Now if you are not a math whiz, don’t let this scare you: The Snowflake Method of writing a novel follows the same idea of a fractal design that starts off small and builds up. It’s easier to understand if you see this visual.
A snowflake is a fractal design and that is the whole theory behind using the Snowflake Method to write a novel. The writer starts off with just one sentence to describe the story. The sentence is developed into a paragraph. Each sentence in that paragraph develops into a paragraph. Each of these paragraphs develops into a number of scenes, and so on.
In between each of these steps, the characters are developed in much the same way. A description of each character starts with a sentence and then is built upon every other step. As a result, the story is built with a combination of character and plot.
This method is a great idea for both the writer who likes to write off the cuff as well as the writer who likes to plan a novel more deeply. By the time the writer creates her first draft, she’s developed the characters and knows where the story is going. As a result, she can write no stop without getting lost (the off-the-cuff writer) or she can start the writing process without procrastinating in the planning stage (the writer who plans more deeply).
Read more about the Snowflake Method:
Andrew M. Friday 