"Oh, I have to plan?"--The Importance of Planning

One of the few things that I’d rather not do when writing is plan. Seems silly, I know, but the initial “dirty work” isn’t my favorite part. Sure, I like figuring out some things like the plot, but I’d rather just plunge ahead with the story and write it. What’s the problem with that?

May seem like an obvious answer, but even though I’ve learned that I NEED to plan things, I still ask that question. As a writer, you may think that you know every piece of your story (and I’m not saying that you don’t), but sometimes that isn’t the case. You need to write down what’s going to happen and sort of “see” it, rather than have it just in your mind. I’ve found it’s very helpful to me to write things out. I don’t mean just typing them out, although I’ve been doing that more. The act of writing and forming the letters—the words, sentences, paragraphs—cements something in your mind in a way not possible with typing. This is where an outline or overview (post coming on that soon…) really helps.

Even if you don’t fully outline your novel, you always want to know where you’ll end up—your story goal. I heard something once that it’s the beginning and end of something that people remember. Think about some place that you drive to often, maybe church or the store. Now you may be able to picture the entire route, but the beginning point and end point are clearer, yes? It’s the same way with a story. People remember most what’s at the beginning, but especially the end. 

It’s so much easier to write towards a goal than just come up with it as you go along. By having a set goal, you as the author are more motivated to see it achieved. That in turn (hopefully) makes your characters more motivated to achieve the actual goal.

Several novels ago, I decided that I didn’t need to actually have a set story goal. I thought that I could figure it out as I went along. That novel ended up being a complete disaster. My characters weren’t motivated at all, weren’t very developed and the story bounced all over the place. Things happened for the sake of happening while I racked my brain to find a story goal. When I finally got to the end, it didn’t work. The goal didn’t feel real and that’s because I didn’t have it in mind (and my characters didn’t either).

Another thing I would suggest when you’re planning your novel is to get feedback from others. This helps me so much, probably the most of anything I try to do in the process. The author is so close to their story world and much of the time, we tend to “zoom in” on one aspect: a specific scene, a character—you name it. When we get feedback from others who aren’t so close to the story, it helps you to see the bigger picture. They can point out plot holes that you may have missed or inconsistencies. Getting at least a second opinion—generally more than that—is something I try to do before I start writing a story. Let the people willing to help you give some advice.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it seems important enough that I need to reiterate it again. Don’t let fear stop you. A lot of the time, that’s what holds me back from sending an overview or an excerpt to someone who would otherwise be able to give me a great critique. I’ll admit, I AM afraid to be laughed at sometimes. As hard as it is, (try to) forget about it. Attach the file and hit the send button. Now yes, I know that’s easier said than done. The feeling I get before I send part of my writing off sometimes is what I think I might feel if I were setting off a bunch of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons...I may have to use that in a story.

If you only take one thing away from this post, then remember this: always know where you’re going with a story. The characters may be underdeveloped, the plot lacking, but having an endpoint in mind will make it easier to go back and rewrite. Don’t do what I did and think it’ll just come on its own. In some cases it may. But play it safe and make sure you know where you’re going. It will help you in the long run.

Keep writing!

~Katie