Do you plan ahead or write as you go?

[Deleted member 93348]

Need I say more? Besides violently telling everyone here that you need an outline before any chapter idea, some folks just can’t pull an Oda-style foreshadowing. But for me, I do plan ahead, because otherwise, I’d legit go bananas thinking about future scenarios.

 

[SailusGebel]

Different approaches for different stories.

 

[Jailbreak571]

...
I write as a hobby so I write as I go. Pretty straightforward ngl.

 

[Deleted member 93348]

...
I write as a hobby so I write as I go. Pretty straightforward ngl.

What a coincidence! It’s my hobby too, but I always wanted to end my stories on a grand note. It’s mostly because of I have so much going on in my head, and it was the reason why I didn’t have a clear direction before.

 

[Lorelliad]

Bulldoze through that shiz and write whatever comes into your mind!

 

[K5Rakitan]

I do a little of both. I like my eggnog with brandy and freshly grated nutmeg.

 

[ProjCRys]

Gets the gist on what I'll write but the details are disorganized and I had to rearrange them. And when I had a great idea, I rewrite the whole thing again.

 

[GreenHexagon]

Both. Both is good. I usually plan the beginning and end, as well as a few key characters, else just chugging that eggnog

 

[Death-69]

I didn't plan at first, but as I wrote more, a plot formed in my head and I just went through with it.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

It's a mix of both for me. I plan out arcs mentally to a degree with only the end goal and the characters. Then I set out how I want to get there, making various changes as I write to allow it to flow better.

 

[Thekherham]

I think I ahead, but I don't overdo it. Since my stories feature my aliens I have to come up with character names, place names, other names. I have maps of two planets, names of different things...

Holy s--t, I guess I do plan ahead. And yes, I overdo it. Sometimes I spend more time planning than writing. Good news, once I do get started writing I pretty well stick to it.

 

[apexaltra]

I don't plan ahead super hard, but for each chapter I have a general idea of scenes, story beats, etc. that I want to include. It helps keep things moving at a nice pace

 

[LilRora]

It largely depends on the story. Basically, if I write a story focused on plot, I make a semi-detailed plan (all important events and their general course) and don't change much when I write.

If I write something with another focus, it will change accordingly. For instance, if I write a lighthearted story, I will only make a very general plan and write the events themselves as I go.

 

[georgelee5786]

Bit of both.

 

[Shard]

I build the world and the starting point of the characters, then I just watch and report what happens. I tried planning, but my characters disagreed with me constantly and I had to give up on my plans.

 

[J_Chemist]

Yes.

 

[MajorKerina]

It tends to be a bit of a hybrid and that especially shows on my most recent effort where from week to week I come up with a set of chapters to write about 10,000 words on. I know where I generally want the story to ultimately end but incorporated suggestions from readers and merged it with basic plan I had for what would happen this week.

 

[hdofficial1]

As of now, I write as I go to get to the main plot in the future.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I write all my stories backwards. I know how they end, but no idea how they will begin.

 

[Marmalade]

I write as I go and this is why I abandon my stories a lot.