Do you plan out your plot before beginning to write or does it come as you write?

I prefer to just sorta and sit down and write, but sometimes I have to make an outline. I feel like its more Dependent on what I'm writing really.

 

Yeah I plan, but I keep it fairly flexible so as to allow for any unexpected plot turns and so on. I have a clear idea of the ending, but that's all. I tried writing without planning at all once, but I ended up with something full of loose ends and plot holes.

 

In my younger days I used to be able to just sit down and write and the plot would just appear on the paper. But since I've been out of practice for some time it's been easier to jot down about 4-5 plot points and then plot out each of those.

 

I start off with a general idea of what i want and where i want it to go, and some of that will be definite and the story will have that as a base to work from, but each time, random thoughts and ideas appear out of nowhere and i incorporate them in, it's always cool when you get one of those brainwaves.

 

For me it depends on what I write. When I write short stories I tend to think of the ending before I start writing. I don't know why, it just makes things easier for me. If there's no good ending then it doesn't seem worth starting in my opinion.

I tried using the same method with the novel I'm working on but it isn't working out for me. I tried writing an outline, since that's the advice most writers gave me, and an ending but I've changed it about four times now as I write. I think I plan on a structure then tweak or change it as I go along. I guess the story changes as I get to know my characters better and better

 

I can never think of endings, no matter how hard i try, without them seeming cliché or just poor. I usually only get a possible idea when im near that milestone. The day i think up a plot with an actual ending planned out will be a happy one!

 

Actually I have really had to plan the finish to my novel on the fly...since I went back, simplified the plot a lot and dropped several things to make it more tenable. Since then, I've been working it on the fly, and it's turning out better then what I originally had planned. The flow is faster, the pace is more of a page turner, I just hit the 50K mark and now we're building for the climax. The bad guys are starting to figure out what Kate knows, she's starting to learn what they know (and more about who she is). And to top it off, a rival government, with the help of the Syndicate (a shadowy and mysterious group that are mercenaries and 'free lance' hunters with a deep pocket supporter to be named later), are working to keep her alive for her to do something for them down the road-after this story is down.

Throw in the futuristic nazi's working to come to power on Earth, the war they want before long and you have a slam-bang story moving at a breakneck pace...

 

I tried to plan out a story in meticulous detail. I had everything written down, from how the story would progress to the minute details of every town, city, ruin, and blade of grass along the way. Naturally, I was fascinated by this world of mine. But when it came time to actually start writing, I just sat there with a blank look on my face. I knew exactly what needed to happen, but I didn't know how to put it into words. My inspiration died in a matter of hours.

Every time I plan something out on the fly, though, I end up getting quite a bit done. It doesn't always flow perfectly, but that's what editing is for.

I haven't done any in-depth planning since the incident in the first paragraph. I don't know if it was just that one time or if planning it out in general doesn't work for me, but I'm not going to risk it again. Certainly not with a story that I actually really like.

 

I never plan! My English teachers are always yelling at me for that! Whenever I plan though, my writing always feels forced, and my characters get made at me! To prevent this I just let them choose where to go and what to do!

 

I never plan, I just keep in mind where I'm going.

 

Usually I'll have major events planned as milestones, but not an actual outline. I find writing with a general goal in mind, not *this character does this, then this happens, then this person goes to the store*, works wonders. I think when you surprise yourself with spontaneous writing, throwing a curveball that you work in later on, makes the writing entertaining not just for yourself but for the reader as well.

 

I usually plan it out in my head, working otu the kinks as I go.

I find (in my short time writing stories) that writing out all the characters and main plotlines and stuff on paper to be a complete mood killer, and more of a chore than anything.

But i haven't wrote much more than short stories, so longer things might be a bit different.

 

I've usually made things up as I go along. But since I'm not very disciplined and I tend to forget things, this method hasn't gotten me very far. For my most recent story I've decided to make a plan of all the major events, mapping out most of the story, from beginning to end, before I start writing it for real...I hope it works

 

I have a form of insomnia, which often leaves me up for hours and such, and this is actually the time my brain becomes most active, so I will often think about ideas, not plots, but more ideas about the characters, abilities they might possess or something, and if I come up with something original and I like it or what not, I'll jot it down, draw a diagram, write some description and stuff out, but I don't write the plot. Knowing the things I come up with, I know what part of the story in the timeline it's probably going to occur at, and aim for that point, but otherwise my fingers simply flow (quite fast too), and produce the words, and before I know it I write down the main ideas and get into the gruelingly juicy part of the story !

 

I definetely let my characters "show me the way". I just go with the flow. I always feel as if that gives your story a more realistic touch to it. I try to write where I can get a lot of inspiration, like posters on the walls, very decorative, and I have to be very focused or the story will end up being all sloppy. It has to be somewhere where you always get those quick ideas that pop into your head and you know it would be perfect to add that in to your story. But I have to atleast know what the general plot is about, because without that then it will be a big mess. I always keep in mind what important event I'm leading up to before adding in any smaller events.

 

I usually have no problem with the start and the end and i know where i want my characters to go but sometimes have a bit of trouble in the middle - okay almost always.
It's frustrating but i think i'll get there this time (having this problem at the moment).

 

I do think of plots at the top of my head as i write, but is that good to do ?, like i can create a plot of a horror story then they turn into fantasy story as i write, does that throw the reader off?

 

I tend to write down what will happen but I don't actually plan it. I note any ideas I have in chronological order - I never force an idea - and leave a gap where there is one.
The story I'm working on now has changed many times! The general idea's all I stick to.

 

I'd have to agree with Flu for some of his reasons.

Once I've established a beginning and an end. I'd usually just start writing of whatever is coming out of my head. However, for any 'serious' scripts, I'd think about it and record anything that relates to it (Character, Setting, Conflicts) on a piece of paper so I wouldn't forget next day. Eventually, when I come back to write my script, I would just simply continue where I left off.

 

Not really. I just write whatever comes into my head. I think ahead as I write, and that helps, but I change everything to make it better .

Z

 

I normally do an outline but more often than not have the basic idea for characters and events already thought up and just in need of some organization. Right now I try and outline five or six chapters ahead of where I am, which is better than the complete outlines I used to do which would need constant changing because the story always has a soul of its own.

 

It very much depends on what "mode" of writing I am in. Sometimes I just want to write for fun, or I just want to write for practice. In those cases I just start doing whatever and WRITE. I only do that if I don't care about the outcome, though.

When I am writing a large scale piece, or when I have an idea that I really like, or finally if I intend on having someone else read my work, I always plan it out in advance. I'm not saying it isn't possible to do something "character driven" or to start out with no plan. It is possible, and you can write very good stuff that way sometimes. I just think that for writing to accomplish a purpose and pack a punch, so to speak, it needs to have a planned out plot and purpose. Specific details of action can be made up on the spot, but the general shape of the plot curve I always know beforehand.

The big exception to this would be NaNoWrimo. When I Nano, I don't plan more than perhaps a few characters or whatever. That lets me write more, without less restraints. And even if that makes my Nano novels less good, well, the purpose of Nano is to have fun! And besides, I've been rather pleased with those results despite my lack of a plan.

Overall, while I think it is possible to write with no plan in mind, I think that in general it is a better idea to have some idea of where you are going with the story beforehand.

 

I used to outline a lot more than was really necessary. After a while, I figured out the best way for me to do things was to get a basic outline of the key parts and just have a picture of were the story was going and then flesh it out as I wrote. So far, this has proved the most effective and it helped me finish the rough draft of my first novel.

 

yeah, ok i think im good with plot, middle and end and stuff, but writing it is hard, it sounds to complicated to do, its the detail thats the problem, like the characters walking,how do i like describe that, i mean to interest the reader, you have to make that reader see what you see, to drive that person in the story, especially a story with a very huge map and there destination is very far away, how would that look on a formation of a script when formated into a movie. i have very good story but the lack of vocabulary knowledge and understanding the full process of writing has greatly limited me. Good ideas but limited knowledge. What do i do? especiually for stories containing 5 books.

 

I usually write as it comes because I see it as actually thinking on paper. The nice thing about paper is that it permanantly records your thoughts and you can go back and re-arrange them as you wish. Also, the way my mind works I'll place special significance on certain details and I never think about those details until I am in the middle of writing a scene, so every time I write it changes the plot.