: Is it possible to outline a dual plot novel using the "Snowflake Method" or other method? I am interested in learning the Snowflake Method to outline a novel. Question is: I'd like to write

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I adore the snowflake method and don't see any reason you can't use it to write your story.

First point - What is dual plot?
I'm not sure there is such a thing as 'dual plot'. The plot is the main storyline - where the key character starts, the trials they go through, and the resolution. It's common for stories to have more than one of these, often applying to supporting characters, and they would be considered sub-plots.

Dual narrative is where you have two key characters telling the story (or perhaps the same character at different times in their life).

Second point - Is your story dual anything?
What you're describing doesn't sound like either multiple plots or even multiple narratives. You're simply describing multiple settings.

The plot isn't dictated by the locations of the story, even if they are in different worlds. Two settings do not equal two plots.

Third point - can you use the snowflake method?

A resounding yes!

But I would say that you need to focus on the main protagonist and their journey - how they change, what their goals and obstacles are. This is where your premise, story skeleton and eventual fully formed plot will come from.

The locations and settings are a backdrop and stage for that, however intrinsic.

Presumably you've started with a premise and got stumped at the location part of it, in which case I would call the location 'across two worlds' or something like that.

I strongly recommend looking at the Character Driven Hero's Journey in conjunction with the Snowflake method to help get to grips with where your plot comes from.

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It sounds to me that you are effectively describing two stories told in parallel with one story being effected by the other. As the effect is one way (in your description) what you really have is a pair of stories one being the sequel to the other.

Dual plot aka dual narrative is probably about the right label. To be honest don't be over concerned with what the technique you are using is called so much as how well ou apply it.

Although I do not use the snowflake method (as such), knowing that you have two stories might make it easier to see how one fits with the other.

You might want to plan two entire 3-act stories or treat it as one long six act story which you will fold back into itself (1 & 4, 2 & 5, 3 & 6) to tell a single 3-act story (with two narratives). Whichever way you do it, you will want to plan the past and the future at the same time. Although in the narrative the past affects the future but not the other way around this is not the case in planning a story. At the planning stage if the motivation does not fit with the outcome there is nothing stopping you working backwards to change the source of the motivation so for you as a plotter the future can indeed effect the past.

So while in the form you want to present the story it might seem like two plots at once what you have is really not so different from one plot with flash forwards/backs.

Other than being mindful of any act structure (1 & 4, 2 & 5, 3 & 6), any technique you would use to plan a single plot would, therefore, apply to this plot too.

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I have never heard the term "dual novel" before (do you mean a novel with a dual timeline?)

I'm currently using the Snowflake method to outline several books in a series, so perhaps I can be of help!

I'm making one "snowflake" per book, but when characters are reappearing, I can reuse steps that deal with their backstory, psychology and the like.

The key here is; one snowflake per book. Because you want the three acts, the plot points and all the other things that make the story into a whole.

In your case, you have to keep track of two stories (or timelines), but they have to be confined in one book (and one snowflake).

In the Snowflake method, you would use characters to create sub plots. In fact, some of the character development steps of the method is meant to examine the story from a specific character's point of view. You will have a slightly different story for each character - or perhaps in your case, a very different story?

In my case I selected one character to be main protagonist, and her story is very similar to the story of each book as a whole (e.g. she and each book share the same storylines).

Then I added detail by having the other characters see things slightly, or wildly different. In one book, one character is in a prison camp, while the protagonist is planning to free her.

The Snowflake method has the potential to have a sub plot for each character, although that would be a bit much. In most cases you use the slightly different perspectives to make sure all characters are three dimensional.

In my estimation, you shouldn't have any problems creating a story with dual timelines using the Snowflake method.

The method is not designed specifically for dual timelines, but dual timelines are just one way of telling a story, regardless of what type of method you use.

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