Writing - Planning or Stream of Consciousness

[tessarin]

Well real life and a general fatigue has slowed down my writing a fair bit recently. However, that slow down has proved useful in another way. It's forced me to reappraise whether I am over planning my fics. On some days I have struggled to write portions and yet on other days when inspiration has hit me and I have disregarded my plan, I have been

Comments

[trepkos]

Do you just write loose outlines for each chapter or the story as a whole?

The story as a whole - I have to know how it's going to end or I don't finish it.

Do you outline character arcs and metaphors or just the narrative content and plot?

I write down the narrative - the character arcs are in my head. The metaphors usually come to me in the bath, or driving to work.

How closely do you stick to your plan. Rigidly or until the roadblock you hit means the plan has to go?

The plan is just a skeleton - like a decayed autumn leaf. I try and fill in the smaller veins and flesh it out bit by bit.

How long do you hit your head against the wall before modifying the original plan?

I don't change the final destination, but I might try a few different routes.

Do you when you have that splurge thing allow it to take you wherever it is headed, or reign it in when it runs contrary to plan?

If I wander off, I always come back to the plan.

Does planning hinder or inspire your inspiration?

Provides a framework for it.

Do you do you do character bios as part of your planning?

Only very basic ones, filling in stuff that canon doesn't supply - eg, how old is Riley?

Are these bios only for original characters?
More detailed ones for OCs but still not very detailed.

Are the bios redone for each fic?

I have only written one (very long) fic.

[tessarin]

Thank you for your comments. The general framework approach seems to be the preferred approach.

'The plan is just a skeleton - like a decayed autumn leaf. I try and fill in the smaller veins and flesh it out bit by bit.'

Nice analogy.

You mentioned you plan out the narrative and keep the metaphors in your head. Did you use relationship maps at all , say whiteboarding them?

[trepkos]

No - I've never heard of doing that.
Again, all in my head, I guess.
It's very cluttered in there!