When writing, do you find it harder to think of a plot and link it all together, or do you struggle more with putting it into words?

No reason I was asking, just curious ;)

For me I find it much harder to put my ideas into words.

I would say neither, or both. Because I write spontaneously, I'm doing both at the same time, so they're either both hard, or they're both easy, as they're connected for me.

It's the same with me, Jade. I have no shortage of ideas, so usually by the time I sit down to actually write out my novel the entire story has been played through a dozen times in my head. My trouble is that what ends up on the page never captures exactly what I had in mind. It turns out to be a fine story, but it never does justice to my original idea.

I have trouble putting it in words, most of the time. Sometimes I have trouble with ideas not the main plot though rather the connecting parts of the story (e.g. leading from one event to another). I simply give up writing until the block cracks up and gives me a clue. I have trouble with words though, I believe, because of my small vocabulary and somehow perfectionist personality - I can't take the idea of 'work on it later' kinda thing.

I'm with Amarantha. I get plenty of ideas for plots and characters. My problem is getting them on a page in a way that makes me happy. But I'm working on that and I've gotten better at it. You have to learn that what you write may not be exactly what you wanted it to come out as and either work on changing it to fit what you wanted it to be or accept what it did come out as another way that it could be that is just as good if you give it a chance. Different from what you initially set out to write isn't necessarily bad.

Also, I forget many of the ideas I think are good because I fail to write them down for use later.

I have trouble putting my ideas into words...or words that I think sound good together and make a reader excited about reading them.

I've always been able to fit words together. I can easily sit somewhere and dream up a situation and write it down. But I have problems with plots, making up conflicts and such.

I more have a problem with plots, thats if I have any problems at all.
And that's simply down to mini moments of writer's block, and that is easily aviodable.

Putting it into words is harder for me. I can come up with a really vivid scene in my head, and then have no idea how to write it out.

i see a book like a movie in my mind. for me it is putting that movie into words that are entertaining to read. A lot of stuff comes to my mind as far as what to say but I would be in one place describing it in detail to the max and i have these huge space operas in mind so that does not work.

i find neither difficult [or a struggle], so can't come up with an answer to your question...

Neither are difficult for me, either, but let me assure you that I do not intend by such a statement to imbue my post with the natural implication thereof: that I am a wonderful, experienced, skilled, and condescending writer, and you are not.

Actually, I find plotting to be the easier of the two. While my actual writing does not always - or usually - follow the path I mentally planned, I am usually pleased with the deviations, after a good half dozen edits, anyway.

I have found both difficult at times, but probably plotting is hardest for me in a novel length story. I am usually happy and excited with the first two or three chapters and know I have a great ending in mind. But then I can't seem to get through the middle and string it all together the way I see it in my head. It gets so boring.

I was complaining about this yesterday and my son said, "Well, Mom, skip the middle and just go on and write the end. Maybe it will help you with the middle if you write out exactly where you think you're going."

I don't know if it will work or if I even want to find out, because I don't usually write that way, but I am considering it. Can't hurt, I suppose. I can always trash the end later if I'm led off in another direction by the characters.

And perhaps it will be a good learning experience. I've only been writing fiction for about a year now and I am hoping some of my plotting problems will be solved by experience.

I am also going to say both.
I know the basic plot of my stories. The problem, I'd say is how massive the plot is. It is a story that takes place over six novels. So making sure they run smoothly together is the problem. I am constantly finding loose ends that need to be tied down.

As for feeling at a loss for words, yes I think every writer goes through that. Many times I will sit at my lap top trying to come up with the perfect wording for an emotional scene. Sometimes it helps to leave it and go into another story for a while. Anyway, that’s my take on this.

I tend to overthink the plot, characters and such while leaving actual writing completely unattended.Being a procrastinator doesn't help.

I have trouble coming up with plots, characters and writing are a strong point, but besides coming up with vague, interchangeable scenes, finding something to write about is a real big problem of mine.

That's a hard one to answer. :/ I'm not even sure I could pick one. I think for me it depends on the story and the situation. I don't plot things out ahead of time but I do keep ideas in my head. Sometimes, like with my current WIP, it's hard to put all the right plot elements in place and even to figure out how to fill in some gaps; other times, I might know what I want to happen, but I'm unsure of the words I should use to express it. Or, more often, I worry that the words I use won't convey the idea properly (e. g., a death scene might come across as hokey or silly).

I think I'd probably have more trouble putting plots together than with putting words together, though.

Its not havingg prolems with plot persay hat i have butt problems with connecting parts of he plot togeher.