Think Before You Write or Write Before You Think?

My thoughts on planning out plots

I just finished writing nonstop for two hours in an exam for one of my classes, so I decided I needed to decompress by writing something that has absolutely nothing to do with my schoolwork.

When I write for assignments, I feel as though I’m rigorously digging down inside me and sucking out as much content as I can muster. When I write simply because I want to, I feel as though I’m merely releasing something that flows naturally. Needless to say (but I’m going to say it), I prefer to write on my own time and about my own topics.

This is my second post, one that I honestly was dreading a little bit because my first one was an introduction with a clear path and purpose. Now, I have to figure out why I’m actually here and what I want to say.

Ever since I started on Substack, I’ve kept a note on my phone titled, “Substack ideas,” where I can quickly jot down random thoughts that come to me during the day that I hope to turn into a post. Already, this note is filled with possible topics for posts. Yet something has been holding me back from writing about any of them so far.

Though I’ve barely been on this app for two weeks, the main obstacle that blocks my path to writing here has been the same obstacle I run into with writing fiction: having so many ideas that I don’t know where to start. Or at least that seems to be the issue at first, meanwhile the main difficulty I face is that most of the ideas are half baked and would fall apart if I tried to write about them.

Sometimes, sitting down and hashing out an idea is the hardest part of writing, at least for me. I like to sit down and immediately have words flow out of me and onto the page. I don’t relish the idea of planning everything out beforehand. I just start writing and see what happens.

Mostly, this has worked out fine for me. However, I have found that it doesn’t often breed longevity. I’m much more likely to abandon an old, dried-up project in favor of a shiny, new one because I didn’t take the time to plan out the details. Coming up with an interesting idea for a story is great until you realize you have to figure out how the characters actually get from A to B to C, etc.

I’m currently working on a fantasy novel in which I created a magical world that exists within the pages. When the inspiration struck, I knew this project would be heftier than any other I had pursued, and I knew that I would need to plan a lot of details out first. So, I started up a Word document and tried to write down everything that I had decided about the world and the plot of the story. Sometimes the ideas came faster than I could even type. After a few days, I had recorded plenty of ideas gained from my brainstorming sessions, and I intended to keep planning, but before I knew it, I was typing up the first chapter. I just couldn’t help myself. For creating a whole world from scratch, I probably should’ve held off a little longer until I got things ironed out, but considering it was five years ago, it’s probably too late to change that.

Despite my inability to create an extensive plan before I started, it was still the most I had planned out a story before starting to write it out. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my longest standing project is the one that I planned the most for. Or maybe it is, but either way I’ve never stuck with a project as long as this one. I’ve been writing for five years and I’m on the second draft. I still have a long way to go and a whole lot of details that still need to be figured out, but it’s my most promising work in progress.

Although I place a lot of importance on planning out a story, I think there’s value in leaving the door open for the writing to change as well. I try not to hold too rigidly to my plans because a burst of inspiration may come at any moment and bring with it an entirely new character or plotline. Some of those unexpected additions have turned out to be the best parts of the story.

What I’ve learned over time is that it’s useful to have a varied approach. Sometimes, it’s nice to know that I already have the next chapter planned out in detail because I’m not in the mindset to be producing new plot points. Other times, I want to write freely without restriction. I’ve found that both produce valuable results in my writing.

This is just what I have discovered that works best for me, but one of the wonderful things about writers is that we all have different journeys and different methods. So, maybe you plan your stories out from beginning to end before even typing the opening sentence, or maybe you start the story with a vague idea of where you want it to go and ride along where the writing leads you. Either way, keep writing! Even if no one else reads it, there’s value in the work. Every piece you write builds your skill, builds your voice, and builds your passion.