it depends on the story when determining what method you use for outlining. For my WIP The Hero The Villain I used the Snowflake Method.
What is the Snowflake Method?
The Snowflake Method is when you start your story with a single idea, that be a single sentence or a page of notes. An example of that could be a story about a princess. You will take that idea and create plot points. We know the story is about a princess but what else? Maybe there's a love interest or she's going to take the throne after her parents step down? Do they step down or are they assassinated? You take a simple idea and keep adding until it is a more complex story.
For THTV, I started with a single idea. I wanted to write a story from the point of view of the villain. This idea grew and grew and flowered into a duology, showing both the point of view of the Villain (Myah) and the Hero (Amar). In the beginning, I asked questions and figured out who my characters were and how they would react to certain plot points.
You start with a basic understanding of your world and plot, but over time that one sentence idea grows and develops into something beautiful. Let’s say you have an idea of a person fighting demons. The next question to ask yourself is who is the person fighting the demons, and what do they want? What do the demons want? What’s the world like? How did it get to this point?
The whole point of the Snowflake Method is to keep asking questions until you have a better idea of what you are going to write. For THTV I wrote a short story that inspired the idea. I loved it so much I kept writing.
When writing keep in mind these questions:
-What is this world?
-What type of magic is there?
-Who is the main character?
-What’s their life like?
-How did they get to this moment?
-How are they treated in their world?
-Who are they as a person?
By asking these questions you learn your world and story before putting pen on paper or fingers on keys. But the most important question you have to ask yourself is: why does this story need to be told? This is important, not only with the Snowflake Method but for many other outlining methods.
Comment below if you have used the Snowflake Method or will use it in the future.
Till next time humans,
Kimberly D. Herbstritt
Want to learn more about my novels and projects or just stay updated on new writing topics for future blog posts? Then follow me on:
I will definitely use the snowflake method for my next project🙏🏻🙏🏻