The Snowflake Method: Plot Bold Characters

Example Using the Snowflake Method Character Template

Let’s take a look at the Plottr template in action, using the famous lawyer Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Character summary of Atticus Finch

Here is an example of how we could plan Atticus’ attributes in Plottr (if we were Harper Lee outlining her classic):

• • Role: Widowed father to Scout and Jem; a middle-aged lawyer; main character

• • Story goal: To provide an effective defense to Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape

• • Ambition: To set an example of impartiality and compassion for his children

• • Values: Honesty, fairness, integrity

• • One sentence summary: A Southern criminal defense lawyer tackles a racist white culture in 1930s Alabama

• • One-paragraph summary: A widowed father and well-known lawyer, Atticus Finch, takes on the challenge of a lifetime when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama

• • Character Basics: Dark hair and eyes, six feet tall with a slender build, Caucasian, 45 years old

Character Synopsis

As a widowed father, Atticus’s main focus is on raising his two young children: his son Jem and daughter Scout. He’s a fair, mild-mannered yet strict father in line with the times, who endeavors to instill in his children a good work ethic, along with honesty, integrity, and the ability to see things through other people’s eyes before judging them.

As a defense attorney, Atticus supports his family by taking on mostly small, local cases in his southern hometown of Maycomb. But his values and abilities are put to the test when he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, an African American man accused of raping a white woman by the name of Mayella Ewell.

Because of their father’s decision to represent Tom, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse by the white community. But they are embraced by the warm and welcoming black community. Tom Robinson is placed in the local jail and a mob gathers in order to lynch him before a trial can even begin. In a heroic show of courage, Atticus faces the mob down.

Despite a powerful defense and convincing evidence as to his innocence, Tom is ultimately convicted and is later shot while trying to escape from jail. It’s a devastating outcome for Atticus and his supporters, but in the end, he at least succeeds in teaching his children an invaluable lesson about having compassion during even the most challenging situations.