Further Snowfall Progress

Dr. Light ventures into the woods...

I've been continuing work on Snowfall. I've also finalized a few more chapters of my story as well, adding a few new characters and going through my already written chapters to make sure that the story makes sense and there aren't any glaring mistakes or plot holes.


With my artwork, I'm at work sketching and inking my scenes and adding them into ComicLife to build the foundation of my novel. I am then bringing in the dialogue from my word working with making panels less like storyboards and introducing scene transitions that are not just cut and dry. I've discovered through this that instead of harsh, hard-lined boxes, I like using atmosphere to separate scenes.

Inked Scene: Dr. Light prepares Snow's first meal.
 

I've also been working on reoccurring themes in the story. I think by having them a little more organized, I can weave them into my novel more effectively and create a richer story. A few of my story's themes:

- Created Families and Adoption: In the world of Snowfall, Snow is abandoned by her mother and her father, who remains a mystery through most of the story. The only family Snow ever seems to know or encounter are ones that are made up and have no blood ties. Throughout the novel we see reoccurring instances of loving created families and distant blood-related families.

- Racism and Interracial Relationships: In my story, the world is full segregation (a great deal of it self-imposed) and intolerance. There are humans and "Tahnzi," human-like people with varying degrees of animal-like characteristics. The Tahnzi are met with mild aggression to being kept against their will as "pets." Snow has feelings for her friend, a Quetzal bird named Bertie, who is Tahnzi. Their relationship is generally considered taboo and "dangerous" by humans, many of which hunt Quetzal's for sport (our main antagonist is often seen sporting a Quetzal feather tie pin.)

- Making Tough Choices:  Many times in the story, Snow is faced with making a tough challenge. Early in the story, she is separated from her guardian Rigby. When she discovers that he has been captured, she makes it her mission to save him. Along the way, Snow continues to make friends and is nearly always forced to part with them so that she can save Rigby.

- Victim-Blaming: Several times in the story Snow encounters forms of victim-blaming. After she buys a new red dress, she is chased by a gang of "Squealers," men with the head of boars. When she later explains the incident, someone implies that she shouldn't have worn "that color." Tahnzi characters also encounter this when they are bothered or attacked.

- Destiny: Throughout the novel, many characters often reference the fact that their destiny is out of their control and therefore take no initiative or responsibility for things. Snow discovers that she has certain abilities that do make her powerful. The novel takes the stance that there is no pre-determined fate, that it is your actions that are your power.

Snowfall is beginning to take shape finally!