Snowball writing is a metaphor.You must realize that you are not really using snowballs to write. So, snowball writing should be taken metaphorically. It asks you, as the writer, to make the analogy between a snowball and the writing technique that you choose to use. Click for Free Writer's Block Help E-Zine and Free E-Book Think of a winter day that is just right for playing in the snow. Some people make snow angels, others go sledding, some sit inside sipping hot cocoa, and others have snowball fights or build snowmen. Argue if you will, but the activities that take the most energy out of all of these options are the building of a snowman or the making of a snowball. You have to pack on a ton of snow to shape each ball to look just how you want it to look. The same is true of writing. You want to pack on the ideas to make your writing more versatile and creative. Snowball writing is a creative writing idea that questions your specificity. It implores you to recognize all the options available to you as you pack on the layers of your story. You should realize that snowball writing makes it so that ideas for creative writing become commonplace in your mind. You can choose to write about general ideas, but your task for this technique is to find more specific structures for your writing so that you can choose the best, strongest, and most unique words and phrases to complete the writing task you set out for yourself. You might use snowball writing as a precursor for conducting interviews. Let's say you want to write about a young boy. You might make your creative writing idea more specific by thinking of your son, your nephew, your brother, or some other young boy that you know. Talk to the person you choose. Ask questions about the routine he follows each day. If he is comfortable enough with you, ask him about his emotions. How does he feel about certain people, certain places, or certain material possessions he owns? What are his hopes and dreams? How would he change his life if he could? What is good about his life? All of these questions, and more that I'm sure you can think of, are great for analysis of a topic such as this. It doesn't even have to be a person that you interview. Obviously, interviewing people is a much easier task, as you can talk right to them and get straight answers. However, you can interview animals or items as well. Follow your dog around for the day. Watch her movements. Gauge how tired or energetic she is. Ask to take her for a walk and see her reaction. While on the walk, note where she stops to go to the bathroom, whether birds, squirrels, or other animals catch her attention, and whether or not she wants to keep walking when you reach home. It may sound strange to call this an interview, but, in fact, it is one. Your careful analysis and watchful eye are great tools for interviewing. Plus, they do not only have to be used for non-human entities. You can watch a person's body language and get answers to questions that you might not hear come out of their mouths. For example, thinking back to the young boy, he may not want to tell you that he likes a girl, but as soon as she passes by, the look on his face may give his crush away. Noticing is very important in snowball writing. The intricacies, details, and perceptions that you have of people and things can become all the stimulation you need to come up with more and more ideas for creative writing that you can use. Snowball writing merely asks you to stack on the layers. Analyze what seems indescribable. Identify what seems indiscernible. Portray what seems characterless. Specify what seems too general. Make your writing grow into bigger and bigger snowballs so that you will always have another direction to turn if one of the snowballs you pack on seems too large or too small and not just right for your story, poem, or other writing endeavor. Try your hand at snowball writing and see how your metaphorical snowmen shape up as you delve into the little details. After a snowman is built with the snowballs, what does it need to be complete? Generally, people use coal for eyes, carrots for noses, sticks for hands, and sometimes they even add scarves or hats to up the cuteness quotient of the snowman. What details will you add to make your snowball writing complete?
To return from Snowball Writing to the |