Do you plot or do you wing it in your writing.

I do a bit of both as I feel a novel needs some kind of structure so you can pace yourself and make your novel seem consistent. I do wing it at times though when I have an idea which I believe could fit the plot although I usually have a consistent ending chapter in my mind so I know how to build up a story to reach such a point . I do think that you need a bit of structure and that most writers do structure their work although maybe not self-conscious of this fact. When you write yourself into a corner how do you get yourself out of it? I myself think it's best just to keep writing even if what you feel isn't appearing as you hope least that way you have a base to come back and work with rather than focussing on getting one part completely right the first time, which essentially could result in you spending a lot of time in trying to complete your text .

It depends on what I am writing. If I already know what the ending is supposed to be, I usually write up a brief outline to make sure I get there. If not, then I just write and watch what comes out. Not sure which system is better; I still get stuck in the middle sometimes regardless of which system I use!

I write mystery novels and I never plot the first time around. I let my imagination take me where it will. When I'm doing my second draft, I plug up holes, plant red herrings and look for interesting subplots that can be further developed.

I try to start out with the idea of a plot but mostly I just sit down and start writing and hope the story will flesh itself on its own. I've tried doing plot maps, outlines, brainstorming, and I always end up abandoning it halfway through.

I always have a general plot in mind for both the entire story and each chapter, mostly a loose chain of important things that have to be included. Other than that though i let my mind take me where it will, i find that stories flow better when you let you give yourself a little freedom or the story telling can become to wooden. Birdie -

I do a bit of both! In terms of planning: I plan big things, like the ending, the 'villain' or 'issue' etc. I also create things like mind maps with character information etc in. The majority of the time I wing it. Having the big events planned makes things easier, usually it's just a matter of checking that what I'm writing 'on the fly' so to speak is heading in the right direction according to my planning. If I have particular scenes, comments etc in my head, I write them down so as not to lose them, and then if/when I find somewhere that they fit, I just slot them in, readymade.

I tend to do a little bit of both... I write down first my list of general ideas.. Everything from generic char descs to random dialogue. Then I start writing down ideas for the plot... Then comes the outline. Then character descriptions. Tweak outline if needed And then play fill in the blanks :p