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[Purpura Lipstick]

my bad guy in Wulf's Bane, Corin, is the absolute WORST offender of doing what he wants when he wants. ... 

[Pengi]

damn those rebellious characters!! 

[mare]

I am the same way. I rarely if ever know where my story is really going when I start it. I have a general idea but I kind of let the characters figure it out for themselves lol

[RokofAges75]

I usually know the big event at the beginning that gets the story started and then the big climax at the end, but not so much the middle.  I used to just go with the flow, but now I'm more of a planner; I kinda outline as I go, so I always have a direction, a point B to get to.

That said, my story Secrets of the Heart that I started a couple years ago and never update, is outlined literally chapter by chapter because I had to piece it all together to make sure it would work, and I never have much inspiration to work on it.  My new story, Guilty Roads, was planned up to a point before I started it, and now I'm past that point and don't have anything outlined beyond that.  I have a general idea of where it's going, but nothing set in stone, and that one I've been a lot more inspired on.  So I think sometimes it is better to just go with it.

[Rose]

I used to never plan, like anything. I had an idea and I outlined the characters themselves with bios, but that was it. When 00Carter happened, habits changed by force cause with that many writers, you need a solid outline LMAO. Plus collaborating with Julie brings out your planner side, I swear. So now I outline ideas, in the sense of the idea, the beginning, the big event, and the ending. Things I know have to happen make it into the outline too. But I never do chapter by chapter. When it comes to how it all happens, I let the characters tell me. I see my outlines as "Fate" interfering in their lives. The events will happen either way, but how they make the journey is up to them.

[mare]

^ Yeah, I agree. I'm the same way. I always know how i'm starting and how I want it to end but everything in the middle is usually up for grabs. In-between I also see big turning points and scenes as well. I think go with the flow really works. The stories I have enjoyed writing more are the ones that I didn't really have a direction on although I have never written an outline for anything before. The ones I have more planned out are the ones I find harder to write. Go figure lol

[Pengi]

That's a good way to word it, Rose.

Sometimes the characters just meddle too much to ever get to point B though.

I find when I write detailed outlines I never write the story. It's like it's already written so there's no excitement in it. I write for entertainment the same way people read my stories. I'm just as shocked by them as the readers are! LOL

[Purpura Lipstick]

00Carter is the only story I've ever written with an outline! LOL.

[RokofAges75]

I think that's where I am with Secrets; the whole story is written out as a string of summarized scenes, so why actually write it?  I do want to write it and finish it, but I can't seem to maintain any kind of momentum on it.  Grr.

[Rose]

Yeah when an outline is too detailed I find it kills the inspiration cause the spontaneity of the characters goes poof lol.

My outlines are very hodge podge anyway lol. I just got inspired for a kidnapping story yesterday, and all it is is random ideas and events I want to happen saved in a word doc with the title and summary lmao. No order to it. But it makes sense to me.

00Carter is the only story I've ever written with an outline! LOL.

LOL well you gotta admit, it needs it.

Undead it outlined, sort of. We have an order to it, and what we want to have happen, but the full thing isn't outlined to the end. And when the characters change something up or we get a random new idea, we go with it.

[Pengi]

I think that's where I am with Secrets; the whole story is written out as a string of summarized scenes, so why actually write it?  I do want to write it and finish it, but I can't seem to maintain any kind of momentum on it.  Grr.

Try twisting the plot in a way that throws out the old outline

[Purpura Lipstick]

LOL well you gotta admit, it needs it.

Yes, yes it does.

[RokofAges75]

Try twisting the plot in a way that throws out the old outline

I don't think I can... then my whole premise for it is ruined LOL.  There are little things I could change and probably will as I get there, but I don't think I can throw out the whole outline.  I like the idea, and I like how it goes together; I think I just need to get past the parts I'm on now and get a little further into it.  Right now it's all kinda same old, same old, stuff I've written before, but after a couple more chapters, it will get into some different stuff for me, so I'm hoping that's when it will get fun again.

[Pengi]

Right now it's all kinda same old, same old, stuff I've written before, but after a couple more chapters, it will get into some different stuff for me, so I'm hoping that's when it will get fun again.

Ohhh... I got'cha. That was part of the problem I was having with the original version of HTSAL/Time Watcher. The original version was repetitive and it wasn't working towards what I wanted to accomplish as the point of the story, like the "moral of the story" thing. When I reworked the idea and got past that rut, it flowed easily

[Purpura Lipstick]

did we uh, hijack this thread?