Disclaimer: I've literally only used this method twice. It takes up a lot of time and requires a ton of effort. It definitely helps, but I mean...ugh. lmao

So if you're willing to spend hours planning out a story, keep reading. if not, nevermind. lmao.

If you're anything like me, you hate outlining. It's such a pain in the ass, it doesn't help, and you don't even use the outlines. Half the time, they completely drain your motivation to write. They're a complete and total waste of time, so you'd rather wing it.

But, if you're also like me, you kinda like outlines because you appreciate the structure. You like having some sort of guidelines to make writing a little bit easier. You just wish there was a way to outline that doesn't suck.

If you've never made an outline, that's cool. Whatever you do, don't listen to your teachers. I've got something better than what they'll teach you.

It's called the Snowflake Method and it was developed by Randy Ingermanson. Now, since we're basically talking about writing fanfiction here on Wattpad, I made a few slight alterations because he writes novels and we write fanfiction or freelance fiction. See the difference?

It's easy, but it takes time. If you're impatient, get over yourself because the Snowflake is supposed to cut down the time it takes to write a story than if you were to wing it.  Outlines are what prevent those unwanted "on hold" labels.

Here I have simplified the slightly modified Snowflake Method.  You can do this either before you make your first draft or after.  It would probably be a good idea to do it before you start writing.  Personally, I kinda prefer doing it after writing a really shitty first draft.  Do whatever suits you.

Snowflake Outlining Method

1.      Spend 20-30 minutes to write a one-sentence summary of your story. Example: "A rogue physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul." It's the big picture, the analog of the starting triangle
Tips:
          Shorter is better. Shoot for fewer than 15 words.
          Don't include names. A handicapped trapeze artist > "Jane Doe"
          Tie together the big and the personal picture. Ask which character has the most to lose, and then tell what he or she wants to gain.

2.      Spend 1 hour to expand the one-sentence summary into a paragraph that describes the setup, major disasters, and the ending. It's the second stage of the snowflake.
The paragraph should have about 5 sentences:
          Sentence 1: States the backdrop and story setup
          Middle Sentences: The disasters/conflicts. One sentence per disaster.
          Last sentence: Tell the ending

3.      Characters are the most important part of any story, and the time invested in character design pays off tremendously when writing. For each major character, take 1 hour to write a one-page summary of the character.
          Include the character's name.
          Write a one-sentence summary of the character's personal storyline.
          Motivation. What abstract thing does he or she want?
          Goal. What concrete thing does he or she want?
          Conflict. What prevents him or her from reaching his or her goal?
          Epiphany. What will he or she learn? How will he or she change?
          Write a one-paragraph summary of the character's personal storyline.
          It doesn't have to be perfect.

 ***It's okay to go back and revise your story's one-sentence summary and/or one-paragraph summary. No matter what stage of the snowflake method design you're in, it's 100% okay to go back and revise any earlier stages. Revision is inevitable, so might as well do it while the change is still fresh in your mind.

(If you learn that your brilliant story idea is a complete fail, it's okay to dump it. Not every story idea you come up with will be a successful one. Be smart and don't waste your time on a dead story when you could be coming up with a masterpiece.)

4.      By this point, you should have a good grasp on what your story's all about. Now, take as long as you need to expound on every sentence in the one-paragraph summary of the story. Turn each sentence into its own paragraph. (It's advised that every paragraph ends in some sort of conflict, but it doesn't have to be this way.) The last paragraph should explain how the story ends.
          Don't overthink this stage; have fun with it.
          Make sure you expound on the conflict(s)!!!!
          This will end up being your one or two page synopsis.

5.      Take your time to write up a description of the characters in the story. Make a one-page description for each main character, and a half-page description for each important side character.
          Try to tell the story (in short) from each character's point of view.
          These will end up being your character synopses.

6.      Expand every paragraph of your one-page story synopsis.  You're turning your one-page story synopsis into a multiple-page story synopsis. Creative juices will flow at this stage like crazy. It's where a lot of plot decision-making comes into play. You will end up revising earlier stages, because this stage will end up conjuring up new ideas for this story.
          Expand each paragraph into an entire page.
          This will be your multiple-page story synopsis.

7.      Time to expand your character descriptions. Turn them into detailed charts on everything you need to know about each character. This is where you'll include all the details and descriptions of your character.
          Birth certificate details.
          Physical description.
          Personality traits.
          Description of his or her past.
          Motivation/Goal/Conflict/Epiphany
          How this character will change by the end of the story.
          For side characters, their relationship with the main character(s).
          Anything else you think is important to know about your characters.
          Don't rush!

8.      BEFORE YOU FINALLY START DRAFTING (or continue writing...whatever order you prefer to plan in), time to make some lists. Take your multiple-page story synopsis and make a list of all the scenes needed to turn it into an actual story. (It's advised to make a spreadsheet with a word processing program... Microsoft Excel is good for this. The guy who came up with the Snowflake Method actually has software for sale called Snowflake Pro Software. There's also other free ways to make spreadsheets... just Google it. It makes list-making easy. If you're using paper, be ready to draw a chart with rows and columns.) Make a spreadsheet or paper chart (like my lazy ass) to plan out the scenes.
          You'll have a minimum of 2 columns.
          Only one row per scene.
          1st column: POV (if it's 1st person, be sure to tell which character's POV it is)
          2nd column: Write out what happens in this scene.
          You can add extra columns to note how long you think this scene will be or a word limit or the setting; anything you deem necessary to write down.
          Don't write the actual scene here. Save that for the storywriting.
          Column recommendation for stories with chapters: After you finish listing out all the scenes, go back and add an extra column and assign a chapter to each scene.

9.      Now it's time to start writing your first draft (or 2nd draft... depending on whether you did the Snowflake first or second.)
Tips:
          This is supposed to be the super fun part, so have fun with it!
          Here is where you write your story. Draft your scenes and link them together.
          Add minor details of how and why and such.
          DESCRIPTION! YAY! HobisHearteu advises you to use a Thesaurus (or Google "*word* synonyms")
          At any point, you can go back and fix broken parts of your Snowflake. The Snowflake isn't meant to be perfect. It's not concrete. It's flexible like puddy or playdough.  You can reshape whenever and however you want. Your Snowflake grows with your story.
          Enjoy yourself and create something you're proud of.

Good luck!