Planning

I love to plan things…a lot. Sometimes I enjoy planning more than the actual doing.
There are many books on plotting out novels and stories, plot architecture, worksheets. I’ve read a couple. Authors seem pretty willing to share their techniques too – post-its, index cards with scenes.

But how thoroughly can a person really plan a novel?

I used some scene cards and character worksheets to plot out the remix project (current work in progress). They have been really helpful but the plan isn’t everything.

I don’t always know what I need until I’m already into the story. I realize that more as I work through it. I temporarily stray off in one direction and the story is richer for it. I guess the bottom line is, a book can be planned but only to a certain extent, at least in my experience.

There is value in both planning and spontaneity. Balance is the key.

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Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.

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http://www.LeaRyan.com/
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