My professor insisted I outline every scene before drafting, but it killed my flow for a solid month.

I ditched the rigid plan and just wrote a messy first draft of my fantasy novel, which actually got me past chapter three. Anyone have a better method for plotters who get stuck?

4 comments

4 Comments

ivan_murphy802mo ago

Totally get that. It's like needing a GPS for every trip versus just knowing the general direction and figuring it out. Sometimes you just gotta start driving.

emeryj662mo ago

Just started walking, found the path eventually.

beth2762mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah, but you don't drive on a path, @ivan_murphy80.

evan_cooper731mo ago

Outlining every single scene feels like trying to build the house before you even know what kind of house you want. So you just started walking and found the path eventually. Did it take you longer to clean up that messy first draft later on? I always worry that if I wing it too much I'll spend twice as long fixing the plot holes (which is its own kind of pain). Curious if the extra editing time felt worth the freedom you got in the writing phase.