1. I laugh out loud. Okay, no. I just sigh a little. Totally not needed. Sure, it's good to have an idea, but what happens when your character surprises you? What if it was them holding the knife all along? Are you supposed to hit delete on the magic you created so you can fit your outlines story ending?
2. I see why this would work for some. Personally, I think this is super dependent on how the story comes to the writer. For me, it works best to write things as I think they should be—in whatever order I imagine them being in to begin with. Maybe that's linear, maybe that's flashback chapters. But it comes out in that order. I think I work like that because if it feels like a flashback chapter, that's when I'm compelled to dig into that moment. Right then is when I know the most about the characters, can get the most from that chapter.
3. A blank page in Scrivener. I make paragraph outlines (at most) and keep a detailed timeline, should that be needed. Beyond that, it's all bullet points and notes and comments in the margins. I've tried all sorts of things—from apps to spreadsheets. But I think it's best to not get bogged down. I don't want the magic, the sparkle, the life to be drained from the story or me. If I plan too much, I'll feel as though it's done. I'm over it. Then I need to move on. And what a sad thing that is, to stop a project because I feel it's done, but no one gets to see the thing I created for myself, but also for them. I have some things just for me. But writing is for everypony. It sucks when I've taken the sharing part of it away from myself by organizing and planning and outlining. I'm glad it works for some, though. A lot of companies wouldn't exist if it didn't.
1. I laugh out loud. Okay, no. I just sigh a little. Totally not needed. Sure, it's good to have an idea, but what happens when your character surprises you? What if it was them holding the knife all along? Are you supposed to hit delete on the magic you created so you can fit your outlines story ending?
2. I see why this would work for some. Personally, I think this is super dependent on how the story comes to the writer. For me, it works best to write things as I think they should be—in whatever order I imagine them being in to begin with. Maybe that's linear, maybe that's flashback chapters. But it comes out in that order. I think I work like that because if it feels like a flashback chapter, that's when I'm compelled to dig into that moment. Right then is when I know the most about the characters, can get the most from that chapter.
3. A blank page in Scrivener. I make paragraph outlines (at most) and keep a detailed timeline, should that be needed. Beyond that, it's all bullet points and notes and comments in the margins. I've tried all sorts of things—from apps to spreadsheets. But I think it's best to not get bogged down. I don't want the magic, the sparkle, the life to be drained from the story or me. If I plan too much, I'll feel as though it's done. I'm over it. Then I need to move on. And what a sad thing that is, to stop a project because I feel it's done, but no one gets to see the thing I created for myself, but also for them. I have some things just for me. But writing is for everypony. It sucks when I've taken the sharing part of it away from myself by organizing and planning and outlining. I'm glad it works for some, though. A lot of companies wouldn't exist if it didn't.