Outlining a 3 Act Novel with the Snowflake Method

With NaNoWriMo right around the corner, I know a lot of writers are scrambling to get their novels outlined - I was one of them. As a long-time pantser, I had never fully-outlined a story before; I liked to write and allow the characters to take control and for the story to flow organically. But, lately, I've found that without an outline, my story will derail, and I can sometimes write myself into a hole. So, in preparation for NaNoWriMo 2018, I scoured the Internet for different outlining methods and finally found one that works best for me!

The Snowflake Method

So, the Snowflake Method boils down to nine easy steps:

1. Write a one sentence summary of your novel.
   • For this, I wrote a quick, one sentence summary that arched over the entire plot of my novel.
2. Write paragraph with 3 plot points and conclusion.
   • For this step, I wrote about my inciting incident, two other plot points I felt were important, and also the conclusion (the ending, really) of my novel.
3. Design your main character.
   • I had personally already done this step as I'd written parts of the story a year prior. But if you hadn't, I would sure check out this character creation chart for writers, or even a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet!
4. Expand on your plot points.
   • I did this by writing a dedicated paragraph to each of my plot points. I went relatively in-depth, which I suggest you do as well.
5. Create more characters.
   • Again, I had already done this part of the planning prior. In expanding your plot points, you likely will have to! Characters will even come to life in your writing as well.
6. Develop high-level logic of the main plot.
   • You can interpret this however you please. I did this by developing the motivation, reasoning, and driving forces of my plot.
7. Developing your characters further.
   • Other than character sheets and charts, you could also develop these characters further by writing backstories about them, by writing short stories featuring them, or planning out their family or other aspects of their lives!
8. Write everything down!
   • I really hope you had been doing this the whole time.
9. Start writing!
   • But not until NaNoWriMo!

And there! You've finished the Snowflake Method. Some people feel that this is all they need - and if that's you, then great, you're done! But I, personally, still felt like I needed to know what beats I was hitting. You see, story structure is a pretty universal concept. Stemming from the idea of the Monomyth, a lot of screenwriters write in a basic, three act structure, which follows the hero's journey, from their life before, to their life during, and their life after.

3 Act, 9 Block, 27 Chapter Structure

This is a basic story structure that can be found in many published novels - whether intentionally or unintentionally. Youtuber Katytastic was actually the person who introduced me to the method, back in 2012, but before I'd done the Snowflake Method, I couldn't wrap my mind around the structure. While you can watch one of her many videos on the subject, I'll break it down for you in (what I think is) a much easier to understand way:

Essentially, the story is divided into three acts: the set-up, the conflict, and the resolution:

1. Act One - Set-up
2. Act Two - Conflict
3. Act Three - Resolution

And within those three acts, you also have three "blocks," which serve as the individual act's set-up, conflict, and resolution.

1. Act One - Set-up
   • Block One - Set-up
   • Block Two - Conflict
   • Block Three - Resolution
2. Act Two - Conflict
   • Block Four - Set-up
   • Block Five - Conflict
   • Block Six - Resolution
3. Act Three - Resolution
   • Block Seven - Set-up
   • Block Eight - Conflict
   • Block Nine - Resolution

And, subsequently, each block encompasses three chapters - a set-up, conflict, and resolution! But these are more specifically named:

1. Act One - Set-up
   • Block One - Set-up
     • Chapter One - Introduction - Introduce your hero and their ordinary world.
     • Chapter Two - Inciting Incident - This is essentially the "big event" that sets the story into motion.
     • Chapter Three - Immediate Reaction - The hero's immediate, smaller reaction to the inciting incident.
   • Block Two - Conflict
     • Chapter Four - Reaction - A more prolonged reaction to the incident, a larger display of the incident's effects. Usually the hero fighting against the incident.
     • Chapter Five - Action - Because (almost certainly) the hero failed in the last chapter, this is the chapter where they begin taking action to solve the problem.
     • Chapter Six - Consequence - This chapter is usually a more immediate (possibly even an overarching) obstacle the hero encounters in the beginning of their action.
   • Block Three - Resolution
     • Chapter Seven - Pressure - This chapter usually boils down to difficulties your hero faces immediately.
     • Chapter Eight - Pinch/Plot Twist - This "pinch" is almost a "big event" - it can be an upset to the hero's journey or even a larger obstacle to overcome.
     • Chapter Nine - Push - This is the outcome of the "plot twist." This event pushes the hero out of their old world and into their new one.
2. Act Two - Conflict
   • Block Four - Set-up
     • Chapter Ten - New World - This is kind of like "Introduction," or "A day in the life," but in this new world the hero has found themselves in.
     • Chapter Eleven - Fun & Games - This chapter has a lot of wiggle room. Usually, I use this chapter as some space to develop any sublots, romances, or side-stories to my novel. You could also use this to further develop/complicate the new world.
     • Chapter Twelve - Old World Contrast - This should almost always tie in to the previous chapter pretty closely, and should show the character struggling to come to terms with the new world they are in. In my case, this is my characters struggling with a romance that is impossible now.
   • Block Five - Conflict
     • Chapter Thirteen - Build-Up/Pressure Part 2 - Your midpoint is going to be a pivotal point in the story, so this chapter is building up to a realization/change, or very often a second, larger plot twist that will further direct the course of the story.
     • Chapter Fourteen - Midpoint - This is the result of the build-up. A fight? A realization/reveal?
     • Chapter Fifteen - Reversal - This is the outcome of the midpoint. The story should have changed directions pretty significantly, or the audience/Hero should have some new information or motivation that is propelling them down their path.
   • Block Six - Resolution
     • Chapter Sixteen - Reaction - You could think of the reversal as the "immediate reaction," and this as a more prolonged reaction, like chapter four.
     • Chapter Seventeen - Action - Again, the hero is taking action down this new/developed path they have found, in a strengthened attempt at solving the issue at hand.
     • Chapter Eighteen - Dedication - This chapter should include your hero dedicating themselves, for better or worse, to solve the issue and resolve the plot.
3. Act Three - Resolution
   • Block Seven - Set-up
     • Chapter Nineteen - Trials - Usually a bunch of minor action points, obstacles, and smaller plot development events.
     • Chapter Twenty - Pinch/Plot Twist - This should be the biggest or second biggest plot twist/pinch of the story, depending on how big of a deal your midpoint was. This should be another reveal or realization that, again, propels the story down a more developed/new route.
     • Chapter Twenty-One - Darkest Moment - This is the immediate reaction to the prior chapter, which, as I said, should have been a pretty big deal. Your hero has lost all hope and is at the peak of their struggle.
   • Block Eight - Conflict
     • Chapter Twenty-Two - Power Within - This event is where your hero finds the hope to continue on. In my case, this stemmed from divine intervention.
     • Chapter Twenty-Three - Action - You character, once again, takes the deepest action yet to propel themselves toward the resolution of the plot.
     • Chapter Twenty-Four - Converge - This is where most, if not all, of your plots and subplots should at least begin to converge and culminate. Underlying romances are solidified or broken, characters leave or stay for good.
   • Block Nine - Resolution
     • Chapter Twenty-Five - Battle - This is basically everything the story has been leading up to. An event that needed to happen in order for the story to resolve itself. In a fantasy novel, this might be an actual battle, whereas in a contemporary novel, this could be a competition or an argument.
     • Chapter Twenty-Six - Climax - This is the resolution and convergence of all plotlines. Everything should come together to a knot at this point, most questions should be answered, and in some cases the hero should be allowed to return, changed, to his "new" old world.
     • Chapter Twenty-Seven - Resolution - This chapter will tie up any loose ends and close out the story. This could be the final events, the outcome of the climax, or the hero returning home from his journey.

And that's the basic three act structure. I didn't keep the 27-chapter structure, but I instead combined some chapters together as needed. (I.e., my "Darkest Moment" and "Power Within" were too close together to constitute a chapter break.) You can arrange, combine, and split as you please - this is merely a basic look at important (and often universal) plot points that occur in stories.

Together, with these two outlining methods, I was able to plan my NaNoWriMo novel in just a few hours! Hopefully it was able to help you as well! Happy writing, and good luck!