About Planning...

Some of you plan, so I wondered HOW you planned?

Personally, I plan by outlining my plot, then creating characters and finally doing research. Plotting's my favourite!

I also like to use OneNote for planning to. It helps keep everything tidy. StoryBook keeps the scenes in order for me...


BQ (Remember from Yahoo? I loved them!): How did you get your current novel idea?

I got mine from a dream after watching the Jaws trailer the day before - except the kids were kidnapped by underwater robots. Then I went on Yahoo Answers to see if anyone had an idea why they'd be kidnapped... then someone suggested an idea which led to the creation of Mustafa Ehab (the previous antagonists were people like "Holly" "Yaz" "Chris" etc who were a cross between Hippies and environment lovers... it didn't fit at all XD

IF i do it, i tend to do very basic family trees so i know whos who and then a very rough list of key points/ events that i want to go in there which means that if i'm struggling with a certain section i can just move on to another and come back to it since it kinda doubles as a checklist.

I'm not sure how helpful this is for you, but hey, who knows right?

I'll answer the BQ first. I was researching a slightly different story idea I was originally going to go with (it was only in the planning stages - I had only written one chapter), when I came across this article which mentioned Operation: Drop kick. Hence my idea about virus infecting a town

My planning began by developing this "virus idea". I got a vague idea of who the MCs would be (ie. young teenage boy and girl) and then began developing their personalities. Then I tried to build up their pasts, in a way which supported their currently characteristics. Over this whole process (and even now), the characters and the plot changed a lot.

There is no one time when I do all my research - I do it gradually throughout the whole process.

When I'm planning the plot, I use post-it notes and write scenes on each of them, then stick them in chronological order. For my characters I write up character profiles and am now working through that fantastic interview sheet you gave me. It's sooo helpful - thank you so much!!

I'm just interested, Dot

@Emma, you are very welcome. I still have to try it out myself though - I was using another one before I found this one a few days ago... I need to develop three characters. I only have the good of two of them! D: I hate Gary Stu's so I can't have any!

Planning is pretty much like solving a Rubik's cube. Everything you change affects everything else and it seems impossible that you'll ever get it right. I still haven't worked mine out.

Maris wrote:Planning is pretty much like solving a Rubik's cube. Everything you change affects everything else and it seems impossible that you'll ever get it right. I still haven't worked mine out.

Grr I know what you mean! My story has changed sooooo much since I started writing it!!! My characters have changed, my plot had changed...EVERYTHING had changed. I'm giving my story a break at the moment so I can let the most recent (and quite major) changes settle a bit before I begin to look critically at them and determine whether they are going to work or not.