I've seen a lot of advice that says you should plan your novel before you start to write it. But then I've heard hugely successful novelists say they start with a small idea and then just start writing and the novel develops as they go along. I follow the latter. I very much just start writing and the story changes and develops as I write. I don't think there is any right or wrong way, but just wondering what everyone else does?
I always write a detailed outline.
Because my stuff's historical fiction there are constraints built in. Time is the main problem: getting from place to place takes ages. Without a plan I'd have no chance of moving around the plot in a period-realistic way. Plus, if I ever get stuck I just add bits to the list of outlines I have on file. Then I'm always doing something constructive.
Well - most of the time, anyway ;)
I write about a quarter of the book and then have to do a detailed plan chapter by chapter. If I don't do it at this point it can end up in chaos! Initially I like the story to be able to flow without any restrictions though, I find it works better that way.
All my stories start with an idea.
I find my short stories are easier to formulate and write. I just need a beginning, a middle, an end, and something unusual. So I tend to write them without too much, if any plotting.
My Novels, were and still are different. In the beginning, I just wrote, but eventually, ran out of ideas, and hit a dead end.
I suppose short stories and novels could be compared to a weeks holiday. For a short holiday, you would probably make some minor plans. Whereas, if you intend to circumnavigate the world, you would plan in fine detail, before you embarked on such a journey.
So, where novels are concerned, I decided to plan. I have 7 segments in Act 1, the beginning (This is where I set up the story). Any number of segments (depending on the plot complexity), but usually 7 to 10 segments in Act 2, the middle (or muddle, as it's often described). And just 4 segments in Act 3, the end (the resolution). I find this prompts me with ideas, and makes it so much easier for me to write a novel.
Agatha Christie, wrote complete skeleton plots of her novels before she wrote a single word of her stories. Whereas, others do some plotting before they start, and others don't do any.
So I suppose it's whatever suits the writer.
Regards
MN